Musings for Holy Trinity

Sunday, June 3, 2012
The Holy Trinity
First Sunday after Pentecost

Midweek Musing

Reflection by Ken Klassen

INTRODUCTION
When we say God is the triune God, we are saying something about who God is beyond, before, and after the universe: that there is community within God. Our experience of this is reflected in Paul's words today. When we pray to God as Jesus prayed to his Abba (an everyday, intimate parental address), the Spirit prays within us, creating between us and God the same relationship Jesus has with the one who sent him.

John XXIII, Bishop of Rome, died 1963
When elected pope, the former Angelo Roncalli was expected to be a short-term caretaker. He showed great spirit, though, and convened the Second Vatican Council which helped bring great changes to Roman Catholic and other churches.

The Martyrs of Uganda, died 1886
On June 3, 1886, thirty-two young men were burned to death for refusing to renounce Christianity. The confident manner in which these Christians went to their deaths contributed to a much stronger Christian presence in Uganda.

Prayer of the Day (ELW)

Almighty Creator and ever-living God:we worship your glory, eternal Three-in-One,
and we praise your power, majestic One-in-Three. Keep us steadfast in this faith,
defend us in all adversity, and bring us at last into your presence, where you live in endless joy and love, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

First Reading

Isaiah 6:1–8

This reading narrates Isaiah’s vision of the Lord surrounded by angels. They sing “Holy, holy, holy,” a song the church sings at the beginning of the great thanksgiving. This liturgical text invites the church and all creation to sing in praise of God’s glory. That glory is God’s mercy toward sinners.

In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the LORD sitting on a throne, high and lofty; and the hem of his robe filled the temple. ²Seraphs were in attendance above him; each had six wings: with two they covered their faces, and with two they covered their feet, and with two they flew. ³And one called to another and said:
"Holy, holy, holy is the LORD of hosts;
the whole earth is full of his glory."
⁴The pivots on the thresholds shook at the voices of those who called, and the house filled with smoke. ⁵And I said: "Woe is me! I am lost, for I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips; yet my eyes have seen the King, the LORD of hosts!"
⁶Then one of the seraphs flew to me, holding a live coal that had been taken from the altar with a pair of tongs. ⁷The seraph touched my mouth with it and said: "Now that this has touched your lips, your guilt has departed and your sin is blotted out." ⁸Then I heard the voice of the LORD saying, "Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?" And I said, "Here am I; send me!"

Psalm (ELW)

Psalm 29

Worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness. (Ps. 29:2)

¹Ascribe to the ^| LORD, you gods,

     ascribe to the LORD glo- ^| ry and strength.

²Ascribe to the LORD the glory ^| due God's name;

     worship the LORD in the beau- ^| ty of holiness.

³The voice of the LORD is upon the waters; the God of ^| glory thunders;

     the LORD is upon the ^| mighty waters.

⁴The voice of the LORD is a pow- ^| erful voice;

     the voice of the LORD is a ^| voice of splendor.   

⁵The voice of the LORD breaks the ^| cedar trees;

     the LORD breaks the ce- ^| dars of Lebanon;

⁶the LORD makes Lebanon skip ^| like a calf,

     and Mount Hermon like a ^| young wild ox.

⁷The voice ^| of the LORD

     bursts forth in ^| lightning flashes.

⁸The voice of the LORD ^| shakes the wilderness;

     the LORD shakes the wilder- ^| ness of Kadesh.   

⁹The voice of the LORD makes the oak trees writhe

and strips the ^| forests bare.

     And in the temple of the LORD all are ^| crying, "Glory!"

¹⁰The LORD sits enthroned a- ^| bove the flood;

     the LORD sits enthroned as king for- ^| evermore.

¹¹O LORD, give strength ^| to your people;

     give them, O LORD, the bless- ^| ings of peace.   

Second Reading

Romans 8:12–17

In describing the new life of faith, Paul refers to all three persons of the Trinity: the Spirit leads us to recognize that we are children of God the Father and sisters and brothers with Christ the Son.

