Sermon for Sunday, August 21

Day of the Church Year: 11th Sunday after Pentecost

Scripture Passage: Luke 13:10-17

The leader of the synagogue is not wrong. Work is not permitted on the sabbath. There are six whole days on which work may be done, but work is not permitted on God’s holy day of rest. And Jesus knows. Jesus, like all the faithful Jews gathered around him, knows the Ten Commandments, one of which reads: Remember the sabbath day and keep it holy. Six days you shall labor and do all your work. But the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. Jesus, far more than any one of us, honors scripture, honors God’s law, honors what is right and good. But today, on the sabbath, Jesus sees a woman bound by a spinal condition that leaves her back bent and unable to straighten, a condition that likely causes pain and trouble breathing, frustration and isolation. When Jesus does the spiritual, ethical calculation of right and wrong, good and bad, instead of telling the woman to find him tomorrow when the sabbath has ended, he frees her then and there. The leader of the synagogue is not wrong. Jesus breaks God’s own law. In order to show the woman grace and to free her from her ailment.

I feel this story deep in my bones. This story and others like it challenge me, plague me, make my life messy. For I’m a rule-follower and a boundaries-lover. I like clarity and absolutes with crisp edges on my ethical standards. I like to understand and follow the spirit of the law, and here, God’s sabbath law is partly about honoring God and also partly about God wanting us to care for and love ourselves, to ensure we get the rest we need so that we can care for and love our neighbor. The law Jesus breaks is not arbitrary. It is law meant to provide a boundary that leads to health and wholeness, not only for the ones who observe it but for all creation. Jesus, too, needs rest in order to do his ministry. To follow this law means no work, for Jesus no healings and no miracles, for us no work phone calls, no work text messages, no work emails on the sabbath. It means no stopping by for a quick second to do this one little thing. That’s how I love my boundaries: clear and absolute with crisp edges.

But, but, in this story, Jesus reveals something that makes me very uncomfortable, that life is messy, not clear and absolute. And this story is not just about the sabbath. It’s about God’s law—and even civic law—and how we assess its relevance in the face of human need and especially human suffering.

At this point in my sermon writing process, I got stuck.  Because, while the law is clear, grace is messy.  Not Grace the church but grace the theological concept of undeserved favor.  I guess Grace Lutheran Church is also messy.  Grace cannot be codified in law or fit into a policy.  Grace resides in a gray area.  Not all decisions, not all circumstances, not all ethical questions are messy, unclear, or gray; indeed, the law of God is right and good.  Remember the sabbath day, and keep it holy.  But when faced with human need and especially human suffering, sometimes, what is truly right and good alters.   

Several years ago, someone in our community called to let me know they were in the hospital.  As I usually do, I got in my car and drove to the hospital to see them.  People told me that this person wasn’t really sick, that they just wanted attention, that they had problems but that illness wasn’t one of them.  I went anyway.  When I arrived at the hospital, the person in question was laying in the hospital bed hooked up to IVs and looking very much like every other person I had ever visited in the hospital.  During the course of our conversation, they described to me the various struggles they were having, struggles having nothing to do with their health.  Finally, in lowered voice, they revealed to me that the reason for which they were admitted to the hospital wasn’t true.  They were perfectly healthy.  I felt duped.  I felt stupid.  I felt betrayed.  This person called on me and on numerous medical professions in the hour of their supposed physical distress, but they were, actually, fine.  “I can’t believe I went to the hospital,” I said to a friend.  “I feel so stupid.  People told me this person was fine, but I went anyway.”  My wise friend responded, “They’re not fine.  Someone who would feign illness in order to get help is in distress.  And now, they know you care about them.  If you have to choose between being right and being loving, don’t you choose loving?”

Yes, I choose loving.  But it’s not that easy all the time. 

