March Blizzard

It began Tuesday morning, March 10th. They said we were getting an inch of snow an hour! By the time Text Study was over a little after 1 pm, I went home to stay! The moderator and I decided to cancel committee meetings scheduled for that evening and we made calls to the chair people who then notified their committee members. It was a good day to hunker down and enjoy the "show" outside our windows.

Next morning we woke up to a gorgeous sight. I had left a shovel next to the kitchen door, but we couldn't open the door to get to it! Fortunately our kind neighbor came and shoveled a path to the door. It was sunny and clear on Wednesday (and COLD) and most people spent the day plowing and digging out ... from 18.8 inches of snow!

Lent 2 - Everlasting

Texts: Genesis 17:1-7, 15-16 and Psalm 22:23-31

What does covenant mean to you? The first two things that come to my mind are “covenant of marriage” and “covenant of life partnership.” Those are both ceremonies at which I have officiated as a pastor.

Then, in the UCC we have lots of covenants. We covenant together to be a congregation. Our churches are in covenant with Associations, Conferences and the national UCC. It is covenant which binds us together as the United Church of Christ. When Jill was here she was in a 3-way covenant consisting of herself, our church and the Minnesota Conference because she was not in a called pastoral position. That has changed now that she is the pastor and a member of a church in South Dakota.

Even our UCC Statement of Faith talks about covenant. It says about God: “You bestow upon us your Holy Spirit, creating and renewing the church of Jesus Christ, binding in covenant faithful people of all ages, tongues, and races.”

So… we have some ideas about covenant. But what does it mean to be in an everlasting covenant with God? Because that’s what our reading from the Hebrew Scriptures today is about.

This wasn't the first, or the last time God and Abram had a conversation; in fact many times in the book of Genesis we read the words, "The Lord said to Abram…" It isn't even the first time that God "made a covenant" with Abram and promised him lots of descendants, as numerous as the stars in the night sky—God made that promise in chapter 15. Still, it must have been something of a balancing act for Abram. I would think it must have been impressive to be seeing God, and actually hearing God's voice. Surely, that would never get old, and who among us wouldn’t like God to tell us exactly what to do? And yet, the things that God was saying to Abram during these visits really tested the limits of a person's imagination. God promised not just one child, but a multitude of descendants, for two people past ninety years of age??! Could it possibly be true that old Sarah would not just produce one child but would "give rise to nations," to "kings of people"?! Imagine! It’s not in today’s reading, but is it any wonder that both Abraham and Sarah laughed?

Scholars believe that today’s story was probably written by the Priestly writer—one of several different writers who produced the book of Genesis, bringing together other traditions into the story of the birth of the people of Israel. The Priestly writer was writing during the time of the exile in Babylon, so it was important to him to remind himself and the rest of the people that even though they were in exile and even though there had been destruction of their city and separation of the people, God was still their God and God kept God’s covenant.

“What do a people do when they are strangers in a strange land, uprooted, aliens? One thing they do is remember, recall time past, lovingly reiterate the promises of God. [In spite of the present situation], the Priestly writer insists that the covenant of God still holds. Israel, now persecuted and laid waste by the nations, is destined to be the family above all families, the nation before all nations.” [1]

We are reminded that it is, of course, God who is at work in this story. It's God's initiative, and God's plan in motion. God is shaping a family, and God commits to be at the heart of that family's story, to travel with them when they wander and dwell with them when they reach their home. This covenant and its blessings aren't just for the sake of Israel because God intends, through Israel, to restore all of humanity. But it starts here, with a man and woman who leave home and all that is familiar, including its security and its gods, to set out in response to the irresistible call of this one particular "God Almighty." And so a relationship begins—a relationship that is at times beautiful and at times troubled. This relationship is between the children of Israel and their one God, whom they trust to be with them always. “Israel's commitment to absolute monotheism did not come about from philosophical reflection upon the being of God. [Instead], it arose out of a vital and personal experience of God's presence and faithfulness" [2]

How do we experience God’s presence and faithfulness today? How do we experience being in an everlasting covenant with God that has been going on since the beginning of time?

