Blossom with Joy

Isaiah 35:1-10

December 12, 2010 - 3^rd Sunday in Advent

Rev. Nancy Pfaltzgraf

A few years ago, when Tom was on sabbatical, we decided to take a road trip. Tom drove to a retreat center just outside of Denver for a workshop and then I flew to Denver to meet him. The next day we set off for California, where he would attend two more workshops. On this trip we had decided that the journey was as important as the destination, so we chose a route which avoided the Interstate Highways. On our first day we drove through the majestic Rocky Mountain National Park. It was mind boggling to see snow caps when the temperature was in the 80's in the valleys and still in the 70's near the peaks. We enjoyed the scenery as it changed and we enjoyed our time together. The journey was as important as the destination.

Then we hit Wyoming. Now I have nothing against Wyoming, it's just that I was not expecting the vast expanse of wilderness we encountered there. Except for a car every now and then -and even they were few and far between- all we saw was tumbleweed and sage. There were few other signs of life, no gas stations -a particular worry to me- no towns, just this long road through the wilderness. At that moment, I wished we had chosen a different route; but if we wanted to get to California from where we were, there was no choice but to go through this wilderness. Had we known this would be part of the journey, we might have chosen a different path.

Life is like that sometimes too isn't it?

oWe're moving along enjoying the ride and we receive a diagnosis of a life-threatening or potentially debilitating disease. Fear, sadness and anger -like tumbleweed in the wilderness- swirl around us and we wish we were anywhere but here.

oWe're going about our journey and life seems good and we discover our partner has had an affair. We feel betrayed, abandoned, worthless, confused, lost and alone and nothing but mile after mile of frightening road seems to lie ahead.

oWe're making our way, not wealthy but comfortable, and the economy collapses; we lose our job; month after month we fill out applications but nothing comes -not even an interview. We spend what little savings we have and we see no end in sight. Can we make it through this barren time, will there be enough gas in our tanks or will we be stuck in this wilderness forever?

If we had known any of this would happen we might have chosen a different path. But here we are and there's nothing to do but move through the wilderness.

¹The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus ²it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing. [Isaiah 35:1-2a]

The people who first heard Isaiah's words were in a wilderness of loss and abandonment. It was many years after the fall of Jerusalem, when many of the people had been carried into captivity in Babylon. These captives and refugees had lost all hope of every going home. God, they believed had abandoned them. Not so says this Isaiah. God has not abandoned you. You -or your decedents- will eventually go home.

However, despite the promise of an eventual homecoming, Isaiah's vision is not so much a vision of transportation as it is a vision of transformation. Isaiah's people will not suddenly find themselves out of the wilderness and back in Jerusalem -that will come, but not in the near future. But they will discover that the bareness of the desert is suddenly transformed and surprisingly teaming with life.

God is with you to strengthen weak knees and useless hands, Isaiah promises. God is with you to give courage to fainting hearts. God is with you and the blind will see, the deaf will hear and the lame will leap for joy. God is with you and your thirst will be quenched. God is with you. But make no mistake your journey will be through the wilderness. But it will be a transformed wilderness, because you will come to know and recognize and see that God -your God- IS with you!

Isaiah's people -at least some of them or their descendants- did eventually go home. Jerusalem was eventually rebuilt. But nothing lasts forever. There were new wildernesses to be endured, new experiences of captivity, new times of feeling, lost, alone, abandoned. There were also new prophets and visionaries who remembered what God had done and pointed the way toward what God was again preparing to do. Among these was the one we call John the Baptist, a man steeped in the history of his people and awake to God's dream. So it was that sitting in prison and facing what was indeed the end of his life, John sent some of his disciples to Jesus to ask, "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?" [Matthew 11:3]

And echoing the vision of Isaiah, Jesus replied, "Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. [Matthew 11:4-5]

John and his disciples and so many of those who experienced Jesus wanted a vision of transportation. They wanted one who would come and vanquish the hated Romans and restore the glory of Israel. They wanted out of the wilderness. But Jesus, like Isaiah offered a vision of transformation. God is with you and the desert will blossom. God is with you to strengthen weak knees and useless hands. God is with you to give courage to fainting hearts. God is with you and the blind will see, the deaf will hear and the lame will leap for joy. God is with you and your thirst will be quenched. God is with you.

Not long ago I had a conversation with someone who was in the midst of some difficult and challenging circumstances. We had just finished a Reiki session and she said, "I feel good. Not just because of the Reiki; not just at this moment. I feel good because my soul is healthy. I've got these body issues, but my soul is healthy. For along time that wasn't true. My soul was sick and it was like being blind. I couldn't see anything but darkness. But as my soul began to get healthy it has been like my eyes have been opened and I can see, for the first time in my life. I know God is with me and despite everything that's going on there is joy."

As I was thinking about her words I remembered a time, many years ago, when I was going through a particularly difficult time in my life. I was talking with a young woman in the congregation I was serving and suddenly I was aware of the most inexplicable joy. It was so profound that I wanted to shake my head and to see I was dreaming, because the reality of my life was anything but joyful. But the joy persisted. I was still in the wilderness, that didn't change for a long time, but suddenly that wilderness blossomed with joy; I was amazingly filled with the strength and the courage to face a new day and I began to see with new eyes and hear with new ears.

So it seems that the journey is as important as the destination. And it seems that there is at least one wilderness to be encountered on every journey. Perhaps that's because God knows there is no better place to discover the power of God's love than when we see even the wilderness blossom with joy! Today and every day God is with us! Amen.

Blossom with Joy

Isaiah 35:1-10

December 12, 2010 - 3^rd Sunday in Advent

Rev. Nancy Pfaltzgraf

A few years ago, when Tom was on sabbatical, we decided to take a road trip. Tom drove to a retreat center just outside of Denver for a workshop and then I flew to Denver to meet him. The next day we set off for California, where he would attend two more workshops. On this trip we had decided that the journey was as important as the destination, so we chose a route which avoided the Interstate Highways. On our first day we drove through the majestic Rocky Mountain National Park. It was mind boggling to see snow caps when the temperature was in the 80's in the valleys and still in the 70's near the peaks. We enjoyed the scenery as it changed and we enjoyed our time together. The journey was as important as the destination.