¹²So then, brothers and sisters, we are debtors, not to the flesh, to live according to the flesh — ¹³for if you live according to the flesh, you will die; but if by the Spirit you put to death the deeds of the body, you will live. ¹⁴For all who are led by the Spirit of God are children of God. ¹⁵For you did not receive a spirit of slavery to fall back into fear, but you have received a spirit of adoption. When we cry, "Abba! Father!" ¹⁶it is that very Spirit bearing witness with our spirit that we are children of God, ¹⁷and if children, then heirs, heirs of God and joint heirs with Christ — if, in fact, we suffer with him so that we may also be glorified with him.

Gospel

John 3:1–17

Jesus’ miracles prompt Nicodemus to visit him in secrecy. Jesus tells him about being born of the Spirit and about the Son who has been sent by God to save.

Now there was a Pharisee named Nicodemus, a leader of the Jews. ²He came to Jesus by night and said to him, "Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God; for no one can do these signs that you do apart from the presence of God." ³Jesus answered him, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God without being born from above." ⁴Nicodemus said to him, "How can anyone be born after having grown old? Can one enter a second time into the mother's womb and be born?" ⁵Jesus answered, "Very truly, I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God without being born of water and Spirit. ⁶What is born of the flesh is flesh, and what is born of the Spirit is spirit. ⁷Do not be astonished that I said to you, 'You must be born from above.' ⁸The wind blows where it chooses, and you hear the sound of it, but you do not know where it comes from or where it goes. So it is with everyone who is born of the Spirit." ⁹Nicodemus said to him, "How can these things be?" ¹⁰Jesus answered him, "Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?
¹¹Very truly, I tell you, we speak of what we know and testify to what we have seen; yet you do not receive our testimony. ¹²If I have told you about earthly things and you do not believe, how can you believe if I tell you about heavenly things? ¹³No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. ¹⁴And just as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, ¹⁵that whoever believes in him may have eternal life.
¹⁶For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life.
¹⁷Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.

Reflection

John 3:16 is a very important scripture. It is probably one of the first scriptures I memorized in Sunday School. And how often have I been watching a golf game to see someone in the crowd holding a sign that reads simply, "JOHN 3:16"? Is someone reducing Christianity down to the size of a bumper sticker? But alas, I digress.

"For God so loved the world that he gave his only Son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish but may have eternal life. 

There are some logical consequences of these words:

1. The action starts with God loving the entire world. He does this without any qualifications, hesitations, exceptions, or prior demands. God's salvation is not a reward for belief and He does not withhold His forgiveness and salvation until we believe.
2. Then he sends his son.
3. Those who believe (scratch "believe" and substitute "trust and bond"). Those who trust and bond with the Son, become part of the Son's family (being born anew from above), and have equal sibling status becoming heirs to the family estate which includes heaven and eternal life.

This one scripture is the basis of our Christianity. 

Prayer

     Heavenly Father, we pray for wisdom and the patience to understand your scriptures. Help us to listen for your voice and obey. We ask that your protecting hand will be on all of those who serve our country and work for peace. Teach us compassion for the sick, the suffering, and those in need.

Pentecost Musings

Sunday, May 27, 2012
Day of Pentecost

Midweek Musings

Reflection by Ann Patterson

INTRODUCTION

On the fiftieth day of Easter we celebrate the Spirit, through whom and in whom the people of God are created and re-created. Pentecost is sometimes called the church's birthday, but might more appropriately be called its baptism day, since the gift of the Spirit is the fullness of baptism. Ezekiel's vision shows the Spirit resurrecting and re-creating not just individuals but a whole people. Romans makes it clear that God is in the process of re-creating the entire cosmos; yet the Spirit is also at work in the most intimate and personal way, praying in us "with sighs too deep for words" when we do not know how to pray.

John Calvin, renewer of the church, died 1564
Gifted both as a systematic theologian and as an interpreter of scriptures, Calvin embraced the Reformation, and as a preacher in Geneva, Switzerland, brought a theocratic government to it. He is regarded as the father of the Reformed churches.