People experience God in very different ways and, like Abraham and Sarah, we, too, have our doubts and probably lots of questions. But God is still there for us all. And God is present to each of us in different ways.

This week I read the book, The Shack, by Wm. Paul Young. I hadn’t heard enough to have any idea what to expect in this book and I thoroughly enjoyed it. I found that the author’s theology fit pretty well with mine, so I didn’t have any major disagreements with anything he wrote.

The story is about a man who has had great tragedy and guilt in his life and then has an experience of God, Jesus, the Holy Spirit and Sophia/Wisdom that changes him forever and makes his life new and easier to live, though not trouble-free.

One of my favorite parts of the book is when God expresses being “especially fond” of Mack—the main character—and it turns out that God is also especially fond of all the other people in the world! Isn’t it nice to know that God is especially fond of EACH one of us?!

Back when God made that covenant with Abraham and Sarah, God promised to be their God and to be the God of all their offspring after them. That includes you and me because, as we should know, Abraham and Sarah are the parents of all the great religions and symbolically they are the parents of all the people on earth. What went before them—Adam and Eve, Noah and his family—was the prequel, but the real story of the relationship and everlasting covenant between God and humankind begins with Abraham and Sarah and the promise of children to people who found the idea hysterically funny because they were both over 90 years old.

God kept God’s promise to Sarah and Abraham and to all their descendants. God is still our God today, even though we have become more numerous than the stars,[3] and God’s covenant promise is everlasting, meaning that God will be “especially fond” of our children, grandchildren, and all the generations yet to come. That IS good news for all! AMEN.


(Image "Old Abraham receives God's Promise, Genesis 15:2-6, 17:15-17, 21:1-6" Clay Illustrations by Georgia Cawley)

Endnotes
1. William Willimon, The Lectionary Commentary (quoted at http://www.ucc.org/worship/samuel/march-8-2009-second-sunday.html)
2. Mark Husbands, Feasting on the Word (quoted at http://www.ucc.org/worship/samuel/march-8-2009-second-sunday.html)
3. Genesis 15:5-6, NRSV.

Lent I - Rainbows and Deserts

Texts: Genesis 9:8-17 and Mark 1:9-15

As another season of Lent begins, we are reminded, again, of 2 familiar stories—Noah and the Ark and Jesus’ baptism followed by temptation in the desert.

The biblical story of Noah and the flood and the rainbow isn’t just about God getting mad at the world and deciding to start over, only saving Noah and his family for re-population. What’s more important is that it’s about the covenant God makes with God’s people that God will never do anything like that again. This covenant is symbolized by God’s hanging the bow in the sky—the bow being the weapon of war—indicating that God will no longer be at war with humankind. Instead, God promises to be with us. Even in the wilderness.

This doesn’t mean that life is going to be simple, easy or trouble-free. Even Jesus, God’s beloved son, had to spend time in the wilderness. But the wilderness can be survived, and God will be with us, even there.

Some years back, I helped my friend Pam, who is an Intentional Interim Ministry Specialist, move her belongings from where she had been serving a UCC church to another friend’s parsonage where she had been invited to stay until she found another interim position. While heavy filing cabinets were being lugged down the basement stairs by some of the men who were assisting, I spent a few minutes reading Carol’s refrigerator—that’s one of my favorite pastimes when visiting other people’s kitchens! There was a magnet that said, “I asked for all things that I might enjoy life. I was given life that I might enjoy all things.” I thought that was a sentiment worth remembering.

In the difficult times in our lives, can we, too, have that kind of outlook on life? Can we remember to look for the oases in the desert? Hardship can show us the goodness and generosity of other human beings. Loss of a loved one can show us how many friends we have. This doesn’t make the pain we are going through any less, but it does show us that we are not alone and that there are those who care about us.
The Old Testament tells us of a God who grows angry and frustrated with the humanity that God created. We’ve all seen movies or documentaries (or even real life) where a potter is working at the wheel and doesn’t like what’s taking shape. Suddenly the wet, spinning clay is mashed down by the potter’s hands so that the creation may be started over again. Sometimes this process occurs repeatedly until the pot resembles the design originally conceived in the artist’s mind.