Then we hit Wyoming. Now I have nothing against Wyoming, it's just that I was not expecting the vast expanse of wilderness we encountered there. Except for a car every now and then -and even they were few and far between- all we saw was tumbleweed and sage. There were few other signs of life, no gas stations -a particular worry to me- no towns, just this long road through the wilderness. At that moment, I wished we had chosen a different route; but if we wanted to get to California from where we were, there was no choice but to go through this wilderness. Had we known this would be part of the journey, we might have chosen a different path.

Life is like that sometimes too isn't it?

oWe're moving along enjoying the ride and we receive a diagnosis of a life-threatening or potentially debilitating disease. Fear, sadness and anger -like tumbleweed in the wilderness- swirl around us and we wish we were anywhere but here.

oWe're going about our journey and life seems good and we discover our partner has had an affair. We feel betrayed, abandoned, worthless, confused, lost and alone and nothing but mile after mile of frightening road seems to lie ahead.

oWe're making our way, not wealthy but comfortable, and the economy collapses; we lose our job; month after month we fill out applications but nothing comes -not even an interview. We spend what little savings we have and we see no end in sight. Can we make it through this barren time, will there be enough gas in our tanks or will we be stuck in this wilderness forever?

If we had known any of this would happen we might have chosen a different path. But here we are and there's nothing to do but move through the wilderness.

¹The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom; like the crocus ²it shall blossom abundantly, and rejoice with joy and singing. [Isaiah 35:1-2a]

The people who first heard Isaiah's words were in a wilderness of loss and abandonment. It was many years after the fall of Jerusalem, when many of the people had been carried into captivity in Babylon. These captives and refugees had lost all hope of every going home. God, they believed had abandoned them. Not so says this Isaiah. God has not abandoned you. You -or your decedents- will eventually go home.

However, despite the promise of an eventual homecoming, Isaiah's vision is not so much a vision of transportation as it is a vision of transformation. Isaiah's people will not suddenly find themselves out of the wilderness and back in Jerusalem -that will come, but not in the near future. But they will discover that the bareness of the desert is suddenly transformed and surprisingly teaming with life.

God is with you to strengthen weak knees and useless hands, Isaiah promises. God is with you to give courage to fainting hearts. God is with you and the blind will see, the deaf will hear and the lame will leap for joy. God is with you and your thirst will be quenched. God is with you. But make no mistake your journey will be through the wilderness. But it will be a transformed wilderness, because you will come to know and recognize and see that God -your God- IS with you!

Isaiah's people -at least some of them or their descendants- did eventually go home. Jerusalem was eventually rebuilt. But nothing lasts forever. There were new wildernesses to be endured, new experiences of captivity, new times of feeling, lost, alone, abandoned. There were also new prophets and visionaries who remembered what God had done and pointed the way toward what God was again preparing to do. Among these was the one we call John the Baptist, a man steeped in the history of his people and awake to God's dream. So it was that sitting in prison and facing what was indeed the end of his life, John sent some of his disciples to Jesus to ask, "Are you the one who was to come, or should we expect someone else?" [Matthew 11:3]

And echoing the vision of Isaiah, Jesus replied, "Go back and report to John what you hear and see: The blind receive sight, the lame walk, those who have leprosy are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the good news is proclaimed to the poor. [Matthew 11:4-5]

John and his disciples and so many of those who experienced Jesus wanted a vision of transportation. They wanted one who would come and vanquish the hated Romans and restore the glory of Israel. They wanted out of the wilderness. But Jesus, like Isaiah offered a vision of transformation. God is with you and the desert will blossom. God is with you to strengthen weak knees and useless hands. God is with you to give courage to fainting hearts. God is with you and the blind will see, the deaf will hear and the lame will leap for joy. God is with you and your thirst will be quenched. God is with you.

Not long ago I had a conversation with someone who was in the midst of some difficult and challenging circumstances. We had just finished a Reiki session and she said, "I feel good. Not just because of the Reiki; not just at this moment. I feel good because my soul is healthy. I've got these body issues, but my soul is healthy. For along time that wasn't true. My soul was sick and it was like being blind. I couldn't see anything but darkness. But as my soul began to get healthy it has been like my eyes have been opened and I can see, for the first time in my life. I know God is with me and despite everything that's going on there is joy."

As I was thinking about her words I remembered a time, many years ago, when I was going through a particularly difficult time in my life. I was talking with a young woman in the congregation I was serving and suddenly I was aware of the most inexplicable joy. It was so profound that I wanted to shake my head and to see I was dreaming, because the reality of my life was anything but joyful. But the joy persisted. I was still in the wilderness, that didn't change for a long time, but suddenly that wilderness blossomed with joy; I was amazingly filled with the strength and the courage to face a new day and I began to see with new eyes and hear with new ears.

So it seems that the journey is as important as the destination. And it seems that there is at least one wilderness to be encountered on every journey. Perhaps that's because God knows there is no better place to discover the power of God's love than when we see even the wilderness blossom with joy! Today and every day God is with us! Amen.

Dream of Peace

Isaiah 11:1-9

December 5, 2010

2^nd Sunday in Advent - Peace

Rev. Nancy Pfaltzgraf

There once was a father who, upon coming home from work, wanted to relax, read the paper, and catch the news on TV. His daughter, however, had other ideas. After playing with her for a while, he was ready for a break. Tying to figure out what he could get her to do that would occupy her while he rested, he noticed a large picture of the earth in the newspaper. He quickly got the scissors and transformed the picture into a jigsaw puzzle. He then gave the little girl the challenge of putting the world back together. Certain that this game would occupy her for some time, he settled down to enjoy the newspaper.

Much to his surprise, however, his daughter was back in no time at all. "I'm finished," she announced. "Now what can we do?"

In utter amazement, the father asked, "The world was in so many pieces, how did you get it back together so quickly?"

"Oh, it was easy," the child replied. "You see, on the back of the picture of the earth there was a picture of some people and when the people were right, the whole world was right too!"

"...when the people were right, the whole world was right too!" That seems to be the vision, the dream of peace which Isaiah painted as he spoke to his people in a time of uncertainty and fear. Scholars believe that Isaiah's words were spoken in anticipation of the coronation of a new king, a new messiah. Even though Israel seemed like a dead stump, Isaiah was foolish enough to hear the voice of God and believe that out of this burned-out lifeless remnant of a once mighty tree a new shoot would emerge.