Fortunately for us, in today’s story, Jesus does not end the story commanding his disciples, the leader of the synagogue, or the crowd gathered in the synagogue to “go and do likewise” in showing grace or making that choice between being right and being loving.  Instead, Jesus simply breaks the sabbath to show grace.  Instead, he points out one situation where the leader of the synagogue himself does the same and calls him on his hypocrisy for, of course, we each of us break laws in order to show grace sometimes.  Instead, Jesus acknowledges that life is messy and teaches God is gracious, that God sees us in the particularity of our lives, sees the distress we are in even if no one else does.  And God cares for us enough to break even God’s own law.  That’s it.  Thanks be to God!  Amen.    

Vocabulary of Feelings, Needs, & Values

On Sunday, August 14 during Faith In Motion, we explored one simple nonviolent communication technique of naming our feelings, values, and needs. Click below to find the Vocabulary of Feelings and the Vocabulary of Needs & Values.

Vocabulary of Feelings

Vocabulary of Needs & Values

Theology Pub: Sunday, November 6

All are invited to a monthly gathering to connect and share a beverage over meaningful topics.  Theology Pub meets the first Sunday evening of each month, 6:00-7:30 pm, at Arizona Wilderness DTPHX, 201 E Roosevelt.  We gather on the patio of Wilderness, and participants are welcome to eat and drink if they would like but are not pressured to do so.  The topic for Sunday, November 6 at 6:00 pm is Welcoming the Stranger.

2022 Heat Respite

We are in the last few weeks of Heat Respite fun at Grace. Volunteers and donors have kicked it up another notch, serving fresh fruit, oats, and warm coffee in the morning. We have been serving nachos, spaghetti, baked fruit, and other goodies in the afternoon. Yum!

Huge thanks to our congregational friends for sharing resources, water, and well wishes. Grace remains one of the front lines for groups in the valley to serve and share. MAJOR shout outs to Evalyn and the kitchen crews (Frankie, Lorraine, Devalyn, Jasmine (AM) Lisa, Michah, and Chris (PM). This week we have been working on caring for Grace to ensure it is a hospitable space for everyone. Recently Pastors Jacqui, Kristine, and Kari visited Grace and met with people in the North Room. We look forward to Bible Bingo on their next visit!

Choir & Music Ministry Meeting

All former, present, and future choir members, handbell ringers, and music ministry friends: please come to the choir room (behind the Chancel) on Sunday, September 18, after church (12:30 pm). We will discuss the present state of our music ministry and offer some plans for both the immediate future and also some long range possibilities. Duration: 1 hr.

Sermon for Sunday, August 7

Day of the Church Year: 9th Sunday after Pentecost

Scripture Passage: Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16

There’s a phrase in Latin ex nihilo that means “out of nothing,” usually referring to creation out of nothing. God creates ex nihilo, out of nothing. Today, the writer of Hebrews chronicles the ex nihilo faith of the ancients.

In the manner of the Old Testament, Genesis chapter 11 includes a genealogy, describing the lineage of a man named Abram and a woman name Sarai whose names would later be changed to Abraham and Sarah. At the end of chapter 11, we learn nothing of them but their family ties and their home region, and boom, chapter 12 opens: “Now the Lord said to Abram, ‘Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. I will make of you a great nation, and I will bless you, and make your name great, so that you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and the one who curses you I will curse; and in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.’” The writer of Genesis tells us in the very next verse: “So Abram went.” Ex nihilo, out of nothing, Abram and Sarai go! With no prior revelation of God, with no years of faith formation, with nothing but the word of God, Abram and Sarai go leave their country, their kindred, their father’s house as God commands.

Similarly at the conclusion of the book of Genesis, Joseph comes into a seat of power in Egypt, relocating his whole family there. As the book of Exodus opens, however, the new pharaoh, the new king, does not remember Joseph and his family and enslaves them and their descendants—for 400 years. 400 years into their enslavement, a child named Moses is born, saved from death by the courageous midwives Shiprah and Puah, placed in a basket upon the water by his terrified mother, drawn from the water by pharaoh’s daughter, raised in pharaoh’s home meaning he is not raised within the religious tradition of his people. As an adult, Moses flees from Egypt. While herding sheep in the desert wilderness, Moses sees on a mountain a strange burning bush whose leaves are not consumed. God speaks to Moses from the bush and sends him back to Egypt to free God’s people from slavery. Ex nihilo, out of nothing, Moses goes! With no prior revelation of God, with no years of faith formation, with nothing but the word of God, Moses goes.