But God wasn’t working with inanimate objects. God created living, breathing creatures with whom God has a relationship. And so, it would seem, God repents of God’s actions in destroying the world, and promises never to do that again.

Some people put the emphasis on the end of verse 11 where God says, “…never again shall there be a flood to destroy the earth.” They think this implies that the earth may be destroyed by some other means, but never again by water. I believe the pledge is that God will never destroy the world again. Human beings may destroy it, but God will not. And even God seems to need a sign and seal, a symbolic reminder of the covenant. So God places the bow (the weapon of war at the time this story was written) in the sky—pointing away from the earth—as a reminder of that pledge; that covenant.

The first audience for this story knew all about covenants. Ancient Israelites reading or hearing this story would immediately recognize the covenant ceremony. It was part of their culture. So God was indeed limiting God’s self by putting down this giant bow—a weapon of destruction which had just cleansed the earth of all those wicked people. It is a RAIN bow. It “sends rain.” The refraction of sunlight through water vapor is a modern idea that doesn't apply to this story.

And God’s promise sounds like a kid’s: “I won’t do that again.” But it is a comfort to us lesser parties to the covenant to know that the powerful one has only friendly intentions toward us little ones. [1]

God has given us freedom and responsibility in this covenant, and God has also promised to remain with us.

Because of our human actions, life is still full of hardships and the wilderness is the place where life is at the raw edge. We are and will be tempted and we will have to make decisions and then live with them. Our times in the wilderness can strengthen our faith and strengthen us for what lies ahead in life. I don’t believe that God tests us with temptations, but I do believe God is with us in the struggles of our journeys.

Lent is, traditionally, the time when we focus on wilderness experiences, surviving temptation, confessing our sins and shortcomings, and preparing ourselves for the joy of the resurrection on Easter morning by focusing on the dark days that preceded it. In our dark days we may come face-to-face with God’s love that makes us all special and that calls us to be children of God.

In the Disney movie The Lion King, Simba has run away from home after a terrible misunderstanding that resulted in the death of his father Mufasa, the king. As he wanders in the tall grasses, considering whether to return to the rest of the lion pride and take his place as king, he sees wise old Rafiki, the baboon. Simba confronts him, saying, “Who are you?”

Rafiki says, “The question is, ‘Who are you?’”

“I thought I knew. Now I’m not so sure.”

“Well, I know who you are. You’re the one who’s confused. You don’t even know who you are.”

“Oh, and I suppose you do?” replies Simba.

“Sure, you’re Mufasa’s boy.”

Simba gasps in awe and Rafiki waves good-bye and takes off. Simba chases him and begs to know how Rafiki knew his father. “But my father died,” says Simba. “Nope, wrong again,” says Rafiki. “He’s alive. And I’ll show him to you. Just follow old Rafiki; he knows the way.”

After running through a thorn-filled, circuitous route, Rafiki abruptly stops Simba and says, “Shhh…look down there,” pointing at the water’s edge.

After looking at himself in the water’s surface, Simba says, “That’s not my father; that’s just my reflection.”

“No,” says wise old Rafiki, “Look harder.” As Simba looks into his reflection, Rafiki says, “See, he lives in you.”

Suddenly, Simba has a vision of his father walking out of the clouds and saying, “Simba, You have forgotten me.”

“No, how could I?”

“You have forgotten who you are and so have forgotten me. Look inside yourself, Simba. You are more than what you have become. You must take your place in the circle of life.”

“How can I go back?” Simba asks, “I’m not who I used to be.”

“When you remember who you are; you are my son and the one true king. Remember who you are.”

As the vision recedes into the sky, Simba tries to hold onto it, but all he can do is hear the echoes, “Remember who you are” and “He lives in you.” [2]

As people of the covenant—and we are heirs of the covenant—remember that God’s spirit lives in you, just as it lives in Jesus. When you remember who you are and acknowledge God’s spirit in you, you can embrace the promises of God’s everlasting covenant. As you come to the table today, and as you journey through the weeks of Lent, may you find yourself face to face with our God of grace who delights in you and takes pleasure in who you are … now and always. AMEN.


