Living In-Between: Conduits of Grace

Pastor Michael Stadtmueller

Sermon Scripture: LUKE 13:15-17,21-22

¹⁵As the people were filled with expectation, and all were questioning in their hearts concerning John, whether he might be the Messiah, ¹⁶John answered all of them by saying, “I baptize you with water; but one who is more powerful than I is coming; I am not worthy to untie the thong of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. ¹⁷His winnowing fork is in his hand, to clear his threshing floor and to gather the wheat into his granary; but the chaff he will burn with unquenchable fire.”
²¹Now when all the people were baptized, and when Jesus also had been baptized and was praying, the heaven was opened, ²²and the Holy Spirit descended upon him in bodily form like a dove. And a voice came from heaven, “You are my Son, the Beloved; with you I am well pleased.”

Living In-Between: Welcoming the Magi

Rev. Leta Arndt Behrens

Sermon Scripture: MATTHEW 2:1-12

¹In the time of King Herod, after Jesus was born in Bethlehem of Judea, wise men from the East came to Jerusalem, ²asking, “Where is the child who has been born king of the Jews? For we observed his star at its rising, and have come to pay him homage.” ³When King Herod heard this, he was frightened, and all Jerusalem with him; ⁴and calling together all the chief priests and scribes of the people, he inquired of them where the Messiah was to be born. ⁵They told him, “In Bethlehem of Judea; for so it has been written by the prophet:
⁶‘And you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,
are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;
for from you shall come a ruler
who is to shepherd my people Israel.’ ”
⁷Then Herod secretly called for the wise men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. ⁸Then he sent them to Bethlehem, saying, “Go and search diligently for the child; and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.” ⁹When they had heard the king, they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. ¹⁰When they saw that the star had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. ¹¹On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. ¹²And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road.

Sermon Text:

Human fascination with the stars goes all the way back to the beginning of time and continues today. Space is the unit that is most popular with my husband’s 8th grade science students and an open clear sky is what many of us long for when we go to the mountains. So it’s no wonder that the elements of the night sky also show up in scripture and are opened up to us as a way of connecting with God.  Lights in the sky are among the first elements of creation…. Abraham and Sarah are promised descendants that outnumber the stars as they are sent to follow God’s call into a new land and a new night sky… and the magi come today, on the day of Epiphany from afar, following the guiding of star, to see what they have read in the stars, the birth of a king like no other one they have seen before.

While I have always loved the stars and have had fond memories of camping, seeing new constellations while in the southern hemisphere, and enjoying wishing on one or two, it wasn’t until in 2017 when the eclipse passed over our area that I felt I had a deeper spiritual experience with the darkening of the sky.  I had the privilege of being in Wyoming in a spot that was right there on the line to see the full eclipse. I was with my family and 85 other people who descended on the Olsen’s cabin along with a group of scientists who follow the eclipse and the stars and all things about the night sky very closely. It is so hard to describe this experience. The night before the eclipse there were 8 telescopes set up all around the home pointing in all different directions. We got to see Saturn with rings and all and we got to learn from those with a passion deep for the sky and a willingness to share and gift us with all they knew about the sky and the event about to happen. When the eclipse arrived the sky went dark and so did everything around us–the crickets sang, the birds moved, the sunset came and went with a shadow and speed I didn’t know could happen. The whole earth around us, the air, the animals, the lights, and the breath of the people standing as one community took a collective sigh at the wonder of it all and we felt a power around us, together. For a moment we were all connected to something bigger and greater and even not totally explainable and it was something I didn’t know could be until it was.