It is this ex nihilo faith that the writer of Hebrews commends today. For according to Hebrews, faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. Faith, by its very definition, stands on hope. Not evidence. Not data. Not certainty. Hope.

I used to be certain.

I used to be certain that God existed, that scripture offered up black and white ethical guidelines, that the doctrines of the church reflected the laws of the universe.

I used to be certain.

Then, I went to college and was formed by serving at Bible camps, worked at a shelter and moved to the south side of Chicago to go to seminary. I learned about the world, met and learned from unforeseen challenges, listened to stories of life that sounded to my ears like they happened in a foreign country, not in the US, so far removed were they from my own experiences. In all this, I prayed daily and studied scripture, served as a hospital chaplain, earned a Master of Divinity degree, and led worship in college, in churches, hospitals, around campfires, at the shelter, at Holden Village, and in my seminary chapel.

And I was no longer certain. Instead, I had and have faith. I live with an assurance of things hoped for, a conviction of things not seen. I don’t know anymore if God exists, but I hope that God does. I have faith that God does. I have faith that the power of love trumps the power of sin, death, and evil. I have faith that the resurrection of Jesus means new life is possible even in a world filled with injustice, illness, death, hate, indifference.

The irony of faith is that it doesn’t increase with knowledge or practice. It has an ex nihilo quality. We don’t study our way into faith. We can study our way into greater understanding of biblical story, of church doctrine, of Christian tradition. We can practice our way into following Jesus just as we do nearly every Sunday during Faith in Motion and by the myriad ways we serve and love the world. But as some Christian leaders say, faith is “caught” more than “taught.” The reason the writer of Hebrews tells stories of the ancients, like Abram, Sarai, and Moses, is not to teach us their stories but to inspire us by their stories, to inspire by their faith.

Now, Grace Lutheran Church, maybe I haven’t told you before, but I tell others on the regular: You, dear people, make me believe in God. Your lives, the ways I see you live with courage and love, the ways I see you give of yourselves for the sake of others, your lives inspire faith in me. My convictions about a gracious God are not entirely unseen. For I see God’s grace at work in you and in our life together.

And it’s not just your faith that inspires me but the faith of so many who have come before us. The eleventh chapter of Hebrews is known as the “Roll of the Faithful,” lifting up the heroes of scripture, the kings and prophets and, mostly, the ordinary people assured of things hoped for, convicted of things not seen. The writer of Hebrews brings the Roll of the Faithful to a beautiful conclusion: “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses, let us also lay aside every weight and the sin that clings so closely, and let us run with perseverance the race that is set before us.” All the faithful who came before us, all the faithful who surround us today spur us on for lives of faith and hope. Especially here on Sunday mornings, because we read and study scripture, because we share our own witness in this place, we are surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses. And thanks be to God! Because, some days, faith and hope are in short supply. We can’t teach each other faith and hope, but we can sure catch it as we sing and pray, share the peace and receive Christ’s body and blood together.

Who are on your Roll of the Faith-full? Whose faith has inspired you and why? Let us name them and share just a sentence or two about their impact in our lives—that we may all be inspired by their faith and hope.

We lift up names and stories.

Let us pray. We give you thanks, O God, for these faithful whose faith and hope have inspired us for lives of faith and hope. Ever lift us up by this great cloud of witnesses that we might run with perseverance the race set before us. And all God’s people said: Amen!

Exploring Your Spiritual Gifts

What does God want of me? How am I to serve God? Do I have a spiritual gift? What is it? Perhaps you’ve asked yourself these questions and to help you answer them we invite you to the Exploring Your Spiritual Gifts Retreat. Through a series of exercises and conversations you will be guided in a process of discernment about your gifts. By the end of the retreat, you should know the gifts God has given you and begin to understand how God wants you to use them. So come join us August 6, 13, and 20, 2022 from 9:00 am-12:00 pm via Zoom. Register at https://www.diakonia.education the zoom link will be provided once you register. All are welcome! This event is sponsored by The Grand Canyon Synod Growing in Faith: Diakonia Program.