(Image from www.flickr.com)

Endnotes
1. Note #16 from Bill Mosley to “Sermonshop 2006 03 05” on Ecunet.
2. Carla Thompson Powell, “Sermonshop Sermons” note # 5295.

ObamiconMe

I've recently learned of a fun web site called Obamicon Me where you can take any picture you have and "Obamicon" it.

Once you go to the site, you can upload your picture (or take a new one using your webcam) and the site will Obamicon your picture. Then you make adjustments and add a caption. Once you've registered it on their site, you can download your Obamicon to your computer, post it online, e-mail it, or even order T-shirts and other gifts with your Obamicon on it.

I tried several shots of me and didn't care for them. Then I decided to Obamicon one of my most recent pictures of Rusty and I really like it! I chose a custom caption because I think having Barack Obama for President is just the "cat's meow!"

Here's the original photo and the resulting Obamicon...

Great Things

sermon preached by the Rev. Sue Judson Hamly at Faith United Church, UCC, International Falls, MN

Texts: Psalm 139:1-6, 13-18 and John 1:43-51

When Phillip called Nathaniel to come and see Jesus, Nathaniel was skeptical that any good could come out of a backwater hick town like Nazareth. He changed his mind when he met Jesus.

Nathaniel was amazed that Jesus knew about him before he even met him. Obviously, Nathaniel wasn’t very familiar with Psalm 139. I just love the first 18 verses of that psalm! It contains so many reassurances ….

O God, you have searched me and known me.
You know when I sit down and when I rise up;
you discern my thoughts from far away. …You are acquainted with all my ways.
Even before a word is on my tongue,
O God, you know it completely. …
… It was you who formed my inward parts;
you knit me together in my mother’s womb.
… I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made.
… My frame was not hidden from you, when I was being made in secret,…Your eyes beheld my unformed substance.
In your book were written all the days that were formed for me, before they existed.
… I come to the end—I am still with you.

This psalm reminds us that God’s love it like the love of a caring parent for her or his children. Mothers are certainly aware of what it’s like to know a child before it’s even born—and so are most fathers. Grandparents too… in fact everyone who is looking forward to the birth of any baby begins to feel as if they know the baby already.

My cousin’s daughter in Wickenburg, AZ, gave birth to her first baby this week. We received e-mail pictures while they were still in the hospital. When Heidi got home, one of the first things she did was change her status on facebook so that it says, “Heidi is so in love with her new baby girl ” Has it ever occurred to you that God feels the same way about each and every one of us?!

Yes! God is in love with you and you and you and me. All of us—no matter who, no matter what! And God sent Jesus to show us and teach us about that love.

If we are “fearfully and wonderfully made” then all of us can do great things. Don’t let the word fearfully stop you. We forget that in the bible “fear” usually means awe and respect. So a better translation would be that we are awesomely and wonderfully made. We are awesome because God made us that way! And God loves us each just the way we are.

There’s a story about a young rabbi named Zusya who was quite discouraged about his failures and weaknesses. An older rabbi said to him, “When you get to heaven, God is not going to say to you, ‘Why weren’t you Moses?’ No, God will say, ‘Why weren’t you Zusya?’ So why don’t you stop trying to be Moses, and start being the Zusya God created you to be?”[1]

We are all awesomely and wonderfully made. Can you imagine if we believed that about everyone, including ourselves? Can you imagine a nation and a world inspired to live as if everyone mattered? Can we dare to hope for the impossible to happen—the end of religious, racial, class, orientation and gender hatred? God has made each person precious, awesome and wonderful. God has made our planet precious, awesome and wonderful. What if we believed that and treated people, animals and all of nature that way?[2]

I’ll tell you what… if we believed that—if all the people of the world believed that—great things would definitely begin to happen in our global community!

Many of us are expecting—or at least praying for—great things to happen after our new President is inaugurated on Tuesday. Of course he’s going to need lots of help and cooperation, but the most important thing is to give him a chance.