Prayer of the Day (ELW)

Mighty God, you breathe life into our bones, and your Spirit brings truth to the world.
Send us this Spirit, transform us by your truth, and give us language to proclaim your gospel, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

First Reading

Acts 2:1–21

Originally Pentecost was a Jewish thanksgiving-type festival celebrated seven weeks after Passover. On this particular Pentecost, however, the Holy Spirit is poured out upon the entire community of believers just as Jesus had promised and the scriptures had prophesied. Empowered by the Spirit, the entire community bears witness to God’s activity in multiple languages.

When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. ²And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. ³Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. ⁴All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.
⁵Now there were devout Jews from every nation under heaven living in Jerusalem. ⁶And at this sound the crowd gathered and was bewildered, because each one heard them speaking in the native language of each. ⁷Amazed and astonished, they asked, "Are not all these who are speaking Galileans? ⁸And how is it that we hear, each of us, in our own native language? ⁹Parthians, Medes, Elamites, and residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, ¹⁰Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya belonging to Cyrene, and visitors from Rome, both Jews and proselytes, ¹¹Cretans and Arabs — in our own languages we hear them speaking about God's deeds of power." ¹²All were amazed and perplexed, saying to one another, "What does this mean?" ¹³But others sneered and said, "They are filled with new wine."
¹⁴But Peter, standing with the eleven, raised his voice and addressed them, "Men of Judea and all who live in Jerusalem, let this be known to you, and listen to what I say. ¹⁵Indeed, these are not drunk, as you suppose, for it is only nine o'clock in the morning. ¹⁶No, this is what was spoken through the prophet Joel:
¹⁷'In the last days it will be, God declares,
that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh,
and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy,
and your young men shall see visions,
and your old men shall dream dreams.
¹⁸Even upon my slaves, both men and women,
in those days I will pour out my Spirit;and they shall prophesy.
¹⁹And I will show portents in the heaven above
and signs on the earth below,blood, and fire, and smoky mist.
²⁰The sun shall be turned to darkness
and the moon to blood,before the coming of the Lord's great and glorious day.
²¹Then everyone who calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved.'

Psalm (ELW)

Psalm 104:24–34, 35b

Send forth your Spirit and renew the face of the earth. (Ps. 104:30)

²⁴How manifold are your ^| works, O LORD!

In wisdom you have made them all; the earth is full ^| of your creatures.

²⁵Yonder is the sea, great and wide,

with its swarms too man- ^| y to number,

living things both ^| small and great.

²⁶There go the ships ^| to and fro,

and Leviathan, which you made for the ^| sport of it.

²⁷All of them ^| look to you

to give them their food ^| in due season. R

²⁸You give it to them; they ^| gather it;

you open your hand, and they are filled ^| with good things.

²⁹When you hide your face, ^| they are terrified;

when you take away their breath, they die and return ^| to their dust.

³⁰You send forth your Spirit, and they ^| are created;

and so you renew the face ^| of the earth.

³¹May the glory of the LORD en- ^| dure forever;

O LORD, rejoice in ^| all your works. R

³²You look at the earth ^| and it trembles;

you touch the mountains ^| and they smoke.

³³I will sing to the LORD as long ^| as I live;

I will praise my God while I ^| have my being.

³⁴May these words of ^| mine please God.

I will rejoice ^| in the LORD.

^35bBless the LORD, ^| O my soul.

Hal- ^| lelujah! R

Second Reading

Romans 8:22–27

By pouring the Holy Spirit into our hearts, God gives us the promised first fruit of eternal life so that we await God’s future in hope. In the meantime, the Spirit also intercedes for us by carrying the prayers of our weak human hearts to God.

²²We know that the whole creation has been groaning in labor pains until now; ²³and not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the first fruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly while we wait for adoption, the redemption of our bodies. ²⁴For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? ²⁵But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
²⁶Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words. ²⁷And God, who searches the heart, knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God.

Gospel

John 15:26–27; 16:4b–15

When speaking to his disciples before his death, Jesus referred to the Holy Spirit as "the Helper" and described the difference the Spirit would make in their lives and in the world.

Chapter 15

²⁶When the Advocate comes, whom I will send to you from the Father, the Spirit of truth who comes from the Father, he will testify on my behalf. ²⁷You also are to testify because you have been with me from the beginning.