Perhaps this king, this messiah would be the one who would finally have a heart tuned to the voice of God, reflecting God's wisdom and understanding, dispensing justice based on God's extravagant love, working to bring Israel into the fullness of God's Peace and opening the door so that all people might learn to listen to the voice of God echoing in the depths of each heart. With such a messiah on the throne the time would come when natural enemies would learn to live together in harmony; when those who seem so different would learn one another's ways; when the world would be so safe that children would be free to run and play and explore and grow without fear; when no one would hurt another or destroy life anywhere in all of creation!

But Isaiah did not live to see God's dream of peace realized. Such a messiah did not come. The kingdom of Israel was eventually destroyed and some of the people were carried into captivity. But the promise endured; the hope persisted; the dream lived on -at least among a few people. It became what has been called the Messianic Hope. It is this hope that a few people saw fulfilled in the life of the one whose birth we are preparing to celebrate. As Jesus spoke with Divine wisdom and understanding, as he welcomed the poor, the outcasts and the sinners back into the community of faith and said that they too were beloved children of God, as he called all people to love God completely -heart, mind, body, spirit- and to love their neighbors -all of them- and to love themselves, as he likewise invited people to love their enemies and pray for those who persecuted them, as he healed the sick, fed the hungry and proclaimed the awesome good news that the God of all creation loves each and every one of us as if we were God's only child, some people dared to believe that the shoot from the stump of Jesse had emerged.

But if we pay close attention to Isaiah's dream of peace, we will notice two things. First, what precedes peace is compassionate justice for all, especially the poor; wrongs will be set right, inequities will be eliminated and the most vulnerable members of the community will be cared for and treated with dignity and respect. Second, it is not just the hoped for messiah that will create the reign of peace. While it is true that this messiah will create the possibility of peace by practicing compassion and living peace, teaching peace and demonstrating what true peace -God's peace, Shalom, which includes the well-being of all- looks like, tastes like, feels like. But the fullness of Isaiah's dream of peace will only arrive when the "earth [is] full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea." [Isaiah 11:9MSG] Now the Hebrew term for "knowledge" used here and elsewhere throughout the scriptures "is more than cognitive information; it is the full entering into and experiencing of what is known."[1]

Jawaharlal Nehru, first Prime Minister of Independent India captures something of what I believe Isaiah is pointing to when he said "Peace is not a relationship of nations. It is a condition of mind brought about by a serenity of soul. Peace is not merely the absence of war. It is also a state of mind. Lasting peace can come only to peaceful people."

The dream of peace and compassionate justice that we hear in Isaiah and see in the life of Jesus is a dream that flows from the heart of God and lies in the depths of people in all times and all places. The call, the challenge, the quest is to awaken to that peace and compassionate justice, to embrace it, live it, make that it real in our lives, in our hearts, in our thoughts and our actions.

I wish I had a magic formula for how to do that. If I did, I would probably be preparing to fly to Switzerland to receive the Nobel Peace Prize! But one thing I do know is that I glimpse that peace and compassionate justice, I sense it and taste it and touch it in moments of deep meditation, in moments when I am completely and totally open to the Spirit of God. In those moments there is nothing but love in my heart, joy fills my being and I am truly one with all people. In those moments I am open to what God can do in me and through me to move us one tiny step closer to the world Isaiah envisioned and Christ came and comes to bring. The more I live in and from those moments the more the Spirit of God awakens me to the ways in which I must change for God's peace and compassionate justice to come to life in me.

On Ash Wednesday, 2003 as our nation prepared for the invasion of Iraq on of my favorite poets, Ann Weems, wrote this poem titled, I No Longer Pray for Peace.

On the edge of war, one foot already in, I no longer pray for peace: I pray for miracles.

I pray that stone hearts will turn to tenderheartedness, and evil intentions will turn to mercifulness, and all the soldiers already deployed will be snatched out of harm's way, and the whole world will be astounded onto its knees.

I pray that all the "God talk" will take bones, and stand up and shed its cloak of faithlessness, and walk again in its powerful truth. I pray that the whole world might sit down together and share its bread and its wine.

Some say there is no hope, but then I've always applauded the holy fools who never seem to give up on the scandalousness of our faith: that we are loved by God...... that we can truly love one another.

I no longer pray for peace: I pray for miracles.

As we prepare to celebrate the birth of the one we call the Prince of Peace, may we pray for miracles; may we pray that we will become holy fools, instruments of peace, agents of hope, embodiments of love and fountains of joy, each doing what only we can do to make real God's dream of peace. Amen

Live in Expectation

Isaiah 2:1-5

1^st Sunday in Advent - Hope

November 28, 2010

Rev. Nancy Pfaltzgraf

What a picture Isaiah paints! What a vision he sets before his people! A day is coming when people everywhere will be drawn to God! It will be a multicultural, multiracial, multilingual gathering to beat all gatherings! Everyone coming together for a single purpose because everyone knows God is present, ready to speak, ready to listen, ready to set things right with the world. As Stacey Simpson Duke puts it:

...one day we can quit trying to get by on scraps of spiritual experiences. God's presence will be made manifest. God's house will be established, and we shall stream toward it. We will press toward it together to be taught and to be changed.

The word of the Lord will go forth and from that word will come justice ... The word of the Lord will make an actual difference in the way the world works: inequities will be balanced, shackles will be loosed, wrongs will be set right. Out of this justice will come transformation -weapons of violence will be turned into instruments of nourishment. [and] ... nations ... will not train for  war anymore.[1]

Yes, it's quite a vision, especially considering that at the moment he utters this vision Isaiah's king was preparing for war! Yet somehow Isaiah saw with different eyes and heard with different ears. The present moment might be bleak but Isaiah offered a glimpse of God's future -not some end of time future, but a time within time, a moment within the flow of history. Tomorrow will be different than yesterday because the future is based on the promises of God which are always new and always true. Without God's promise the future is bound to be a repetition of the past.[2] With God's promise anything is possible!

Yes it's quite a vision! But hey, it's the year 2010 and Isaiah spoke this vision sometime in the middle of the eight century BCE. If my math is correct that's over 2,700 years ago and there are still plenty of inequities, still evidence of peace treaties failed and divisions magnified, still far too many wars and far too much injustice. It's no wonder some people -perhaps even some of us- who either view such promises with cynicism and doubt or believe that such a day will come only at the end of time.

But what if Isaiah's vision is true? What if such a day is possible? What if God's future is in the process of working itself out? Do we dare live in expectation of such a day? Do we dare hope for such a future?

