Transfiguration

Transfiguration by Alexander Andreyevich Ivanov, 1824

Each year, just before we begin the season of Lent, the church encounters the story of the Transfiguration of our Lord as recorded in one of the three synoptic gospels, Matthew, Mark, and Luke. (This year we hear Matthew's version, Matthew 17:1-9.)

While each of these accounts have unique features and particular emphases, they all share a common function of reminding us of Jesus’ identity just before the decent into the journey that leads to the cross on another hill outside Jerusalem. 

I suspect that it is when we are anticipating challenge, suffering, anguish, and anxiety of any sort, that we are most in need of being reminded not only of Jesus’ identity, but also of our own. When we consider our identity in the midst of difficulty and adversity, we do well to lift up our hearts and set our gaze upon the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world. 

It is a true tragedy that we are most often merely content with the definition of our lives (and our life together) as written by the fears and appetites of the world. That is, in seeking first not the Kingdom of God, but rather the security and comfort of this world, we miss out big time! In fact, we may often set off on an entirely fruitless itinerary rife with a multitude of shoots and ladders that leaves us off where we started, disoriented and afraid.

It doesn't have to be that way anymore. The lost can be found. Ours is a calling to a better way, into a fuller truth, that leads to a lasting life. The Body of Christ that is transfigured includes you and me. We are not simply spectators of God’s work. Because of our identity as Children of God, as brothers and sisters of one another in Christ, we get to be participants and co-workers in the kingdom God, here and now.

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Faith Formation Forum

A five-week series of classes exploring five faith practices 

that are grounded in our Baptismal Covenant

Begins this Sunday, March 2 at 8:45 AM

St. Luke Evangelical Lutheran Church

2695 Luther Drive

Chambersburg, Pennsylvania

717-261-1213

www.saintlukechambersburg.org

Everyday Enemies

Sometimes I wish it were easier to capture what Jesus was trying to communicate. Then again, maybe I am just complicating that which is simple and clear. For example, in the Sermon on the Mount, Jesus serves up this gem:

"You have heard that it was said, 'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, . . ." (Matthew 5:43-44) 

Really? How's that working for us?

Maybe in the private piety of personal prayer we can pull this off, but how about in the public practice of our faith in community. We pray for the sick, the mourning, the homeless, the hungry, etc. We've come to expect that. When is the last time we prayed for the villain du jour? I don't remember many benevolent prayers being offered up for Osama Bin Laden or Saddam Hussein.

Never-mind such extreme examples. How about everyday enemies? What does your grudge list look like? Who are those individuals in your life who push your buttons and activate deep-dwelling resentments? Be honest. We all have such a list. Some lists are long, others concise, yet they all contain names of people we would rather not run into on the sidewalk or at the grocery store.

It could be, however, that some of our everyday enemies are people we encounter everyday. How unfortunate and painful. That's no way to live. Maybe we wish they would go away forever either voluntarily or via targeted dispatch, dead or alive.

Whoever these everyday enemies are for you and me, our Lord Jesus says to us, "Love them, pray for them." This is not a suggestion or a recommendation.  It is no piece of advice or just simple wise counsel. Sounds like Jesus really means business.

So, what to do?

I have a hunch that probably most, if not all, of our everyday enemies are people we know personally. And we know them personally, more than likely, because we have had or do have some sort of relationship with them. By definition, then, it is a two-way street. Right? Let's be honest. I'm certainly not trying to suggest that we asked for it or are intentionally creating the conditions in which enemies are cultivated. Yet, to some extent or the other, we probably are culpable.

Take some time in the day or so ahead to read the passage from Matthew's gospel that we will explore together on Sunday morning. (Matthew 5:38-48)  It is a continuation of Jesus's Sermon on the Mount.

And, do me a favor, if you have a spare moment, e-mail me your thoughts on this. Maybe I'll reflect some of them in the sermon this week. It will be a better experience for all of us if we cooperate!  You can email directly at: cakfrye@gmail.com

Meanwhile, thanks for taking the time to read and reflect. Share this post with others . . . maybe with some of your everyday enemies. Looking forward to seeing you soon!

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Seventh Sunday after the Epiphany

February 23, 2014

Prayer of the Day

Holy God of compassion, 

you invite us into your way of forgiveness and peace.

Lead us to love our enemies, 

and transform our words and deeds 

to be like his through whom we pray, 

Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.  Amen 

Readings

Leviticus 19:1-2, 9-18

Psalm 119:33-40

1 Corinthians 3:10-11, 16-23

Matthew 5:38-48

"Yes, Yes" or "No, No"

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas . . . but since we are in the midst of the season after Epiphany, this snow seems to be overstaying its welcome. So, it's a good day to stay home. At least that's what I've convinced myself, since the alternative is not wise.

So, since we are all pretty much in the same boat (or should I say sleigh?) may I suggest that you take a few minutes and ponder the contents of this week's post below?