Chapter 16

^4b
"I did not say these things to you from the beginning, because I was with you. ⁵But now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, 'Where are you going?' ⁶But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. ⁷Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Advocate will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you. ⁸And when he comes, he will prove the world wrong about sin and righteousness and judgment: ⁹about sin, because they do not believe in me; ¹⁰about righteousness, because I am going to the Father and you will see me no longer; ¹¹about judgment, because the ruler of this world has been condemned.
¹²I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. ¹³When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth; for he will not speak on his own, but will speak whatever he hears, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. ¹⁴He will glorify me, because he will take what is mine and declare it to you. ¹⁵All that the Father has is mine. For this reason I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

Reflection

On the first Pentecost, the disciples and others of Jesus' followers were together in one room. They were united as Jesus had wanted them to be. Indeed, it's not surprising that these first Christians clung together. We can only imagine the pain they had suffered. They'd known Jesus, and then they'd lost him to a brutal, shameful death. Perhaps on that day they were praying and sharing memories. They probably wouldn't have talked about a "personal" Savior. They needed to affirm that others shared their faith. They needed the support of other Christians. They needed the Comforter Jesus had promised. Perhaps they needed a movement.

Suddenly a strong wind filled the house, and tongues of fire rested upon their heads. The Spirit was poured out upon them, and they began to speak in tongues. Ultimately, they burst from the room and went outside where thousands of pilgrims heard them speak in their own language. Even in its earliest days, the Church was empowered for an inclusive ministry.

During the many years that have passed since that first Pentecost, the Spirit has transformed countless lives. We, like those first Church members, share the mystery and walk the Christian path together. Like them, we long for God's fire which comes again and again and remakes our lives. Let us stay open to the Spirit and grow in holiness.

QUOTE

Destitute of the Fire of God, nothing else counts; possessing Fire, nothing else matters.

Samuel Chadwick

Let us pray that the Spirit may

• bring peace and unity to all mankind
• be poured out on the poor, the sick, and the lonely
• open our hearts to the new life that God would have us live

Muings for Easter 6

Sunday, May 13, 2012
Sixth Sunday of Easter

Midweek Musings

Reflection by Pastor Macholz

INTRODUCTION
This Sunday's image of the life the risen Christ shares with us is the image of friendship. We are called to serve others as Jesus came to serve; but for John's gospel, the image of servanthood is too hierarchical, too distant, to capture the essence of life with Christ. Friendship captures the love, the joy, the deep mutuality of the relationship into which Christ invites us. The Greeks believed that true friends are willing to die for each other. This is the mutual love of Christian community commanded by Christ and enabled by the Spirit.

Prayer of the Day (ELW)

O God, you have prepared for those who love you joys beyond understanding. Pour into our hearts such love for you that, loving you above all things, we may obtain your promises, which exceed all we can desire; through Jesus Christ, your Son and our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen.

First Reading

Acts 10:44–48

While Peter shares the good news of Jesus with a Gentile soldier and his family, the Holy Spirit comes upon them. Recognizing that the Spirit works inclusively in the lives of both Jews and Gentiles, Peter commands that these Gentiles also be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ.

⁴⁴While Peter was still speaking, the Holy Spirit fell upon all who heard the word. ⁴⁵The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astounded that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles, ⁴⁶for they heard them speaking in tongues and extolling God. Then Peter said, ⁴⁷Can anyone withhold the water for baptizing these people who have received the Holy Spirit just as we have? ⁴⁸So he ordered them to be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they invited him to stay for several days.

Psalm (ELW)

Psalm 98

Shout with joy to the LORD, all you lands. (Ps. 98:4)

¹Sing a new song to the LORD, who has done ^| marvelous things,

whose right hand and holy arm have ^| won the victory.

²O LORD, you have made ^| known your victory,

you have revealed your righteousness

in the sight ^| of the nations.

³You remember your steadfast love and faithfulness to the ^| house of Israel;

all the ends of the earth have seen the victory ^| of our God.

⁴Shout with joy to the LORD, ^| all you lands;

lift up your voice, re- ^| joice, and sing.