In 1986 when I became involved in the Milwaukee Ulster Project, Northern Ireland was a deeply divided and powerfully conflicted part of the world. The Ulster Project was a vision of Rev. Kerry Waterstone, a Church of Ireland priest. He believed that if Catholic and Protestant teenagers could meet one another on neutral ground and begin to develop relationships, discovering their commonalities as well as their uniqueness, little by little attitudes could be changed and peace could be built. The neutral ground, in this case, was the United States. Each summer 14 & 15 year olds from Northern Ireland crossed the Atlantic to stay with host teens in a number of cities around the country. Together the teens, both American and Northern Irish, built relationships, dismantled prejudices and learned non-violent skills for resolving conflicts.

On my first visit to Belfast, although the worst of the "troubles" had passed, armored tanks still patrolled the neighborhoods and soldiers with riffles and machine guns still walked the streets of city center. It still was not safe for Protestants to be in Catholic territory or for Catholics to cross into a Protestant neighborhood. During this trip I spent four weeks in a program called "Understanding the Dynamics of Conflict in Northern Ireland." We traveled throughout both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland. We talked with political and religious leaders from every side of the issues. We also met with many, many people who were working in many and various ways to end the conflict. A leader in one of these peace programs put into words the message we seemed to hear again and again: "The dynamics of conflict here are complex and no one thing, no one project, no one group will bring peace. But in order for things to change people must have hope -hope that the way things are does not have to be the way things will be. More than anything else, what we do is create that hope so that one day, when enough people hope and enough hearts are changed we will have peace."

Since its inception more than 7,000 teens have made the journey from Northern Ireland and more than 14,000 teens have been touched by a vision of community that embraces and transcends our differences and seeks to find our way into God's future. Many of those 7,000 Northern Irish teens are now leaders in government, religion, business, and organizations designed to promote peace with justice. The same can be said for their 7,000 North American counterparts. While there are still terrorists who would disturb the peace in Northern Ireland -as in other parts of the world- the climate of peace and cooperation is a far cry from the Northern Ireland I saw and experienced. Why? Because there were those who dared to hope that they way things are doesn't have to be the way things will be. There were those who dared to live in the expectation that a different vision of reality was possible.

What Isaiah offers is not only a vision of global transformation, but an invitation to live in expectation of its coming! "Come, family of Jacob, let's live in the light of God." Today is the first Sunday in Advent. In just four short weeks we will share in a celebration of the birth of the One we Christians believe embodies Isaiah's vision, the One who came to shine the light of God's love to "show us the way God works so we can live the way we're made."

However hard it may be to believe that a new and hoped for reality will take hold some day, there is power in walking in God's light NOW! The future belongs to God, but the first step toward that future belongs to those who have glimpsed God's vision, caught sight of God's future, heard the whispers of God's hope and are willing to live and work, labor and love in expectation trusting that God is at work and God's promise is true. [3]

Come people of Plainfield and Joliet, Minooka and Channahon, Crest Hill and Naperville; come let's walk in the light of God and live in expectation of God's future today and everyday.

Celebrate What Is! Imagine What's Possible!

Ephesians 3:14-21a

October 17, 2010

Rev. Nancy Pfaltzgraf

Last Sunday 38,131 runners hit the pavement in the 33^rd Chicago Marathon. Despite mounting temperatures and a red flag warning an amazing 36,159 runners actually finished the race; some like the men's and women's winners in less than 2 ½ hrs and some nearly 8 ½ hours after the starting gun.  But no matter why they ran or how long it took them to complete the race, I doubt that any of them could have imagined at the moment they first discovered that legs were made for standing and feet were made for walking that they would some day be competing in one of the top marathons in the world. Although reports are that the top marathon runners are getting younger, there were no 2 year old toddlers among the runners.

Not only do you have to walk before you can run, you have to do a considerable amount of training before you can run a 26 mile marathon. You have to build up the muscles, the endurance and the stamina. You have to test your body and discover what you are capable of doing; and you do it, one step at a time.  I think that's what the Apostle Paul is imagining as he tells the community of faith gathered in Ephesus that to take in the extravagant dimensions of Christ's love they need to "Reach out and experience the breadth! Test its length! Plumb the depths! Rise to the heights!" We may not be able to grasp the fullness of what God has in store for us when we take the first step of faith or risk going just beyond what we think we can do, but one thing is for sure we must reach, test, stretch and try if we ever hope to discover the fullness of God's dreams for our lives and for this community of faith.

Eight years ago Pat and Darrell Herman came to what was then called the Benevolence Board, excited about the Foods Resource Bank program they had just discovered. Who would have thought that our little congregation would be part of raising over ½ million dollars to provide food security for hungry people in eight different countries? But more than that who would have thought that the Benevolence Board's risk of setting up this congregation's first ever ministry team would lead to the eventual restructure of how we do life and ministry together?

Who would have thought that taking the risk of calling Jeff Harmon as our first youth minister and piecing together a full time position as Youth Minister and Administrator with grants from the Memorial Board, the Illinois Conference LEEAP funds and our own digging a little deeper and trying a little harder would have resulted in the vibrant youth ministry program that has touched so many youth and adults and given them opportunities to grow together in faith and love? Who would have thought that when Jeff moved to Florida we would have found someone as gifted and caring as Emmy not only to continue the growth of our youth programs but to begin book clubs for adults and start a new ministry with our college age youth?

Eleven years ago I gathered with a small group to plan our first ever contemporary worship experience. It was a great evening of sharing, dreaming and daring. Then with no little amount of anxiety the Sunday came. The sanctuary was nearly full and the anticipation and curiosity were high. Rich Brauer had secured a projector on a trial loan; we hung a sheet in the sanctuary because we didn't have a screen; a few folks created a drama; Wendy worked with a few of our musicians to learn a new style of music complete with guitar and drummer and contemporary worship at PCUCC was born. Who would have thought not only that Contemporary worship would become a regular part of our life, but also that video projection with beautiful images for our screen, a top notch sound system, and a beautiful and versatile piano would grace all of our worship celebrations? And who would have believed that someone as gifted as Janet Jones would come along to take what Wendy had begun and build on it to develop the skills and talents of our wonderful praise band?

This congregation has been reaching, testing, trying and growing for more than 175 years. I doubt that those faithful folks who dreamed of a church in the new little village called Plainfield imagined the people who would be blessed and the lives that would be transformed because of their first faith-filled steps.

