Shout Hosanna!

Almost 2000 years ago, the people of Jerusalem welcomed Jesus into their town with palms.  In 2013, the Wahl family welcomed little Jillian Jo into this world with palms.

Our three children were born on Super Bowl Sunday, Ash Wednesday, and the day before Ascension Day (honestly, Kathy did not want to wait one more day for the last one).  Now we have a Palm Sunday grandchild.

Jillian Jo's parents called us early on Sunday morning to announce the news--news which was a bit unexpected since her due date was Good Friday.  (Side note--Palm Sunday is a far better day to be born than Good Friday.  Good job, Jillian.)  The Rochester grandparents could hardly constrain themselves to get to a Twin Cities hospital to see this new little life.

But there were some delays.  First were the gatherings of hundreds of people in two worship services who would literally sing hosannas to the Son of David.  Palms were raised and waved.  But there were two people whose minds might have been elsewhere, wanting to welcome a new daughter of God.

Another delay.  We were hosting the annual Palm Sunday family gathering.  The extended family is too involved in many churches to break away on Easter, so we gather a week early at our home--this year about twenty of us.  The food and conversation were marvelous.  But there were two whose minds might have been elsewhere.

Finally, we turned our backs on our guests and told them to shut the door on their way out--we were going to meet a new granddaughter!

There is no gift in this world like the gift of a new life.  Lungs breathe life-giving oxygen.  Hearts pump the life to all parts of a new body.  A little finger moves reflexively, if not by will.  Creation is amazing.

There is one gift nearly like new life.  That is new life in Christ, celebrated around the world in a few days.  Jillian Jo may live to be 100 years old--or more, with improving health care.  But there will be a certain end, at least on this earth.  Then that life promised by God in Christ bears full fruit.

I can see palms waving in heaven the day Jillian Jo arrives.  And I can imagine that God will be even more welcoming and proud than a grandfather.  Hosanna!

THEY GAVE NICKELS

A recent children's experience at worship offered three new pieces of grace.  Part of the Gospel reading for that day was the parable of the woman who has ten coins but loses one of them.  She searches diligently for the coin until she finds it and then rejoices with her neighbors!

From a location high above the chancel floor, I asked the children who had come forward for the children's word if they ever lose things, and how they feel when they find them.  When they responded with joy, I dropped coins from my high perch and asked the children to find them.  After all had found a coin, it was clear that they were rejoicing!

Grace note number one:  At the Saturday evening worship there were seven children.  I had thrown seven nickels onto the floor.  After the worship service, the assistant brought me the children's offering to secure.  Ordinarily there are a few dollar bills and a quarter or two on Saturday.  That night there were six nickels in addition to the normal offering.  I can only believe that six of the children decided it would be good to give the money back to the church.  What grace.

Grace note number two:  At the first service on Sunday, I was overwhelmed with children.  While I had 40 more nickels, about 40 children came up for the children's word.  They scrambled for the coins when I threw them.  It was holy chaos.  I confessed to the congregation that I would have to go looking for more money between services since I had used all I had.  On the way out of the sanctuary, a few people had coins in their hands, one man an entire hand full of coins.  I didn't have to go looking for coins at all.  People were generous.

Grace note number three:  The coins at the second Sunday service were not all nickels since they had been given to me.  As I threw coins this time, there was a mix.  One boy didn't seem to get any of the coins.  I had a dollar coin in my hand.  I flicked it down in front of him, and he rejoiced to find this coin--an entire dollar!  After worship his mother came to me and told me that the boy had decided that dollar would be his offering at the children's word.  The parents did not prompt him.  He was simply generous with what he had been given.

Oh, we might think that we give and give.  But we get more in return.  And we return some to the one who has given and continues to give us all good things.  We can learn from children who give nickels...and dollar coins.

DSK, A Sad Tale

It has been long enough since the furor of the Dominique Strauss-Kahn (DSK) affair in New York has abated.  We are past the salacious details of the event in which a hotel housekeeper accused DSK of rape.  He is no longer facing criminal charges for whatever happened.  Other women are stepping forward with stories of, at the very least, inappropriate sexual behavior.


By some accounts, DSK has been exonerated.  Exonerated?


Let's dismiss any criminality in that hotel room that day.  Let's say that anything done in that room was consensual between two adults.  Let's allow for the greater sexual permissiveness the French seem to tolerate.