Pastor Sarah on Vacation

Pastor Sarah will be on vacation from July 27-August 3. During that time, please contact Pastor Stoney Bowen-Weizsmann for pastoral emergencies at 602-616-5690.

Middle School Lock-In

All youth entering grades 6-8 are welcomed and encouraged to attend the

MIDDLE SCHOOL LOCK-IN!

Friday, Aug 19 to Saturday, August 20, 6:00 pm to 9:00 am

Games! S’mores! Hanging out! Learning about Jesus!

Hosted by Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church, 1212 E Glendale Ave

Sign up with Pastor Sarah by August 16.

Bring a sleeping bag, pillow, change of clothes, toiletries, and a snack to share.

Theme: A More Excellent Way, 1 Corinthians 12:31

Sermon for Sunday, July 24

Day of the Church Year: 7th Sunday after Pentecost

Scripture Passage: Luke 11:1-13

Probably ten years ago, I remember detailing to a friend the worries of my heart, the complex problems I could not resolve.  I remember asking: What should I do?  How do I solve this?  My friend, also a Jesus-follower, asked: Have you prayed about it?  It was the perfect face-palm moment.  Because I hadn’t!  It hadn’t even occurred to me to pray!  I went and prayed immediately.  And of course, a solution emerged.

Similarly, towards the end of our recent soul journey to Holden Village, after waiting three hours at the boat dock, the boat taking us from the Holden boat dock to the small town of Chelan, Washington finally arrived.  Its lateness meant, after our boat ride, we missed the particular city bus meant to bring us from Chelan to Wenatchee, a larger city where we would stay the night.  We heaved our luggage to the bus stop and investigated the bus schedule.  Another bus would come soon, it told us.  We waited...and waited.  That part of Washington was under a heat warning that day with temperatures in the upper 90s.  We discovered places of shade and sat down.  I could feel our remaining energy drain from us.  Finally, I called out: Friends, let’s gather and pray.  Everyone wearily walked into my general vicinity, and I asked for a volunteer to keep their eyes open during the prayer in case our bus arrived.  I believe Hannah volunteered.  I began praying: “Gracious God, we are tired, and we pray for the bus, that it would come soon.”  Literally, right at that moment, Hannah cried out, “It’s the bus!”  We gratefully entered the air conditioned bus, sat down, and learned that our bus driver was in training and thus driving slower than his experienced co-workers. 

Likewise, just a couple days ago, someone was telling me about their housing search.  In this tight housing market, locating an apartment in her price range was challenging enough, without geographically restricting her search.  However, she really wanted to be in a particular neighborhood so that her daughter could walk to school.  She told me that, each day, she prayed very specifically that she would find an apartment in that particular neighborhood.  And lo and behold, she discovered an apartment right across the street from the school, an apartment in which she and her daughter are now living. 

Today, Jesus teaches the disciples to pray-what we now call the Lord’s Prayer.  He teaches the disciples to call out to God in their need.  He teaches the disciples that God responds to prayer like a loving parent or thoughtful friend.  Jesus instructs them: Ask, and it will be given you; search, and you will find; knock, and the door will be opened for you.

We could probably all tell stories about times we prayed and God responded in the way we hoped.  But Jesus’ teaching leads me to wonder: What about those times I have asked and the solution or desire or need has not been fulfilled?  What about the times I have searched and not found, the times I have knocked and the door has not been opened?  What about the times when it appears that God does not respond?  There is much suffering in our world.  Certainly, we are asking, searching, knocking.  What about that?

In my wondering, one thing I think about is that scene from the movie Bruce Almighty.  If you haven’t seen it, Bruce, played by Jim Carey, complains bitterly to God, so God decides to bestow all of God’s power on Bruce.  God, played by Morgan Freeman, takes a vacation.  At first, Bruce is delighted.  Look at everything he can do!  All the power he has!  The way he can benefit his own life!  After a while, though, the shine of being God dulls, and practical problems emerge.  In one scene, Bruce has to figure out how to answer prayers.  After trying various strategies for managing millions of prayers that constantly accumulate, he decides to streamline prayers into emails and responds to all of them at the same time.  “Yes” is his answer to every prayer.  Chaos ensues for many people win the lottery, each receiving $12.  Weather patterns shift, and strange tides cause “natural” disasters.  Athletic events end in ties because everyone prayed for their team to win. 