Over the next several weeks as we hear from various people in our community about the ways God has been at work in their lives, blessing them and growing them through the ministries of this community of faith, we will celebrate what God has done in us, among us and through us. But God isn't finished with us yet! God isn't finished growing us as individuals and God isn't finished growing us as a faith-filled community. What has been and what is, are simply the foundation for what yet will be. As we celebrate the best of all we have been and all we are, we will ask God to stir our hearts and awaken our senses to imagine the possibilities that only God can see. I pray that God will strengthen us in Christ's Spirit as we will dare to reach and try and stretch and grow into the next grandest version of all that God dreams we will be.

Celebrate what is! Imagine what's possible! Amen.

God's Welcome Table

Luke 15:1-3a (MSG) & 1 Corinthians 11:20-26 (CEV)

October 3, 2010

World Communion Sunday

Rev. Nancy Pfaltzgraf

A pastor asked some folks in a new members class to reflect on what communion was about and what it meant to them. Folks had a hard time as they tried to describe what they experienced. All kinds of answers, some theologically correct and some less so, were offered. Finally, a woman about 75 years old spoke up: "I've been receiving communion for my whole life, and all I know is this: I go up empty, and I come back full."

Today is World Communion Sunday -a time when we remember that all kinds of people are gathered around all kinds of tables to celebrate a meal that is central to what it means to be a Christian. It is a celebration Jesus invited us to do in remembrance of him. But this remembrance is about far more than recalling facts; it is about far more than something we do in a worship celebration. To "remember" is in the deepest sense to "make alive again." So what is it about this table and this meal that needs to live again in us and our world?

Something that we often overlook and sometimes don't fully understand is just how important eating and food and gathering around the table were to Jesus. In the gospels there are 31 different references to eating -some of them parables Jesus told that included food, some, events in which Jesus was engaged in some form of table fellowship, and some, like our passage from Luke's gospel, times when Jesus was criticized for the company he kept at his meals. "The Pharisees and religion scholars ... growled, ... 'He takes in sinners and eats meals with them, treating them like old friends.'"(Luke 15:2-3)

In order to understand this reaction, it is important to realize that,

In the east, even today, to share a meal with someone is a guarantee of peace, trust, [community] and forgiveness; the shared table is a shared life. In Judaism fellowship at table had the special meaning of fellowship in the sight of God.[1]

No wonder the religious officials were upset. By welcoming these outsiders without condition, Jesus was

...accepting them as friends and equals [and taking away] their shame, humiliation and guilt. By showing them that they mattered to him as people he gave them a sense of dignity and released them from their old captivity.[2]

Whether we call it Communion, The Lord's Supper or the Eucharist we come to this sacred meal at the invitation of the one who meets us where we are, loves us as we are and provides in this moment of meeting all that we need for healing and wholeness, acceptance and love. When we come to this table -God's welcome table- if we come with open hands and open hearts we just might discover that the One who feeds the deepest hungers of our lives. But more than that, we just might discover that in this meeting we are empowered to become God's welcome table; that is to allow the Spirit to move in us and through us to meet the hungers of the word. As Rev. George E. Councell puts it, "We, who have been given grace to know Jesus in the breaking of the bread, have a new script: to make Christ known in the breaking of bread for those who hunger."

We had gone back to Ohio for a visit and we went to worship at the church where I had served as the Associate Pastor. Although it was great to reconnect with the people, it was hard to sit in a pew and watch a new Pastor leading worship and I wasn't really into the worship experience until we began singing the communion hymn and the deacons took their places around the table. That's when I saw her -Sinath- a deacon, in the chancel preparing to serve communion and I remembered. I remembered the first time I met her and her family -her husband Sophia, their children Chanthou, Chantheoun, and Chanthourn and Grandma Yett.  One of the families from our congregation and I had gone to the airport to meet them and take them to their new home. I remembered my shock at seeing them carrying all their earthly possessions in two laundry bags. I remembered our first halting conversations as Sinath and Sophia told us about their life in Cambodia, the death of so many of their family and friends and the years in the refugee camp in Thailand. I remembered the times I would go to their house and Grandma Yett -who spoke absolutely no English- would insist on bringing the children to me, even if they were sleeping, so that I could hold them and bless them. I remembered meals shared and difficult issues faced together around the birth of another daughter Chanthina. I remembered how despite our decision not to require them to come to church since they were not Christian, they asked to come each Sunday and how Polly worked with them not only to improve their English but to learn a little bit about the Christian story. I remembered the Sunday when Polly was trying to help them understand the words adequate and inadequate and Sophia said, "Oh I know, in Cambodia we had an inadequate God, here we have met an adequate God."

Then as the deacons carried the bread and the juice into the congregation and Sinath stood beside me offering me the bread of life and the cup of blessing, I met the living Christ in her smile and her joy and a deep hunger of my soul was fed.

World Communion Sunday calls us to remember that every kind of communion table in every kind of sanctuary is God's welcome table. But more than that World Communion Sunday calls us to remember that in Christ we are called to make every table God's welcome table -a table of friendship and love for all people. Amen

God's Welcome Table

Luke 15:1-3a (MSG) & 1 Corinthians 11:20-26 (CEV)

October 3, 2010

World Communion Sunday

Rev. Nancy Pfaltzgraf

A pastor asked some folks in a new members class to reflect on what communion was about and what it meant to them. Folks had a hard time as they tried to describe what they experienced. All kinds of answers, some theologically correct and some less so, were offered. Finally, a woman about 75 years old spoke up: "I've been receiving communion for my whole life, and all I know is this: I go up empty, and I come back full."

Today is World Communion Sunday -a time when we remember that all kinds of people are gathered around all kinds of tables to celebrate a meal that is central to what it means to be a Christian. It is a celebration Jesus invited us to do in remembrance of him. But this remembrance is about far more than recalling facts; it is about far more than something we do in a worship celebration. To "remember" is in the deepest sense to "make alive again." So what is it about this table and this meal that needs to live again in us and our world?