This is now how I imagine that first epiphany night. The kings coming together to discover this new light that was born guided by a light that they couldn’t completely explain into a community they had never known and into a time where the convergence of earth, sky, and the sighs of humanity met in one place for even just a moment. They arrived about a year or maybe more after the birth of Jesus. They arrived under political unrest–it may not have been a government shutdown furloughing thousands, but it was a climate where yielding power over the less privileged was easy to come by. Tbey came seeking to find what could be new, what could be still filled with wonder in the world. And they arrived with gifts–gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Mystical gifts for a mystical time and moment under the stars. The gifts themselves were unique and not easy to explain, but the fact that there were even gifts at all is part of the remarkableness of this story,

In this time, gifts were not exchanged as ‘gifts’.  If you were giving something to someone of your own class that was one thing and likely resulted in something of similar value. Kind of like our cultural exchange of presents in some ways. A gift or trade among unequal classes was not a matter of common practice. If this happened, there was always an expectation of something that was even more burdensome than a trade–it could come with some daunting political expectations of loyalty or a tithe to the ruler. “Gifts” were a matter of securing power and status. In this political climate, where the rulers or kings would be seen as those who had control and power over the lives of the common people, three people of a much higher class presenting gifts may have caused Joseph some deep confusion and concern, he may not have even wanted to accept them at first. But here it is. Gifts being brought to Jesus with no expectation, no strings attached, no desire for something in return.

In this moment, a spiritual thing happens. Luke’s story of Mary tells us she treasured these things in her heart–the things were not the gifts, but the words, the happenings, the ability of God to show up in new and wondrous ways. And remember Mary’s song and prayer of prophecy? “He has brought down rulers from their thrones but has lifted up the humble! He has filled the hungry with good things but has sent the rich away empty” (Luke 1:52-53). Here in this moment, where the gifts are laid before Mary, Joseph, and Jesus,  God enters in the world and turns things around and offers up the true gift of grace–free love and mercy with no expectation, no power, no need for a return of favor. Just a gift. Pure and simple. A gift of grace and an invitation to receive the gift and let God walk with and among you under all kinds of skies.

My spiritual experience with the sky didn’t happen in isolation, neither did the happenings of that Epiphany journey. As we journey together, we will experience the holy spirit in us personally and reaching out for us to connect in community as well. Sometimes this is with people we know well and sometimes it is with unexpected visitors, those that come in for a moment of our lives and depart for the rest. All of these experiences are gifts of God. As we begin to host families again this year as a community we will be blessed with unexpected and unplanned for gifts. As we journey in our own ways, we will be encountered by the callings of God to engage together to bring gifts of grace to new and new people in our midst. As we listen for God’s word, Jesus’ promise, and the Holy Spirit moving among us we will continue to vision together and stand as ones still willing to see and know that there is good and there is aw and there is wonderment in this world around us.

During sacred space time baskets of stars with words on them are going to come around through the pews. You are invited during this time to receive. Just take a star. Let that word be a simple message to you, something to ponder in your heart and receive as a gift of grace. This star word can be something you consider for just a moment or something that you carry with you throughout the year, allowing it to help you notice the holy spirit moving and breathing around and about you. A reminder that God is present to us in so many different ways.

Just as the wisemen brought gifts and trusted the guidance of the holy spirit surrounding them in the elements of the earth and sky, we are invited to receive the gift of this story, the gift of elements around us, the gift of words and contemplation that can settle in our hearts and lives,  the gift of God coming to you with no strings attached.

Living In-Between: A Still Small Voice

Brad Frye

Sermon Scripture: LUKE 2:41-52

⁴¹Now every year [Jesus’] parents went to Jerusalem for the festival of the Passover. ⁴²And when he was twelve years old, they went up as usual for the festival. ⁴³When the festival was ended and they started to return, the boy Jesus stayed behind in Jerusalem, but his parents did not know it. ⁴⁴Assuming that he was in the group of travelers, they went a day’s journey. Then they started to look for him among their relatives and friends. ⁴⁵When they did not find him, they returned to Jerusalem to search for him. ⁴⁶After three days they found him in the temple, sitting among the teachers, listening to them and asking them questions. ⁴⁷And all who heard him were amazed at his understanding and his answers. ⁴⁸When his parents saw him they were astonished; and his mother said to him, “Child, why have you treated us like this? Look, your father and I have been searching for you in great anxiety.” ⁴⁹He said to them, “Why were you searching for me? Did you not know that I must be in my Father’s house?” ⁵⁰But they did not understand what he said to them. ⁵¹Then he went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them. His mother treasured all these things in her heart.
⁵²And Jesus increased in wisdom and in years, and in divine and human favor.