That’s all any of us can ask for—to be given a chance—and God is the one who gives us all the chances we need. God calls us to be the best we can be—the best individuals each of us can be, and the best Faith United Church we can be. We are looking for people and ideas to help our church be a church of the 21st Century, called and inspired by God to be and do great things and to demonstrate the love of Jesus Christ right here in our community.

Nathaniel wondered if anything good could come out of Nazareth. Some people in town may wonder if anything exciting can come out of a UCC church when they don’t really even know or understand who we are and what we’re about as God’s people. It’s time for us to find new ways of demonstrating our understanding of God’s love shown through the life of Jesus as we follow in Christ’s footsteps in our everyday life, work and community interaction.

Nathaniel came with Philip to meet Jesus. Jesus told Nathaniel what he saw in him and Nathaniel was amazed. He asked Jesus how he knew so much about him and Jesus replied, “I saw you under the fig tree before Philip called you.”

Fig trees are sacred in Islam as a place of meditation. Was Nathaniel a religious person—a seeker—is that what Jesus saw in him?[3] Whatever it was, there was something about Jesus. He KNEW, and Nathaniel recognized it immediately. It might not have even been in what Jesus said, it might have been more like something Nathaniel sensed upon meeting him. Fortunately he was willing to take Philip up on his invitation to “come and see.” See how Jesus lives and loves. It was apparently very obvious, allowing people to feel known and to imagine a different future.

Whatever it was, Nathaniel was inspired to proclaim Jesus as son of God and king of Israel. Jesus replies, you say that just because I knew you before we met? You’re gonna see even greater things than that, my friend!

Because God has known us and loved us since the beginning of everything, God sent Jesus to teach us all about God’s love. And when we love one another and all the rest of God’s people as Jesus loved, great things are going to happen because the love of God incarnated in Jesus Christ is the greatest love there is.

So don’t be afraid to be who God created you to be! And as a congregation, let’s not be afraid to seek God’s guidance in new directions for this new age. We can do great things because God is with us—in all time and for all time. AMEN.

Endnotes:
1. James Limburg, Westminster Bible Companion, quoted at
http://www.ucc.org/worship/samuel/january-18-2009-second-sunday.html
2. Adapted from “Fearfully and Wonderful Made” by Rev. Kirk Moore, Union Congregational Church, UCC, Somonauk, IL.
3. Note #1 from Ann Fontaine to “Sermonshop 2006 01 15.”

What COLD looks like...

We've been on the news all over the country. Friends have called or e-mailed or written on my wall on facebook to make sure we haven't frozen to death. Some things get cancelled, but mostly life doesn't stop for the cold up here! And yes, it WAS 42 degrees below zero in the very early morning yesterday!
This is perfect weather for ICEBOX Days which is being celebrated here in the Icebox of the Nation this weekend. I guess a few events are being cancelled due to the cold, but most of the fun will still go on.

Click here to watch a news video about the cold, including a segment on International Falls: Cold Video Then click your back button to return to my blog!

My mom flew home to Stockton, California on Monday, missing the most severe cold temperatures. But she enjoyed plenty of sub-zero weather and warmer weather with snow while she was here, including 9.4 inches that fell on January 3rd. She loved watching the scenery and the weather from our windows. We overlook Rainy River, whose oppostie bank is Fort Frances, Ontario, Canada. Mom especially enjoyed the days when it was so cold the river created steam or fog that made Canada disappear, and the hoarfrost decorated the trees and turend colors in the sunrise. It may be cold, but it sure is beautiful!

Tune In!

Sermon preached by the Rev. Sue Judson Hamly at Faith United Church, UCC, International Falls, MN

Texts: Genesis 1:1-5 & Psalm 29

We’re up to #6 in our “calendar quotes” sermon series from the UCC Desk Calendar and Plan Book. The quote for today comes from George Washington Carver who said, “I love to think of nature as an unlimited broadcasting system, through which God speaks to us every hour, if we will only tune in.”

Can you just imagine God setting out to create the earth? Visualize, in your mind’s eye, God creating Rainy Lake … the Grand Canyon … the Mississippi River … the Sahara Desert … Old Faithful … the oceans and the glaciers … the moors and the fjords … the polar ice caps … the Red Sea … and all the trees, flowers, animals and people. How utterly amazing!!!