Something that we often overlook and sometimes don't fully understand is just how important eating and food and gathering around the table were to Jesus. In the gospels there are 31 different references to eating -some of them parables Jesus told that included food, some, events in which Jesus was engaged in some form of table fellowship, and some, like our passage from Luke's gospel, times when Jesus was criticized for the company he kept at his meals. "The Pharisees and religion scholars ... growled, ... 'He takes in sinners and eats meals with them, treating them like old friends.'"(Luke 15:2-3)

In order to understand this reaction, it is important to realize that,

In the east, even today, to share a meal with someone is a guarantee of peace, trust, [community] and forgiveness; the shared table is a shared life. In Judaism fellowship at table had the special meaning of fellowship in the sight of God.[1]

No wonder the religious officials were upset. By welcoming these outsiders without condition, Jesus was

...accepting them as friends and equals [and taking away] their shame, humiliation and guilt. By showing them that they mattered to him as people he gave them a sense of dignity and released them from their old captivity.[2]

Whether we call it Communion, The Lord's Supper or the Eucharist we come to this sacred meal at the invitation of the one who meets us where we are, loves us as we are and provides in this moment of meeting all that we need for healing and wholeness, acceptance and love. When we come to this table -God's welcome table- if we come with open hands and open hearts we just might discover that the One who feeds the deepest hungers of our lives. But more than that, we just might discover that in this meeting we are empowered to become God's welcome table; that is to allow the Spirit to move in us and through us to meet the hungers of the word. As Rev. George E. Councell puts it, "We, who have been given grace to know Jesus in the breaking of the bread, have a new script: to make Christ known in the breaking of bread for those who hunger."

We had gone back to Ohio for a visit and we went to worship at the church where I had served as the Associate Pastor. Although it was great to reconnect with the people, it was hard to sit in a pew and watch a new Pastor leading worship and I wasn't really into the worship experience until we began singing the communion hymn and the deacons took their places around the table. That's when I saw her -Sinath- a deacon, in the chancel preparing to serve communion and I remembered. I remembered the first time I met her and her family -her husband Sophia, their children Chanthou, Chantheoun, and Chanthourn and Grandma Yett.  One of the families from our congregation and I had gone to the airport to meet them and take them to their new home. I remembered my shock at seeing them carrying all their earthly possessions in two laundry bags. I remembered our first halting conversations as Sinath and Sophia told us about their life in Cambodia, the death of so many of their family and friends and the years in the refugee camp in Thailand. I remembered the times I would go to their house and Grandma Yett -who spoke absolutely no English- would insist on bringing the children to me, even if they were sleeping, so that I could hold them and bless them. I remembered meals shared and difficult issues faced together around the birth of another daughter Chanthina. I remembered how despite our decision not to require them to come to church since they were not Christian, they asked to come each Sunday and how Polly worked with them not only to improve their English but to learn a little bit about the Christian story. I remembered the Sunday when Polly was trying to help them understand the words adequate and inadequate and Sophia said, "Oh I know, in Cambodia we had an inadequate God, here we have met an adequate God."

Then as the deacons carried the bread and the juice into the congregation and Sinath stood beside me offering me the bread of life and the cup of blessing, I met the living Christ in her smile and her joy and a deep hunger of my soul was fed.

World Communion Sunday calls us to remember that every kind of communion table in every kind of sanctuary is God's welcome table. But more than that World Communion Sunday calls us to remember that in Christ we are called to make every table God's welcome table -a table of friendship and love for all people. Amen

Growing in Faith and Love

Mark 4:3-8

September 19, 2010

Rev. Nancy Pfaltzgraf

Friday morning, after struggling most of Thursday, trying somewhat unsuccessfully, to create a sermon for today, I opened my online version of The Upper Room devotional magazine. I'm not sure how the reflections in this magazine are gathered, but they are literally from people from all over the world, people just like you and me, from every walk of life. The readings are generally interesting and thought provoking, simply a good way to get me into a time of quiet and reflection; but then there are the days when they strike a cord, bring tears to my eyes, a smile to my face or a moment of deep "aha"! Friday was one of those "aha" days, written by Debra K. Johnson. She wrote:

I love to grow beautiful, colorful flowers. People have admired my flower garden and have asked me to help them plant a garden. But what I find is that most folks really want a gardener. After they have planted the flowers and the hard and tedious work of weeding, watering, and pruning begins, many of these folks neglect the garden. Left on its own, it does not thrive. Having a beautiful, healthy garden comes with a price. [1]

Boy, could I relate! I would really love beautiful well-tended flower gardens adorning my home. So, over the years, I have planted some perennial flowers. But I have not been very diligent at keeping them weeded or thinning out the plants that have taken over the garden with their abundant proliferation! So my garden is anything but beautiful. But Debra's next words carried her message home as she said:

I see a similar pattern in my life. I want to have a close relationship with God and the beauty that a relationship with God brings. But when the hard work of obedience begins, I tend to grow lazy or weary. To have a healthy relationship with God, I must be diligent in the work of tending that relationship.

Then in the Thought for the Day she asks readers to reflect on the question: How am I tending my relationship with God?

The farmer in our scripture wasn't after beautiful flowers, but he did want a field of grain that produced a harvest that would allow him to meet his needs, the needs of his family and perhaps even the needs of his community; so he scattered some seed, then plowed the seed into the ground and waited for it to take root and grow. Strange as his farming techniques seem to us, this farmer was not being careless or wasteful by throwing the seed in such a way that some landed on the path to be eaten by birds and some fell in rocky soil, any farmer in Galilee would have done the same thing, with the expectation of an adequate yield for his efforts. What this farmer got, however, was "a harvest exceeding his wildest dreams." [Mk 4:8 MSG]

Those of you who are familiar with this parable know that following it is a comparison of the different kinds of soil with different kinds of people that most scholars believe was added by the early church to make sense of why the seed of the gospel did not take root and grow in everyone who heard it and why some people seemed to loose their faith. But if we stick just to the words of Jesus, this parable has little or nothing to do with the kind of soil someone might be and everything to do with the Creator of both the soil and the seed. In his commentary on this passage Lamar Williamson writes:

It addresses the lives of persons who have heard the gospel but in whom it has not yet taken root; committed Christians who are for the moment spiritually dry; congregations, church boards, and whole Christian communions which are disheartened by periods of sterility. It speaks of a power whose life-giving potential is irrepressible.[2]

Over the past several weeks in conversations with some members of our Leadership Team and in reflections with the Prayer Partners as we gather to pray for the life of our congregation, I have sensed that we just might be in one of those spiritually dry times. But, as one of the prayer partners pointed out, it's not just us, it's the whole country, maybe even the whole world. So, I believe, we need to hear the promise of this parable: the harvest will come and it will be beyond our wildest dreams! But just like the plowing needed to burry the seed in the fertile soil, maybe it takes some action on our part.