In this humorous way, “Bruce Almighty” helps us consider the impact of our needs and desires upon others.  If God were to answer all prayers in the ways for which we hoped, life would be far from perfect—not just for us but for all creation.  Sometimes, when we pray for things, we get in our own way, creating our own stumbling blocks even as God continues to work in our lives.  And sometimes, we pray for outcomes or events about which we do not know all the relevant details.  In fact, even when we pray for our own lives, sometimes, we don’t know what’s best for us.  But God does.  God knows what’s best for us and best for the world.  And we can only assume that God provides in ways that truly benefit us and all creation. 

Still, we cry out to God for healing, for comfort, for peace.  For what possible reason would God fail to answer our prayers as we hope in these situations?   

I don’t know. 

What I do know is that, when Jesus teaches the disciples about prayer, he assures them of a loving reception.  He instructs the disciples to call God abba, an Aramaic word best translated as “daddy.”  Jesus illustrates the grace of God with a little story about a friend who gets up in the middle of the night to provide bread for another friend.  He reminds the disciples that, if an earthly father cares for his children in the most mundane ways, how much more does our heavenly father care for us?  I don’t know why God appears to answer some prayers and not others, but I trust that God loves us. 

Perhaps God answers in ways we don’t understand, in ways we cannot yet perceive, in ways we’ll look back and see and go: Oh, yeah, yeah, I get it now.  Then again, perhaps not.  But, just as Jesus instructs, we go ahead and ask and search and knock anyway.  Even if we can’t understand everything about prayer, we trust that God hears us.  Even when we can’t understand what God does or why, we trust that God our abba, our friend, our heavenly father loves us.  Even with our questions, we call out to God in whose kingdom and power and glory we rest.  For that we can say: Thanks be to God!  Amen.

Holden Village Soul Journey 2022 Video

Enjoy our Holden Village Soul Journey 2022 video here! Thank you for your support as we embarked on this soul journey to find healing in community in order to more meaningfully use our God-given gifts to do God’s work in the world.

Sermon for Sunday, July 17

Day of the Church Year: 6th Sunday after Pentecost

Scripture Passage: Luke 10:38-42   

For years, I thought I wasn’t a spiritual person, and I sometimes still struggle with this.  People of faith, including some of you, talk about beginning the day with prayer, spending time with God in silence, coffee in hand.  With devotionals like Our Daily Bread or Christ in Our Home at the ready, you spend time in reflection every day.  Maybe you’re part of the weekly prayer group or you diligently read and study scripture at home.  Maybe you listen to music and praise God.  Maybe you enjoy sharing your faith with others.  Perhaps you draw or paint, sculpt or make pottery and listen to God through art creation.  Perhaps you go hiking, spend time in nature, and hear God’s voice in the birds, in the wind through the trees, or maybe from the pool.  Friends, I have to be honest.  You all amaze me.  I do not do these things.  I pray for you all, to be sure, in a popcorn fashion throughout the day, and I study the Bible as part of this job that I love.  But structured spiritual disciplines—with time set aside to nurture my relationship with God—are not my jam.       

I hope you’re not offended or shocked though I understand if you are.  Like I said, for years, I wasn’t sure I could call myself a Christian or a spiritual person without claiming at least one of these spiritual disciplines.  But several years ago, I learned through a continuing education class that people’s spiritualities vary, and the instructor introduced a spirituality wheel with four primary spiritual types.  My type is an activist spirituality, one where I hear God speak and see God work in the doing, in the action.  Faith in Motion is my jam.

I share this because, today, we read a story about two women, Mary and Martha.  Martha welcomes Jesus into her home.  Martha’s sister Mary is also there and sits at Jesus’ feet to listen to him while Martha prepares the meal and attends to her many tasks.  Upset, Martha asks Jesus to tell Mary to help her.  But Jesus says, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and distracted by many things; there is need of only one thing.  Mary has chosen the better part which will not be taken away from her.” 

