This past weekend I got the opportunity to preach at my home congregation, Zion Lutheran in Anoka, MN and it was quite a trip! First of all, I have been a member of my church since I came to America when I was a baby. I was baptized there and confirmed there and it's my home in every sense of the word. So, being asked to preach by the senior pastor was quite an honor. It's also kind of scary because I've known many of the members for years and you want to do a good job because I felt like I needed to prove it to myself and others that I could get up in front of all these people and get the job done.
It was quite the process writing this sermon and I'll be honest, it was hard. There was just a lot more pressure than usual (most of this pressure was from me, just so we're clear). Plus, preaching to around 1000 people at three different services in a large sanctuary is quite different than preaching before 8 friends and your prof in a small chapel. But, it got done, I got good feedback from a trusted friend, and went with what I had.
Sunday... It went really well! Better than I could have hoped for. I got a wonderful reception from the congregation, people gave me great feedback and seemed to really get something out of it, and I knew that the Holy Spirit was there in a big way. I was told content was good which was most important to me. I talked too fast (which is a bad habit of mine) and need to work a bit on delivery. So, it's been a great learning experience.
I did leave feeling incredibly blessed as well. To know that I have people at home praying for me as I venture out to NC, well, it makes a huge difference. And to have all that encouragement before I go out and do this "for real" in a congregation that will get to hear me preach once a week. I feel very heartened by this experience and will take it with me as one of the highlights of the summer.
p.s. I preached on Ephesians 3:14-21 and Christian identity. It's a great passage, you should look it up!
Monday, July 31, 2006
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Comebacks
For those of you who don't know me well enough or at least haven't spent enough time around me during the summer and fall I am a Minnesota Twins fanatic. I have been a huge Twins fan ever since I was a kid and I love the return of baseball season, web gems, and everything in between. This season started out a bit rough. Though they won their home opener in convincing style they went on a slide that was difficult for us die hard fans to watch. I still watched the games, I still cheered them on, and cringed when we lost yet another game we should have won.
However, in the past month and a half they have crawled back from fourth place in the central division to earn a second place tie with the defending champion White Sox and be only a half a game out in the AL Wild Card chase. It's been a wild run and we've beat some of the best including the Red Sox and White Sox and now we're going to face the fierce Tigers in what I'm sure will be a great showdown.
And for those of you who don't care about baseball or the Twins or that might be wondering why I'm talking so much about baseball on a blog that's supposed to be mainly about ministry, here's my tie in. I take great heart in the fact that even though everyone had written them off as a lost cause, that people had given hope of having a good season, that even in the midst of losing some of their most solid players to injuries, they could make this huge run and comeback to where they are. It really shows that the human spirit is capable of in the midst of hardships and as I find myself in the midst of a difficult month with a lot of huge life transitions happening I like to believe that I am capable of bouncing back from whatever curveball life throws at me. And all of this I do with my #1 fan, God, who will love and support me no matter how many errors I commit, no matter how bad of a hitting slump I may in, or how many games I may throw away. Plus, I already know he's the perfect pinch hitter.
Am I in the middle of a comeback as big as the Twins? I don't know but I'll keep you updated as the season progresses. :)
However, in the past month and a half they have crawled back from fourth place in the central division to earn a second place tie with the defending champion White Sox and be only a half a game out in the AL Wild Card chase. It's been a wild run and we've beat some of the best including the Red Sox and White Sox and now we're going to face the fierce Tigers in what I'm sure will be a great showdown.
And for those of you who don't care about baseball or the Twins or that might be wondering why I'm talking so much about baseball on a blog that's supposed to be mainly about ministry, here's my tie in. I take great heart in the fact that even though everyone had written them off as a lost cause, that people had given hope of having a good season, that even in the midst of losing some of their most solid players to injuries, they could make this huge run and comeback to where they are. It really shows that the human spirit is capable of in the midst of hardships and as I find myself in the midst of a difficult month with a lot of huge life transitions happening I like to believe that I am capable of bouncing back from whatever curveball life throws at me. And all of this I do with my #1 fan, God, who will love and support me no matter how many errors I commit, no matter how bad of a hitting slump I may in, or how many games I may throw away. Plus, I already know he's the perfect pinch hitter.
Am I in the middle of a comeback as big as the Twins? I don't know but I'll keep you updated as the season progresses. :)
Monday, July 24, 2006
Last Days, "Goodbyes," and Other Ends
Friday was my last day at Joe's Crab Shack. After two years of dancing on chairs, serving up good seafood and good service (at least I hope), and meeting some amazing people, my time there was done. And much like my life in general now, it was kind of hard to believe. Granted, it is nice to know I will have more free time to prep for internship I know I will miss all the people I've worked with. It has been the perfect escape from seminary and I am grateful for the great friends I have made there. And I think what made my last day a bit more difficult (other than the fact that it was surprisingly busy) was it was the first of the many "goodbyes" I will be saying in the next two weeks.
As a friend of mine told me months before he passed away, there are no "goodbyes," only "see you laters." I find myself leaning on that as I say "goodbye" to seminary friends who are in different classes than I. Being the small world that it is in the ELCA, I know I will most likely cross paths with many of them in the future. But just in case I don't, it is good to know that I can rely on the promises of God.
And as my time in MN comes to an end, as I start saying goodbye to people I love dearly such as my family and friends I remember that I am only gone for a year and that email, cell phones, and blogging are wonderful gifts. And as for what I am leaving all this for, the chance to be a pastor in training and to live out my call in a more real world setting, well, it's not too shabby. "Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end." Praise God for new beginnings!