As I thought about all of this, the words of our mission/vision statement, which assert that we are "a joyous family where all are welcome to join together to grow in faith and love," began to echo through my soul. And I began to think about what it means to say that we are growing in faith and love.

The first thing that occurred to me was a question similar to Debra's Thought for the Day: "How are we tending our relationship with God?" In other words, "What are we doing individually and corporately to nurture our growth in faith and love? The second thing that floated into my consciousness was the very obvious but often overlooked truth that if we are growing we are not staying the same! Not a single one of the seeds that were scattered remained the same; some became food for the birds; some broke open and began to take root and grow but was choked out by weeds; some broke open and began to take root and grow and produced an amazing harvest; but every seed was changed in some way!

When I think about my own journey of faith and the twists and turns and changes that I have undergone it amazes me. When I think about the times when my faith has seemed strongest and I have felt the most alive, I see that it was in those times when I was engaging in regular times of prayer & reflection, having regular conversations with my spiritual director and doing things that open my eyes and ears to the presence of God. And the times when my faith seems stagnant, times when my life feels dry and brittle are times when I have for some period of time been neglecting the feeding of my soul and the tending of my relationship with God. But even those times have been part of the change and growth of my faith!  The harvest will come and it will be beyond our wildest dreams! But it does take some action on our part.

In his book titled Soul Time, Peter Atkins writes:

Such spiritual growth is enabled by what I have called soul time, which is time set aside for our relationship with God. ... Too many people have never ... dared to take the first steps on a personal journey of growth in their relationship with the Divine. They may attend worship and pick up scraps of information for such a journey but never realize the need to examine it in detail...[3]

This echoes what one of the prayer partners said: "it takes more than one hour on Sunday morning to really grow in faith and love."

Just like a wise Gardner knows the soil in each garden may need different nutrients added to achieve optimal growth, the differences in our life-styles, our personalities, and even our spiritual gifts mean that one style of prayer, one way of growing our relationship with God doesn't work for everyone. What matters is that we each make the effort to discover our way, trusting that God is already present even in our searching, quietly and unceasingly leading us to all that we need to grow in faith and love.

Some of us may have already discovered practices, patterns and habits that keep us growing in faith and love. Some of us may still be looking for our way into the heart of God. But all of us need to stay open to the new ways God might be calling us and inviting us to grow even as we trust the unequivocal promise of this parable: The harvest will come and it will be beyond our wildest dreams! Amen.

God's Welcome Party

Luke 15:1-10

September 12, 2010

Rev. Nancy Pfaltzgraf

There was once an old man named Sam who had a little spotted dog -it was your basic street-bred mutt that Sam lovingly named Spot. Sam and Spot were constant companions, going everywhere and doing everything together. Spot even slept at the foot of the Sam's bed.

But one day Spot disappeared. He was playing in the yard one moment, and the next thing Sam knew he was gone. Sam searched everywhere for him -- looked on every street corner, around every corner, and talked to every neighbor -- but Spot was nowhere to be found. Sam searched all over town, calling "Spot, Spot" he went and listening in vain for his familiar bark. The next day was the same, and the one after that... for weeks Sam searched, every day calling "Spot, Spot" and waiting in vain for his familiar bark. His neighbors and friends tried to convince him that there was no use in looking anymore. "Surely Spot is dead," they said, "hit by a car, no doubt, and crawled off by himself to die."

Still, Sam would not give up. Every morning and every night, he went out on the porch and called "Spot, Spot"; but Spot didn't come. This went on for several months. The neighbors were certain that Sam had lost his mind. But then one night as Sam was calling "Spot, Spot", Spot came home. Sam never knew where he had been or what caused him to stay away so long, but he was very glad that he had never stopped calling his name.

God is the one who never stops calling our names. God keeps calling and calling, looking and looking, until we come home.[1] That, I believe, is what Jesus is trying to get the scribes and Pharisees and us to understand as he tells the two parables Tony just read for us. We often call these stories The Parable of the Lost Sheep and The Parable of the Lost Coin. But they might have more correctly been named The Parable of the Stubborn Shepherd and The Parable of the Relentless Woman, not only because it is the actions of the shepherd and the woman that are the main thrust of these stories, but also because from a purely practical standpoint what they are doing doesn't make much sense. A few years ago in a discussion about this story someone captured the tension here by saying:

This parable has always bothered me because I worry about the "safety" of the 99 sheep if you leave them alone in the wilderness.  There are so many things that could happen to them -- you could come back to a flock decimated by wolves, they may have all taken off in different directions and you have only the one you found -- sheep are dumb, they could have fallen down the ravine or into a creek. And what about the woman lighting the lamp to find her missing coin -- lamp oil was expensive -- she probably spent the price of that coin in the oil to find it and in the celebration of calling her neighbors together with wine and food!  I guess I am too literal when it comes to these parables.  I just can't see the value of leaving so much in peril to gain back just one.

But I think that's just the point Jesus is trying to make here. God's love for each and every one of us is so great that God goes beyond the boundaries of what we think is reasonable, safe, expected or normal in order to find us, touch us, heal us, draw us into our highest good, our deepest wisdom and our most profound beauty. God loves each and every one of us as if there was only one of us. It's not that the Shepherd loves the one lost sheep more than the 99. It's just that at that moment it's the one that is in need. Later, if one or more of the 99 wanders off, gets lost or injured, the shepherd will expend the same amount of energy to find those who are now lost. From an economic point of view it doesn't make sense. Why risk losing so much to find so little. But from a heart standpoint, it matters a great deal, especially if you're the coin or the sheep that's lost.

As I was thinking about these stories the thought occurred to me that because these parables are set in the context of the critics of Jesus complaining because he is associating with tax collectors and sinners, we tend to equate being lost with being a criminal, a prostitute, or someone of questionable reputation. But don't all of us get lost sometimes? Don't we lose our passion for the good news of God's love? Don't we lose our way as we succumb to the voices of society urging us to buy this and do that so we will be happy? Don't we lose the truth of who we are when we are battered by messages that tell us what to think, what to believe and how to act? Don't we sometimes lose sight of what God calls us to be and do? Aren't there many good people in our communities -perhaps even some of our friends and neighbors- who are lost and lonely, in need of a supportive community, in need of a relationship with God that empowers them for life, in need of love? The sheep wasn't bad, just lost! The coin wasn't bad, just lost!