⁵Sing to the LORD ^| with the harp,

with the harp and the ^| voice of song.

⁶With trumpets and the sound ^| of the horn

shout with joy before the ^| king, the LORD.

⁷Let the sea roar, and ^| all that fills it,

the world and those who ^| dwell therein.

⁸Let the rivers ^| clap their hands,

and let the hills ring out with joy before the LORD,

who comes to ^| judge the earth.

⁹The LORD will judge the ^| world with righteousness

and the peo- ^| ples with equity.

Second Reading

1 John 5:1–6

God’s children believe that Jesus is the Messiah and love God by keeping God’s commandments. Thus the world is conquered not through military might but through love and faith.

Everyone who believes that Jesus is the Christ has been born of God, and everyone who loves the parent loves the child. ²By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God and obey his commandments. ³For the love of God is this, that we obey his commandments. And his commandments are not burdensome, ⁴for whatever is born of God conquers the world. And this is the victory that conquers the world, our faith. ⁵Who is it that conquers the world but the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God? ⁶This is the one who came by water and blood, Jesus Christ, not with the water only but with the water and the blood. And the Spirit is the one that testifies, for the Spirit is the truth.

Gospel

John 15:9–17

On the night of his arrest, Jesus delivers a final testimony to his disciples to help them in the days ahead. Here, he repeats the most important of all his commands, that they love one another.

⁹As the Father has loved me, so I have loved you; abide in my love. ¹⁰If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love. ¹¹I have said these things to you so that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be complete. ¹²This is my commandment, that you love one another as I have loved you. ¹³No one has greater love than this, to lay down one's life for one's friends. ¹⁴You are my friends if you do what I command you. ¹⁵I do not call you servants any longer, because the servant does not know what the master is doing; but I have called you friends, because I have made known to you everything that I have heard from my Father. ¹⁶You did not choose me but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask him in my name. ¹⁷I am giving you these commands so that you may love one another.

Reflection

John’s Gospel reading continues to lead us through the Farewell Narrative of his writing and on to the cross. If it sounds familiar it is, this is the Gospel that is read on Maundy Thursday after Jesus washes the disciples’ feet and calls them to follow and commands them to love.

Easier said than done. The first lesson for Sunday is grounded in the book of Acts and Peter’s conversion regarding Gentiles and thus the early churches conversion to become more inclusive of others beyond just the Jews. This is a turning point and sometimes for us, a difficult one to make. The basic question is, who is in and who is out?

I don’t know about you but I have, from time to time, made judgments about others for various and sundry reasons. I have decided who they are before I have even met them or developed a perspective of them without even getting to know them and, in the process, have missed opportunities to develop relationships and share the good news.

Judging others is easy to do and it keeps things neat and tidy in our scheme of things. But God’s scheme of things will not allow it. At the table on the night in which he was betrayed, Jesus washed the feet of Judas and shared a final meal, including him in the process, not rejecting him outright. Peter, caught up in a vision prior to this portion of Acts, finds that the field for spreading the Gospel is much larger than he ever imagined! His turning point is to move beyond the chosen ones and toward those who have been rejected for centuries. It must have been a startling wake up call for the nascent church.

You and I are called to look beyond our preconceived notions and concerns and see in the faces of others the image of Christ who came among us not to serve but to be served and to give his life as a ransom for many. May we be imbued with the same Spirit that affected Peter and see in all people possibility and promise, sharing the Good News with any and all who are welcome at God’s Table.

Let us Pray

To be open to the Spirit’s movement in our midst and to follow

That we might be bent toward God’s will and not ours

For those who are eager to hear the Good News and ready to receive the grace within

For our children, that they may experience love and compassion

Thanksgivings for mothers and all who show motherly love

Quotes

"If our definition of inclusiveness does not reach beyond the boundaries of our own personal comfort, can we call ourselves truly inclusive?"
Rabbi Brad Hirschfield, President, CLAL-The National Jewish Center for Learning and Leadership

"I am hopeful about the future. My faith tells me that God is always working for the coming of the kind of Kingdom in which we all are respected, all are valued, all are included. And in the end, God wins." Bishop V. Gene Robinson