In the two thousand years between Martha hosting Jesus in her home and today, countless sermons on this story have revealed a host of assumptions about spirituality.

That Mary is lazy because she doesn’t help her sister with the household tasks—and at the same time...

That Mary is more devoted to Jesus because she sits at his feet and listens to him

That Mary is a better spiritual model than Martha

That Martha is less devoted to Jesus because she attends to the tasks of hosting

That Jesus is chastising Martha for attending to her tasks and teaching her that, in that moment, she should be sitting at his feet         

Despite these assumptions, Jesus never actually says any of these things.  Instead, he calls out Martha’s worry and distraction and invites her to focus and be at peace.  Jesus notes that Mary has chosen the better part, but there is no indication of what exactly the “better part” is.  We don’t really know. 

What we do know is that, at this point in Jesus’ ministry, he has set his face to Jerusalem which means he is traveling.  What we do know is that Jesus depends on the hospitality of those he meets along the way.  What we do know is that all of us need to eat and a place to lay our heads, including Jesus.  Jesus is not chastising Martha for preparing a meal and assuring he has a place to sleep that night.  Instead, what he calls out is her worry and distraction. 

Jesus’ gentle corrective seems not at all to do with Martha’s actions per se but with a shedding of worry and distraction.  Jesus invites Martha to focus, to be at peace in the midst of her tasks.  And these are not simply tasks but the welcome of Jesus into her home, one of the most profound ministries of the church then and now, the ministry of hospitality.  Martha engages in a ministry of hospitality just as Mary engages in devoted listening.  Martha’s jam is Faith in Motion while Mary prefers early morning prayer and scripture study, coffee in hand.

Whatever our spirituality type, however we meet God, Jesus invites us to shed our worry and distraction, invites us to focus and be at peace.  This week with the help of Andrews Refrigeration, our friend Martin, Discount Locksmith, Evalyn, Devalyn, and a host of heat respite volunteers, Ksea and I battled non-functional refrigerators, freezers, an ice machine, parking meters, and an air conditioning unit.  There were many tasks, many, many tasks, tasks that left me worried and distracted.  These tasks are part of the ministry we share, providing meals and cool space for our community at heat respite, at worship, at pancake breakfast, for the community groups who use our space.  Though I understood these tasks are part of the ministry we share, until I reread this story, I was worried and distracted by all the loose ends, all the challenges of this week, and the challenges yet to come.  Similarly, you may be worried and distracted by all that needs to be done, by what you see and hear on the news, by the challenges in your own personal life, but Jesus invites us to focus, to be at peace, and in so doing, to hear Jesus speak.  There is no need to worry or be distracted.  In the midst of all that needs to be done, as we face whatever comes our way, as we put our faith in motion, Jesus is still speaking.  Thanks be to God!  Amen.

Rise + Vote

Corazon, a ministry of Neighborhood Ministries, is partnering with Kaleo Phoenix and Neighborhood Ministries to bring you Town Hall. This is a community event that is putting a fun spin on voting early! Lunch & games will be provided for the kids. Don’t forget your ballot.

Saturday, July 23 10:00am-12:oo pm Grace Lutheran Church https://corazonaz.org/

Volunteer Opportunities

We continue to move through the pandemic, and in so doing, our patterns shift and change.  We are currently looking for volunteers to help with the following Grace ministries.  If you are open to helping in any of these ways, please be in touch with the appropriate person listed.