Living In-Between: Taking Action in Love

Pastor Leta Arndt Behrens

Sermon Text:

We lit the candle of Joy today and as we hear the scripture from Luke it doesn’t seem that joyful–but John ends with a promise of Jesus, a promise of baptism in the Holy Spirit, a promise of an identity as child of God, called to live into this joy of this blessing.

There is an identity craze sweeping our nation. One of the ways this shows up is the new ability to order in a DNA kit and find out more about your ancestry. Last year the company Ancestry sold 1.5 million kits on black Friday alone. There are new companies popping up all over that will tell you your DNA roots and connect you to the past in a new way. I know of one woman for whom this turned out to be very life giving and she was reconnected with family of origin that she never would have even known. So it can be an incredible gift. It is also something that may have the potential to trip us a bit. I have to laugh at the commercials where they show a person who is sure they are German and they are in full traditional lederhosen, eating sauerkraut and drinking beer and then they find out they have scandinavian blood  in them and suddenly it’s lefsa and sweaters–Really? A DNA test is going to make you throw away perfectly good lederhosen?

Ancestry is fascinating and important and it gives us a history and a grounding. It’s also beautiful to find out new things about our past and try them out, although no amount of DNA testing will make me eat lutefisk, I can appreciate the joy of finding out new information and engaging the world with new eyes.

In today’s gospel, John is addressing the issue of ancestry in a different way. The people are gathering to hear his message–his evangelizing, announcing a new order–here John is not a crazy guy on the street corner but he would have been seen and heard as one bringing ‘good news’ to those who needed it. Make no mistake, this was a spiritual move and a political move. His words here are not neutral, they are for making it clear that God desires a new way for the people to live amongst one another.

John confronts the people immediately with their ancestry by saying–Yes you may be descendants of Abraham, you have been claimed and chosen as God’s people AND you cannot let that be your full identity in a way that makes you lazy or self righteous. BECAUSE you are descendants of Abraham there is a new thing coming and BECAUSE you are descendants of Abraham there is more– and God who is more and calls you to more can also come into this world and raise up even stones–even things that are immovable, even things that don’t look anything like you and make them into something new. What John is saying is that your past gives you a place but the way you live it out and live into the world defines who you are. John calls them to repent–to turn around towards God, towards a new way, and to see where their lives matter in the now.

This reminds me of a story I read this week. The author shared about his life growing up with his grandparents. His grandfather was firmly in charge of the finances of the home, making sure they had what they needed and gave what they could in the offering plate. There was one area he did not manage and that was the groceries, that was completely his grandmother. Each week he would go to the store with this grandmother and they would buy two of everything, “two boxes of cereal, two jars of peanut butter, two bags of flour—until our cart looked like an abstract rendering of Noah’s ark with its produce and nonperishable food items arranged two by two.” Then they would drive to the food bank first and give exactly half of what they had bought at the store. One time, he recalls, he asked for the expensive cereal that he had seen advertised on tv and he was told no. He grumbled a bit, saying that if we didn’t buy two we could afford it. His grandmother’s answer was–if we can’t afford two we can’t afford one.

This grandmother took to heart the words of John in today’s gospel. As the people gathered around John and heard his call to repentance, they didn’t ask what should we believe? Or how should we interpret your words for the best possible mission statement? Or what should we understand theologically that will help us to justify our lives?  They asked–What then, shall we do? This could be a complicated question. We can go round and round in circles rationalizing what we should or shouldn’t do–do we give money to the person on the street? Isn’t ok to have a raincoat, a wintercoat, a windcoat, and a pullover? Do we act the same at work and school and church? Yet, this grandmother and John show us that even while there are situations of complication and questions beyond our understanding,  the question and the answer to repentance can be simple–if you have more than you need, share. If you are a tax collector, don’t cheat, if you are a soldier don’t exhort people or try to get ahead by causing harm to others.

Pretty simple really. Live in a way where action is love. There may be things we cannot see or solve or understand–but the parts of God’s love that we can do–we do. When we remember our baptism, our ancestral identity, we remember two things–being bathed in God’s love, Jesus promises of grace and redemption and that we have died to sin and are raised to new life, which can sound theologically complicated or it can be that we live with the neighbor in mind, open our eyes to where we can make a difference, and buy two boxes of cereal instead of one.