As a friend of mine told me months before he passed away, there are no "goodbyes," only "see you laters." I find myself leaning on that as I say "goodbye" to seminary friends who are in different classes than I. Being the small world that it is in the ELCA, I know I will most likely cross paths with many of them in the future. But just in case I don't, it is good to know that I can rely on the promises of God.
And as my time in MN comes to an end, as I start saying goodbye to people I love dearly such as my family and friends I remember that I am only gone for a year and that email, cell phones, and blogging are wonderful gifts. And as for what I am leaving all this for, the chance to be a pastor in training and to live out my call in a more real world setting, well, it's not too shabby. "Every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end." Praise God for new beginnings!
Sunday, July 16, 2006
"The One"
With so many weddings and other things going on in our lives these days, this phrase seems to come up a lot. "Is he/she the one?" And this is something that has been on my mind a great deal recently in light of current events. And turns out, I hadn't found the one yet. However, as much as this discovery can break the heart, I was reminded at the Gathering this week of a completely different meaning of this phrase that carries as much importance in my life at least.
At camp we would always talk about "the one" camper that made the day/week/summer worth it. That no matter how the rest of the summer went, you would always remember that one camper that showed you that you were supposed to be at camp, at that time, to interact with that one person and that they made it all worth it. They were the reason you were there.
Quite unexpectedly, I met "the one" at the Gathering. I wasn't expecting this at all. I highly doubted I would be able to get into a deep conversation with anyone in the chaos of the Gathering, especially since I wasn't attached to a group. But never underestimate God! It was a chance encounter and I found myself talking to this high schooler about the existence of God, atheism, life, grace, and everything inbetween, all while standing at the seminary booth. Though I do not know whether I helped him find his way or answers is beside the point. What I found was the reason I want to be in ministry. I want to be challenged by people. I want to be able to have these conversations with people. And I want people to know they can come to me in times when they are doubting the existence of God even though I'm their pastor. I will be at a church to preach the Gospel and administer the sacraments but so much of what I will be doing is relational and that is what will keep me going ultimately. I will be preaching the Gospel from not just a pulpit. And I hope I can help other people find this call as well.
So, even though I was sent to the Gathering to find youth with a potential call to seminary I instead found a reminder of why I am at seminary and a new friend who will challenge me and help me grow in my faith and my call. He was "the one" that made all the difference in my life during this fast paced, hectic, God-filled week.
At camp we would always talk about "the one" camper that made the day/week/summer worth it. That no matter how the rest of the summer went, you would always remember that one camper that showed you that you were supposed to be at camp, at that time, to interact with that one person and that they made it all worth it. They were the reason you were there.
Quite unexpectedly, I met "the one" at the Gathering. I wasn't expecting this at all. I highly doubted I would be able to get into a deep conversation with anyone in the chaos of the Gathering, especially since I wasn't attached to a group. But never underestimate God! It was a chance encounter and I found myself talking to this high schooler about the existence of God, atheism, life, grace, and everything inbetween, all while standing at the seminary booth. Though I do not know whether I helped him find his way or answers is beside the point. What I found was the reason I want to be in ministry. I want to be challenged by people. I want to be able to have these conversations with people. And I want people to know they can come to me in times when they are doubting the existence of God even though I'm their pastor. I will be at a church to preach the Gospel and administer the sacraments but so much of what I will be doing is relational and that is what will keep me going ultimately. I will be preaching the Gospel from not just a pulpit. And I hope I can help other people find this call as well.
So, even though I was sent to the Gathering to find youth with a potential call to seminary I instead found a reminder of why I am at seminary and a new friend who will challenge me and help me grow in my faith and my call. He was "the one" that made all the difference in my life during this fast paced, hectic, God-filled week.
The Youth Are on Fire!
This past week I had the privelage to travel to the ELCA National Youth Gathering in San Antonio as a representative for Luther Seminary. I had never been to one of these before and I was blown away. Think of camp on a bigger budget and on more steroids than Barry Bonds! There were 20,000+ Lutherans in San Antonio for this event and it was quite the experience. There was no escaping the Lutherans (what a scary thought!).
I got to help run the booth for all the ELCA seminaries and got the pleasure of meeting reps from all over the country. We handed out seminary cups, coerced people into getting their picture taken behind out little people cut outs like this:
It was fun and I got to meet a lot of people and talk to high schoolers and experience the Gathering at its best.
Among my favorite parts were the mass Gatherings for Bible Study in the morning or for the big show/speaker/band at night. It was amazing to worship with 20,000 other people and high schoolers at that! The Newsboys was the highlight in worship for me. Singing "He Reigns" and "Blessed Be Your Name" with that many other people was amazing!!! It was almost enough to bring tears to me eyes (and you know, it might have, I don't quite remember). And though not all of them might have been there to learn more about God, I think and know that a lot of seeds were planted this week and the past week and here's hoping these seeds are given the opportunities to grow and maybe one of those kids we talked to will end up where I am a few years down the line.
I got to help run the booth for all the ELCA seminaries and got the pleasure of meeting reps from all over the country. We handed out seminary cups, coerced people into getting their picture taken behind out little people cut outs like this:
It was fun and I got to meet a lot of people and talk to high schoolers and experience the Gathering at its best. Among my favorite parts were the mass Gatherings for Bible Study in the morning or for the big show/speaker/band at night. It was amazing to worship with 20,000 other people and high schoolers at that! The Newsboys was the highlight in worship for me. Singing "He Reigns" and "Blessed Be Your Name" with that many other people was amazing!!! It was almost enough to bring tears to me eyes (and you know, it might have, I don't quite remember). And though not all of them might have been there to learn more about God, I think and know that a lot of seeds were planted this week and the past week and here's hoping these seeds are given the opportunities to grow and maybe one of those kids we talked to will end up where I am a few years down the line.
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