Ministry          Description                                                                 Person / Contact Info

Breakfast         Help serve breakfast on 9/4, 6:30-8:30 am        Evalyn Ehlen or Molly Caldwell

                        Other dates: 10/2, 11/6, 12/4                     

Altar Guild      Set up communion prior to traditional worship    Fran Fry

Landscaping    Mow and trim the church lawn 1-2 times/month  Ken Ehlen or Roger Ark

Counting         Count the offering 1-2 times/month                           Evalyn Ehlen

Sermon for Sunday, July 3

Day of the Church Year: 4th Sunday after Pentecost

Scripture Passage: Luke 10:1-11, 16-20

In the gospel of Luke, the work of the kingdom of God is carried out by the many instead of by only the twelve disciples. Jesus appoints and sends out people to cure the sick and proclaim the kingdom of God come near, all with a message of peace armed with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Even when the people of a particular town reject those appointed to minister, Jesus commands them to simply shake the dust off their feet, proclaim the nearness of God’s kingdom, and go and come in peace. Regardless of the town, whether or not the people of the town graciously receive these ministers, the kingdom of God comes near.

This week, last week, watching or listening to the news, I suspect it wasn’t just me who wondered: Where is the kingdom of God in all this mess? The deep polarization, the significant decisions made by the Supreme Court, the continuing war in Ukraine and violence in countless places across the world, the overall crabbiness of humans right now. Even the mess right in front of us, the bills we need to pay, the difficult relationships, the worries about health and safety. Where is the kingdom of God in all this mess?

Upon returning from the Holden Village soul journey this week, someone involved in a conflict during heat respite came to the church office asking if she could still be part of the heat respite program. Since I hadn’t been here and had only heard about the situation, I asked her to describe what had happened. As she described what clearly had been a difficult day for her, behind her anger and frustration appeared her sadness and hurt and humiliation. The urge to point out her wrongs rushed through me, but the Holy Spirit calmed me down. At the conclusion of her story, led by the Holy Spirit, the first thing I said was: I am so sorry you feel sad and hurt and humiliated. We also discussed the problematic behavior and how it would never happen again, and I went to find Ksea to make sure we were all on the same page. With tears in her eyes, she apologized, and they shook hands. Getting up from our seats, she commented: “It’s good to talk it through!” And a gentleness filled the room. The kingdom of God come near!

On our way back from Holden Village, the group of soul journeyers, including myself, were in the tiny Wenatchee, Washington airport. We had just gone through security and were waiting to board at gate #2. Eartha, one of our group members, came and told me that a woman, I’ll call her Susan, also waiting at gate #2 had seen Eartha’s tee shirt that read “Grace Lutheran Church Soul Journey 2022.” Susan had approached Eartha to say that she had been baptized at Grace Lutheran Church in Wenatchee. We had actually stayed overnight at Grace Lutheran Church in Wenatchee, and Eartha is amazing in her ability to connect with strangers. So of course friendly conversation ensued. Later when Eartha came up to me, she shared that Susan was nervous about flying and suggested that we go over and offer to pray with her. So we did. Susan was, indeed, nervous, quite nervous about flying, we learned. Listening to her share, we also met her son and learned about her life. She didn’t want to pray then and there, but when we told her we would be on the same flight and assured her we would keep her in prayers on this and her next flight to Anchorage, she beamed and, with deep relief in her voice, thanked us. The kingdom of God come near!

It occurs to me that the kingdom of God comes near most often when I listen, when I don’t open my mouth, when I keep myself from making everything about me. At the same time, especially this week, I am not pleased with the unjust systems of our world, and the only way our systems will change is if we speak and act for the common good—and not simply listen. I’m not quite sure how to reconcile that. But while we anticipate the fullness of God’s kingdom breaking forth, it breaks open among us in glimpses of light, in moments of gentleness. While God’s kingdom will certainly come in all grandeur one day, the kingdom of God isn’t always grand. Sometimes, it’s quiet. Sometimes, it’s gentle. Sometimes, it’s behind the scenes.

The seventy whom Jesus sent out—some of them went to towns where they were rejected. Like us, ancient Jesus-followers lived with conflict and division and injustice. Regardless of where they went or who they met, Jesus commanded them to come and go with a message of peace and the kingdom of God come near. The way they came and went, the proclamation of good news regardless, the message of peace indiscriminately shared, the way of being Jesus-followers, this itself revealed the kingdom of God.