See God’s call to us comes to a new place here in advent–there may be darkness but the light is getting brighter. When the people heard these words of John they are described as being filled with expectation– turning towards God and living into that love creates hope, brings steps towards peace, and walks us into the depth of joy. A couple of weeks ago in chapel I asked the preschoolers what they hoped for and got the answers you would expect–hope for nice things at Christmas. Then I asked them what they thought God hopes for and several answered together–For Us! And they are so right. What joy in knowing that God hopes for you–and desires for you to have this hope and peace and joy through the promises of God entering our world, our lives, and our hearts.

Children’s Christmas Program

Living In-Between: The Gift of Baptism

Pastor Leta Arndt Behrens

Sermon Scripture: LUKE 3:1-6

 ¹In the fifteenth year of the reign of Emperor Tiberius, when Pontius Pilate was governor of Judea, and Herod was ruler of Galilee, and his brother Philip ruler of the region of Ituraea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias ruler of Abilene, ²during the high priesthood of Annas and Caiaphas, the word of God came to John son of Zechariah in the wilderness. ³He went into all the region around the Jordan, proclaiming a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins, ⁴as it is written in the book of the words of the prophet Isaiah,
“The voice of one crying out in the wilderness:
‘Prepare the way of the Lord,
make his paths straight.
⁵Every valley shall be filled,
and every mountain and hill shall be made low,
and the crooked shall be made straight,
and the rough ways made smooth;
⁶and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'”

Sermon Text: 

There are voices shouting strongly now in our culture.  The voice is “more”. (whisper it like wind) more. But in Advent while the voice of more possessions, more power, more status keep speaking to us there is a voice from God saying “There is more.  More grace, more love, more hope… trust in me…walk with me.”

A couple of weeks ago as I was standing at the altar leading prayers I noticed that I could see into the nursery pretty clearly. This is now my new favorite part of the building expansion-not because I can spy on the children, although I am sure that will come in handy someday, but because of the beauty and the reminder of preparation and welcome and grace I saw that day. As I prayed, one of our nursery staff, Espen, was walking gently in a circle holding a young child, perhaps about 9 or 10 months old. He had him supported with one arm and the little boys head was on his shoulder with Espen’s hand sweetly resting on his back. They were cuddled in, clearly a walk of comfort, calm and patience. Then another one of our staff, Sophia, walked in and I saw Espen smoothly pass this child to her as she resumed the gentle walk. They thought nothing of it, just part of their work and presence for the day.

Some will argue that because we welcome children in worship that we should not even have a nursery, but I will argue that it is a part of our gift of welcome, of preparation, of grace for tired spirits when they need it and what I saw through the window was holy. It was a holy moment to look out from the sanctuary, the altar, and in the midst of lifting prayers to see a prayer in action. This is the breath of the holy spirit. The breath of welcome and preparation was sent and infused in the smallest one among us by the simple act of care and grace. This little boy is being shown that the presence of God can be felt in the arms of teenagers who patiently walk in a circle. These young people in our midst are being shown that their presence, their patience, their sense of connection in this place matters and is a gift. And we all are in the presence of the holy even when we can’t see her pacing circles behind us.

This is not the first or only time the Holy Spirit has biased what we might consider the places of holy authority. In the gospel today Luke begins by naming all the important people and places. This is intentional. He names the emperor and the governor and the rulers of the land where John and Jesus are living. He also names the high priests, the ones with religious authority. And then he names John, the son of Zechariah whose birth to a barren old woman Elizabeth was a gift from God and a calling to be ready to be prepared to announce Jesus emmanuel, God here with us. Luke does this to make a point that there were rulers and authorities, even ones of high regard in the synagogues. There were people to whom it would make sense to send first to announce Jesus, to play the political game correctly and bring insight, wisdom and honor to they who sit in positions of influence and power. And yet, the Holy Spirit of God does not do this but bypasses all the expected places and persons and goes to the outside, to the wilderness, to John who has been dwelling there, waiting, standing in a gap between the prophet Isaiah who first said one will come and shout from the wilderness prepare ye the way of the Lord and Jesus who has come and is coming.