Not only does the shepherd search relentlessly for the lost sheep, not only does the woman look unceasingly for the lost coin, but the joy that is experienced in finding what has been lost is so great that it simply cannot be contained. One person cannot adequately celebrate it. Friends must be invited. Neighbors must be told. There must be a party. As I was thinking about this I remembered the joy I experience when I see friends or family I haven't seen for a long time. I most generally open my arms, move quickly in their direction, calling out their name and then enfold them in a joyful embrace. "It's so good to see you," I say and my heart does a dance of joy. I think that's why I enjoy September and the beginning of our program year so much. I also think that's the way it is with God. Can you see it? Feel it? As you walk in the door, make that decision to spend some time in prayer, open your ears to God's wisdom, open your heart to God's love, step out in faith one more time, God is there with arms wide open rushing to greet you and calling out your name, "......... It's so good to see you!" Amen.

You Can Choose Life!

Deuteronomy 30:15-20 (NLT)

September 5, 2010

Rev. Nancy Pfaltzgraf

Michael was the kind of guy who had such a positive outlook that you either loved him or hated him. When someone would ask him how he was doing, he would reply, "If I were any better, I would be twins!" He was a natural motivator. If a co-worker was having a bad day, Michael would encourage them and help them to see the positive side of the situation.

A friend asked how he could be so positive all the time. After all, it seemed so unnatural compared to the rest of the world. Michael replied, "Each morning I wake up and say to myself, 'You have two choices today. You can choose to be in a good mood or you can choose to be in a bad mood.' I choose to be in a good mood. Each time something bad happens, I can choose to be a victim or I can choose to learn from it. I choose to learn from it. Every time someone comes to me complaining, I can choose to accept their complaining or I can point out the positive side of life. I choose the positive side of life."

The friend protested that even though it sounded great in theory it would be hard to live out.

Michael responded, "Life is all about choices. When you cut away all the junk, every situation is a choice. You choose how you react to situations. You choose how people affect your mood. You choose to be in a good mood or bad mood. The bottom line: It's your choice how you live your life."

Standing on the edge of the Promised Land, their forty years of wilderness wanderings nearly complete, Moses calls the Hebrew people to make a choice. "Now listen!" he says. "Today I am giving you a choice between life and death, between prosperity and disaster." It is a choice about how they will live their lives in this new place, this new reality they are about to enter. It is a choice that has two parts: a prohibition and an admonition which are really the heads and the tales of the same coin. The prohibition: don't allow your heart to turn away from Yahweh and serve or worship other gods, because if you do you will loose your hard won freedom and become slaves again. The admonition: love God, keep God's commands and walk in God's ways because when you do the quality of life you experience will bring you peace and love and joy.

On the one hand, life and blessing and on the other, slavery and death; it seems like a simple and pretty obvious choice doesn't it? It would be great wouldn't it, if the choice -especially when it is such a big choice- was always simple and obvious -like a line drawn in the sand with the word death on one side and the word life on the other. Then we'd know; but as one commentary on this passage says:

Seldom in our lives do we face such a big either/or. Rather, we make the big choices about how we live our lives in the million little choices we make every day. Each of those little choices moves us one way or another unaware, to life or to death.[1]

Maybe that's what Moses is trying to help his people see: the quality of the life they would find in the Promised Land will be determined by all the little day by day choices that lie ahead of them. And the touch stone for those choices is their covenantal relationship with the One they encountered in the fiery pillar, the manna from heaven and the water from the rock; a relationship grounded in God's unconditional, unending, life-affirming love and lived out in the in their loving response to that love. Would they continue to be faithful to that relationship -trusting God and following God's way- in the face of the gods of ease and wealth, pleasure and greed, safety and security, doubt and fear?  Of course they loved God, after all, look what God had done for them. But Moses knew and wanted them to understand what is so easy to forget, that love is verb and when we love God, we love the things that God loves and that love is visible in the simple choices we make each day.

R. Glen Miles tells the story of a friend who serves each summer as the director of a Christian camp for high school youth. On the first day of camp he opens with the camp covenant. He tells the teens, "We have two rules this week for camp: Love God with all of your heart, soul and mind, and love your neighbor as yourself. Any questions?" It is usually quiet for a few moments. The teens can't believe that there are only two rules for the camp.  Then one of the boys usually asks, "Wait a minute, does that mean we can go into the girls' cabins?" He looks out at the young people and asks, "Well, what do you all think?" At first there is a loud cry from most of the boys saying, "Yes!" Then, almost surely, one of the young men will raise a hand and say something like, "You know, that doesn't seem like a very loving thing to do. I mean, you know, it is an invasion of privacy, or something." Underneath the two major rules he then writes "Sub-units of the Covenant" and from there he records the specific restrictions and rules that the young people themselves come up with for their week together. The session can last for an hour or two, but it is a wonderful way of building community and clarifying what matters most for the young community of faith. The Biblical call to love God always needs a practical guide to help determine how that is carried out.[2]

Several years after his conversation with his friend about the choices he makes each day, Michael he fell sixty feet from a communications tower where he was working. As he lay on the ground, the first thing he thought of was the well-being of his soon-to-be-born daughter. Then, he remembered that he had two choices: He could choose to live or he could choose to die. He chose to live.

The paramedics arrived and went to work. They kept telling Michael that he was going to be fine. But when they wheeled him into the ER, he saw the expressions on the faces of the doctors and nurses. He began to feel fear overcoming his body because he could read their eyes: "He's a dead man." He knew he needed to take action.

A big burly nurse was shouting questions. She asked Michael if he was allergic to anything. He replied, "Yes." The doctors and nurses stopped working as they waited for Michael to fill in the missing blank of his allergy. He took a deep breath and yelled, "Gravity." Over their laughter, he said, "I am choosing to live. Operate on me with that understanding."

After eighteen hours of surgery and weeks of intensive care, Michael was released from the hospital with rods placed in his back. Michael lived, thanks to the skill of his doctors, and also because of his amazing attitude. When asked about his health, Michael now responds, "If I were any better, I'd be twins. Want to see my scars?"[3]

The wisdom, the strength, the power to choose life is rooted and grounded in our relationship with the One who calls us to life. The question is are we faithful to that relationship -trusting God and following God's way- in the face of the gods of ease and wealth, pleasure and greed, safety and security, doubt and fear?  Today and every day, moment by moment each of us has the choice between life and death, between blessings and curses. Oh, that we would choose life! Amen.