In this present age, at this moment in our nation, I wonder if screaming louder, posting voluminously on social media, and even unfriending people who disagree with us—whether on Facebook or in real life, I wonder if this is what God calls us to do. I doubt it. I doubt it because, today, Jesus instructs his followers, when confronted with people who reject them, to shake the dust off their feet, to wish them peace, to proclaim the kingdom of God come near, all while armed with nothing but the clothes on their backs. Today, Jesus instructs his followers in gentleness, in a way of non-violence, love, and peace. Not everyone is going to love us. Not everyone is going to agree with us. Not everyone is going to work for the common good. But we can love them anyway, wish them peace anyway, proclaim the kingdom of God come near in their lives anyway. And when we do, there, the kingdom of God appears among us.

Dr. King once said: It is no longer a choice between violence and non violence in this world. It is non-violence or non-existence. Ironically, Dr. King, Jesus, and others who practiced non-violence were killed. It is a striking truth, that violence can be tolerated but that love is dangerous. Dr. King and Jesus, they were never going to hurt anyone, yet they were killed...because non-violence, love, peace, these are the forces that change the world. They are “soul force” as Dr. King taught. And confronted with the soul force that changes unjust systems, the people who desired the status quo ended the lives of those who practiced non-violence, love, and peace.

We, the Jesus-followers of 2022, we are gathered by Jesus and sent out to counter force with soul force, to practice non-violence and love, to proclaim peace and the kingdom of God come near. In the granular details of our lives, with strangers at grocery stores and libraries, among the Grace community, with our family, friends, and co-workers, while advocating for systemic change that we might seek and find the common good. Then and there, the kingdom of God comes near! Thanks be to God! Amen.

Save the Date: Middle School Youth Lock-In

Middle school Lutherans: save the date!

Middle school youth will gather at Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church at 12th Street and Glendale for a lock-in on Friday, August 19, 6 pm—Saturday, August 20, 9 am led by Pastor Karn from Our Saviour’s and Pastor Sarah from Grace. Food, games, worship, Bible study, FUN! Friends are most welcome. Please save the date! More information will be coming.

Community Building Goal

During 2022, our community building goals all focus on discerning God’s call for us in the midst of the enormous change in our neighborhood, in our culture, in the church at large.

July through September, we consider this change through the lens of our fourth biblical guiding principle.

Embrace God’s challenge to love and serve others.

Scholarship Ad Hoc Committee

Grace Lutheran Church Council is exploring the establishment of a scholarship fund to support post-secondary education opportunities for Grace members continuing their education after high school. Grace members interested in drafting the policy, the guidelines for awarding the policy, and developing a funding plan to support the scholarship fund, are welcome to serve on an Ad Hoc Committee with Council members Shelia Petry and Donna Martin. The goal is to present the Committee’s work to the congregation in time for consideration at the January 2023 Annual Meeting. Ad Hoc Committee members are expected to participate in 3-5 VIRTUAL hour-long meetings between July 20-September 30, 2022. The next committee meeting is Thursday, September 15, 2022 from 6:00-7:00 pm via Zoom. Contact Donna Martin or Shelia Petry if you are interested.

PhLY Gives Back

PhLY gives back on Saturday, August 6 from 7:00 pm to 8:45 pm at Feed My Starving Children located at 1345 S Alma School Road, in Mesa. If you have never participated in a Feed My Starving Children Packing Session, it is a high energy, great time spent with friends, making a difference on a global level. We have 25 spots reserved so make reservations now to be part of this exciting event by registering at https://www.fmsc.org/join-group?joincode=WXG21L. PhLY stands for Phoenix area Lutheran Youth, so all high school students are welcome!

Preparing for your Funeral

We are honored when members and friends of Grace decide to hold funeral or memorial worship services at Grace. This is one way we can be community for each other—at a very difficult time. Preparing for your funeral or memorial worship ahead of time can be helpful for your family and church family so that we can honor your wishes. If you would like to indicate your preferences for your funeral or memorial worship, you may download the form from the Grace website (Worship — Grace Lutheran Church (graceinthecity.com) or request a copy from the church office (officemanager@graceinthecity.com). If you are looking for the form on the website, scroll all the way to the bottom of the Worship page under “Special Services.”