And of course God also created Minnesota … On the sixth day God turned to the Archangel Gabriel and said: 'Today, I am going to create a land called Minnesota. It will be a land of outstanding natural beauty; a land of 10,000 beautiful lakes, each one full of fish. It shall have tall majestic pines, peacefully flowing rivers, landscapes full of trees, tall grass, and eagles, beautiful blue skies, forests full of bear, deer and moose, rich farmland and fair skinned people.' God continued, 'I shall make the land rich in resources so as to make the inhabitants prosper and they shall be known as a most friendly people; people who practice being Minnesota Nice every day.'

‘But Lord,' said Gabriel, 'don't you think you are being too generous to these Minnesotans?'

'No, not really,' replied God 'just wait till you see the winters I am going to give them.' [1]

Yes, even Minnesota winters are an amazing and beautiful gift from God! You can go skiing, snow shoeing, ice fishing, ice skating outdoors or snowmobiling. You can do the Freeze Yer Gizzard Blizzard Run or keep warm in a coffee shop or carve ice sculptures and make snowmen. And you can look forward to summer and all the wonderful things we enjoy outdoors in nature when the weather’s warm!

I love the image from the quote about nature being God’s broadcasting system! One thing comes through clearly—that God surely must love us very much to have created all this beauty for us to enjoy!

Sadly, though, human beings haven’t tuned in very well. We haven’t taken enough care of our beautiful earth and now we’re beginning to pay the price.

God said, “Let there be light,” but in some large cities smog darkens the sky and the sun’s light has a hard time shining through.
God also created water. Over 70% of our globe is covered by water. Ninety-seven percent of all water on earth is in our oceans. Life on earth began in the oceans 3.1—3.4 billion years ago and then evolved from the ocean to the land millions of years ago. Today, the ocean remains crucial to maintaining life as we know it. The oceans provide necessities such as; most of the oxygen we need to breathe, a reservoir for soaking up almost half of the globe's gaseous carbon pollutants (more than 2 billion tons), a food source that can be managed to help feed the world, the ingredients for many of today's and tomorrow's medicines, making our weather, and it is an essential part of the global economy. [2]

God created the dry land as well and people have turned too much of it into concrete jungles or have changed the use of land from what it was originally created to do or to be. But we have also preserved some of our land and our forests so that it will remain as it was originally created to be. Sometimes we tune in and sometimes we don’t. Sometimes we have hunted, fished and trapped too much and whole species of animals have disappeared or are in danger or doing so. Sometimes we catch on in the nick of time and work to save species in danger of extinction.

I’ve said before that from the first chapter of Genesis the most important thing for us to remember—besides the fact that God created—is that GOD SAW THAT IT WAS GOOD. Everything God has made is good. Every time I step out into nature and clear everything else from my over-loaded brain, I am reminded that everything God has created in our world and our universe—and even beyond—is beautiful, glorious, magnificent and good!

In the natural wonders and innate beauty we can find all around us if we just look for it, God is broadcasting to us that life is good, humankind is good, the world is good, and God is good.

In today’s reading of Psalm 29 we are called to recognize that goodness and beauty. We are called to “ascribe to God glory and strength … worship God in holy splendor” because God’s mighty voice called the light, the waters, the land, the growing things, the animals, fish, birds and people into existence. The voice of God, says the Psalmist, is powerful and full of majesty. It “flashes forth flames of fire … shakes the wilderness … causes the oaks to whirl, and strips the forest bare.” [3]

And God saw that it was good. If we just tune in, we, too, will see that it can continue to be good if we take responsibility and action.

God speaks to us in wind and flame, in rain and snow, in flood and drought, in beauty and barrenness, in mountains and oceans, rivers and forests, storms and calm. When we listen… when we care… when we work together for the good of ALL creation… when we do tune in… there is hope for the healing and the future of our planet. AMEN.

Endnotes
1. Author unknown; e-mail sent to me by Sherry Wold on 1/10/2009.
2. www.seethesea.org
3. From Psalm 29, NRSV.