The wilderness- a place we in Colorado may at times know of as a place with two extremes. It is a place where if one is not careful they could get incredibly lost, turned around and end up in danger of being unable to navigate a way out. And also, we know the wilderness to be a place of beauty, even respite and calm as many head to the mountains to find solace and peace. The wilderness in Hebrew scriptures is similar. It is used as a way to describe a place of desolation and scarcity, far removed from conveniences and other people. And it is also the place where divine inspiration comes and where the people there find a grounding and sense of safety and peace. Moses leads the people for 40 years in the wilderness and it’s a place of discomfort and yet a place filled with the actions and presence of God. David runs to the wilderness to seek safety from Saul and Jesus will later in life be led to the wilderness to be tempted by the devil but come through to show again and again that he is from the goodness of God. Isaiah 3 describes the wilderness as a place to cry out from and then in chapter 35 declares “The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom …”

John is not in the wilderness for a short amount of time. In fact when we go back to Luke one we read “The child [John] grew and became strong in spirit, and he was in the wilderness until the day he appeared publicly to Israel.” John’s grounding, his calling, his spiritual growth and assurance of faith come from what happened in the wilderness over a period of time. John becomes a leader, an announcer and preparer of God not by wheeling and dealing with the powers of the time but by opening and listening and perhaps walking small patient circles for the Holy spirit to enter in.

We can see violence, death, fear, scarcity and destruction in our world today. Sometimes really close up in our own lives and sometimes come at us from the television or newspaper or social media. We can feel that our prayers are not being heard or answered and that Holy Spirit is having a difficult time showing up where we think she should be.

Luke tells us a different story. As Luke continues through this gospel he tells the story of the ministry of Jesus and how every time the crowds overwhelm or issues arise, Jesus goes out to a deserted place to pray, to commune with God, to listen even briefly but always fully. This is a story that for us today says sometimes you have to go into the wilderness to hear God. It’s as if Luke is reaching into the 21st century and saying to us “you’ve got this!” Sometimes that means that we retreat in prayer alone and sometimes we come together in prayer and praise together. And sometimes it’s through our spiritual practices and our listening and sometimes from our willingness to pause for a moment and walk in small patient circles. Sometimes we willingly walk into the wilderness and sometimes it is thrust upon us…

But always this is where the Holy Spirit promises to meet us–between the promises of grace through our baptism and the calling of our baptism to follow God in our everyday living–yesterday, tomorrow and in all the spaces inbetween. God shows up in big loud ways that feel announced and life changing and perhaps even more often, God shows up in quiet, consistent ways that beckon us to notice and wander deep into what is right in front of us and continue to walk those circles and hold on to the vulnerable.

And this is all preparation for when  we are called out of the wilderness to be the ones with the voices crying out- prepare the way of the Lord. See God is here and God will come again and again. We light candles of hope and peace today–two small lights that say to ourselves and the world–there is more, there is grace, there is love and there is hope and peace even today. Let’s sing prepare ye together one more time as we move into our time of sacred space.

Living In-Between: Actively Waiting

Pastor Michael Stadtmueller

Sermon Scripture: LUKE 21:25-36

²⁵There will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars, and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the sea and the waves. ²⁶People will faint from fear and foreboding of what is coming upon the world, for the powers of the heavens will be shaken. ²⁷Then they will see ‘the Son of Man coming in a cloud’ with power and great glory. ²⁸Now when these things begin to take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near.”
²⁹Then he told them a parable: “Look at the fig tree and all the trees; ³⁰as soon as they sprout leaves you can see for yourselves and know that summer is already near. ³¹So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that the kingdom of God is near. ³²Truly I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all things have taken place. ³³Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
³⁴Be on guard so that your hearts are not weighed down with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of this life, and that day does not catch you unexpectedly, ³⁵like a trap. For it will come upon all who live on the face of the whole earth. ³⁶Be alert at all times, praying that you may have the strength to escape all these things that will take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”