Facts that everyone seems to agree on:

1. DSK is married.
2. DSK had some kind of sexual encounter with someone not his wife in the hotel room.
3. DSK, we can presume, had never even seen this woman before, unless she had cleaned his room prior to that day.  It appears he is willing to copulate with any convenient woman.

Exonerated?  By my account, even in the most benign accounting of the affair, DSK proves himself to be one who earns the disgust of God's people.  The story reminds me of another powerful man who decided to have sex with someone far less than powerful than he--King David of Israel and Bathsheba.  That story in the Bible results in horrible consequences for many people, including the King himself.

This is not a case of boys will be boys.  Not even a case of French men will be French men.  This is disgusting.  This is light years away from God's intention of love between a man and a woman.

News reports indicate that DSK's wife has reluctantly come to an acceptance of her husband's philandering ways.  The courts, it seem, will not be able to prosecute him for any legal wrong-doing.  But to think that he has somehow escaped culpability here is nonsense.  Jesus says that a man and a woman become one in marriage--not three or four or fourteen.

"I take you, (name) to be my wife/husband from this day forward, to join with you and share all that is to come, and I promise to be faithful to you until death parts us." (ELW, p. 288)

Mothers from Minot

Bethel Lutheran Church where I serve is a large church, and we have visitors every weekend.  It is not at all uncommon to have visitors introduce themselves to me, or family members who belong to Bethel introduce their guests.

So, it would not be unusual to meet someone from a city almost 600 miles from Rochester on any given Sunday.  This past Sunday, a woman came through the line and was pleased to introduce me to the older woman behind her--her mother from Minot, North Dakota.  My smile collapsed into concern as I asked if she had suffered loss in the recent Minot flooding.  This gracious woman quickly assured me that she was all right and was in Rochester for a visit.  She lived on a hill, and her home and possessions would be fine, though she grieved for all the loss that her friends and city were suffering.  I was relieved for her, though the people of Minot continued in our prayers for the day.

It would not be unusual for me to meet a woman from a town of 40,000 people 600 miles from here.  But two from the same city on the same day?  After the next service, a woman wanted to introduce me to her mother.  She had come from Minot, and the Bethel member wanted me to have a kind word with her mother since she had lost everything in the flood.

It took just a little while to locate her in the crowd.  Clearly she was downcast, but there was a strong resolve about her as well.  Her house was filled with water.  They had been told they did not need flood insurance, but this was a 1,000 year flood, according to experts.  While she was visiting in Rochester with her daughter, she wondered if the move to Rochester might be permanent.  With the damage done, she could see her home simply being pushed in by heavy equipment and destroyed.

Two mothers from Minot in the same day.  One's home was safe, and the other's was destroyed.  In the Bible we read that the rain falls on the just and the unjust (Matthew 5:45).  We do not know why it is that some prosper and some suffer cataclysmic loss.  We do know that we are to thank God for blessings, and we are to be a blessing to those who are suffering.  Government, social service agencies, and the church are all in Minot being the hands and heart of a compassionate people.  From the church's perspective, we contend that they are the hands and heart of Christ.

Mothers from Minot--a lesson in real life.

Kindness of Diane/Jesus

Her name is Dianne. Tonight she was my server at a little buffet in Wisconsin Dells. Since it was a buffet, her task was to tend to the table, clearing dishes and responding to any needs.

Two tables away there there were two young men furtively sharing a plate of food. Somehow they had finagled two sodas. But it was clear only one of them had paid for the buffet. This detail didn't escape the attention of the staff.

It wasn't Dianne's table, but the male server for the table didn't seem to know what to do about the transgression. He warned the two young men that only one could eat if there was only one meal purchased. I could see that the men agreed.

But only in words. It wasn't long before they were sharing again. This time the manager came to talk to the men. They agreed with the manager, too.

But only in words. When it was detected the second man was still eating, the manager came and asked the second man to leave. At that point Dianne took over. I don't know what shse said in the presence of the manager, but as she was leaving the table, I heard her say, "You go ahead and get a plate. I will pay for you." And she did. The man went to the buffet with no hesitation, and he was still eating when I left the premises.

I don't think Dianne could afford that. She wouldn't be working at a diner if she was wealthy enough to buy dinners for other people. Besides that, these two young men clearly were not bothered by their cheating the restaurant out of a meal! They deserved to be kicked out of the place. Instead, they received grace.

Dianne was kind to me, too, and all others in the restaurant. She was kind. Like Jesus. I took a card out of my wallet and left a note for her and thanking her for her kindness and asking that Jesus might bless her in a thousand ways. I also left a 50% tip. I could afford kindness more than she.

We, too have cheated. Instead of getting kicked out of the place, we have received grace. The grace of our Lord, Jesus Christ.

Thank you, Diane.

A Royal Dinner...Really!

Six of us gathered last night at a Mexican Restaurant across from the Olmsted County jail and the Government Center.  Kathy could see all kinds of activity in the parking area behind the jail--lots of black SUVs and men in dark suits.  Eventually a few SUVs came across the road, and apparently into the restaurant's parking lot.  Very big men in black suits started to come into the restaurant.  A booth of four sat behind me.  A table a six sat opposite and kitty corner from our table.

Our group of six tried to figure out what was going on.  The largest of the men stood at the top of the staircase.  He didn't prevent people from going downstairs where the restrooms are, but he was vigilant.  We carried on with our dinner--great stories and laughter--but our curiosity was not satisfied by the time we prepared to leave.

I told my party that I was going to the bathroom and do reconnaissance.    For some reason, they didn't try to stop me...

As I passed the first step going to basement, the very large man in the black suit spoke into his wrist.  I had no misconception as to what he was doing.  As I turned the corner to go the last half of the staircase, the eyes of another very large man in a black suit observed my descent.  I made the appropriate turn--into the bathroom instead of into the dining area.  Peripherally, I could see a large party at a long table.

On the way out I lingered only slightly for a better view before going upstairs. At a quick glance, I could see that most were Middle Eastern, and there were only a very few woman at the far end of the table.  Security people were keeping close watch.

I reported back to my group, so another decided he had to go to the bathroom.  Same procedure.  But he actually asked the guard at the bottom of the stairs what was going on.  It turns out that the group included the president and vice president of Iraq, along with an entourage--32 people total.

Wow--we had dined with a president and vice president--albeit separated by a one floor and by some very able men.

Last week Christians the world over read a story about Jesus dining with two men in a village called Emmaus.  Though they had visited with him significantly on the road, the two men did not recognize the resurrected Jesus until he broke bread at table with them.

It is often in eating with one another that we come to better know each other and enjoy the gifts that God has given to us.  I pray that you are deliberate in breaking bread with others.  It would help, of course, if you were dining on the same floor and big men were not trying to keep you apart.

You don't have to worry about that in Christ.  He has promised to be with us in the bread and wine.  God's peace and grace to you this day.

Would Good Friday be the End for Carol?

The Day of our Lord's Resurrection is a day without compare in most Christian churches.  We are treated to the eternal truths of a Savior who is victorious over the powers of evil and death.  Our Savior.

That does not mean our lives are without challenges.  At Bethel today we heard the story of a woman named Carol Brott who started have significant health difficulties at the age of twenty, and in her 40's had nearly every heart ailment known to humans.

On Good Friday, April 2, 2010, she said to her husband, John, "I can't do this anymore."  She felt her life ebbing from her.  She had reason for resignation.  Surgeries, heart failures, weakness of body, a six week coma, 123 units of blood, this woman endured more than most bodies are capable of enduring.  While she was on a heart transplant list, things did not appear to be moving in her favor.

Certainly things were not in Jesus' favor, either.  Both political and religious authorities sought to silence him.  They succeeded on Good Friday.  Jesus uttered his forsakenness on the cross.  Jesus said, "It is finished," and breathed his last.

But we know that isn't the end of the story.  The story ends (or just begins?) with a stunning reversal on the first day of the week.  "He is not here, he has been raised, as he said."  And so Christians around the world have celebrated the empty cross and the emtpy tomb with flowers and light.  Bethel's sanctuary this morning was particularly attractive, appointed with Easter colors and flowers.  The chancel was also decorated with the prayers of the children, drawn during Lent and draped over a cross.

Carol Brott came so close to death on a Good Friday, nearly 13 months ago.  She did not die.  Instead, she was at Bethel this morning, testimony to great medical care and even greater faith.  The people of Bethel applauded as she stood.  For it was a year ago, on Easter weekend, that she got the transplant that saved her life.  She received new life--both in body and in spirit.  Good Friday is never the end.  It is only the beginning...