This coming Sunday's gospel reading continues with a portion of the sermon on the mount of Jesus in Matthew's fifth chapter. It feels like Jesus is raising expectations just out of our reach. In fact, if you take this teaching to heart, it's hard not to be overwhelmed and perhaps discouraged.

Not many of us (and I hope none of us!) are likely to murder someone in cold blood, but Jesus suggests that even being angry with one another makes us liable to judgement.  Other topics included in this passage include insult, offering, reconciliation, accusing, sin, dismemberment, adultery, swearing, etc.  Sounds like the topics of so much of our so-called entertainment these days at the box office!

See for yourself. Take some time to read, study, ponder, and reflect on Matthew 5:21-37. What do you notice in this passage about God? How might you be convicted or comforted by what Jesus says?

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FAITH FORMATION FORUM

Sundays at 8:45 AM

March 2, 9, 16, 23,  & 30

The Faith Formation Forum on Sunday mornings at 8:45 during Lent will explore the five faith practices that grow out of our baptism. The liturgy for the Affirmation of Baptism describes the faith practices in the following way:

We are to "Live among God's faithful people; hear the word of God and share in the Lord's Supper; proclaim the good news of God in Christ through word and deed; serve all people following the example of Jesus; and strive for justice and peace in all the earth.  

We will also identify the connections between these faith practices and what it means to be Ambassadors for Christ. Here is an outline of the topics included in this series of classes that will be led by Pastor Frye.

March 2

LIVE:  What does it mean to live?

March 9

HEAR & SHARE:  How do we hear and share Jesus?

March 16

PROCLAIM:  What are we saying? What’s the message?

March 23

SERVE:  What have you done for me lately?

March 30

STRIVE:  Great expectations in the face of resistance . . .

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A Reminder:

There will be an informational session immediately following worship this Sunday for the purpose of group discernment and visioning for our future journey together as God's people in this community. A review of the topics covered at the Leadership Retreat will be included along with opportunity to share where you have seen God's work being done recently. What is God calling us to be about in the years ahead?

Presentation

Rembrandt, Presentation in the Temple

Although this Sunday is the fourth one after the Epiphany, it happens also to be February 2, the day the Church observes a lesser festival called Presentation of Our Lord. The appointed gospel reading is Luke 2:22-40. As I was making preparations, I came across the following explanation. 

Forty days after the birth of Christ we mark the day Mary and Joseph presented him in the temple in accordance with Jewish law. There a prophetess named Anna began to speak of the redemption of Israel when she saw the young child. Simeon also greeted Mary and Joseph. He responded to the presence of the consolation of Israel in this child with the words of the Nunc dimittis. His song described Jesus as a "light for the nations."

Because of the link between Jesus as the light for the nations, and because an old reading for this festival contains a line from the prophet Zephaniah, "I will search Jerusalem with candles," the day is also known as Candlemas, a day when candles are blessed for the coming year.

Presentation of our Lord

Sunday, February 2, 2014

Prayer of the Day

Almighty and ever-living God, your only-begotten Son was presented this day in the temple. May we be presented to you with clean and pure hearts by the same Jesus Christ, our great high priest, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen

Readings

Malachi 3:1-4

Psalm 84

Hebrews 2:14-18

Luke 2:22-40

Light a candle and sit and listen to this setting of Simeon's song:

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A Reminder:

There will be an informational session immediately following worship this Sunday for the purpose of group discernment and visioning for our future journey together as God's people in this community. A review of the topics covered at the Leadership Retreat will be included along with opportunity to share where you have seen God's work being done recently. What is God calling us to be about in the years ahead?

Mutual Responsibility

If you are an interested inquirer or engaged member of St. Luke Lutheran Church in Chambersburg, please be aware that on Sunday, February 2 and Sunday, February 16 there will be presentations and conversation about the next steps in our journey together as the Body of Christ. Following worship on those Sunday mornings we will gather in the nave of the church to hear a review of the Leadership Retreat that was held on January 18. Everyone is welcome and indeed encouraged to come and participate in this ongoing process of discernment. This is an opportune time for us to take stock of our strengths and challenges as we consider the mission that God is already about in our midst. How are we going to be involved and engaged in what God is doing?

Below are some of the resources and scriptural passages that were considered at the Leadership Retreat last month.

The liturgy for the Affirmation of Baptism describes the faith practices that grow out of our baptism (Evangelical Lutheran Worship, page 236).

We are to "live among God's faithful people;
hear the word of God and share in the Lord's Supper;
proclaim the good news of God in Christ through word and deed;
serve all people following the example of Jesus;
and strive for justice and peace in all the earth."

These five lines will provide the framework for a five-week series of Faith Formation Forums to be held on Sunday mornings, March 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 at 8:45 AM in the fellowship hall.

The Apostle Paul's second letter to the church at Corinth has been described as a missionary manual. Too often, we think of missionaries as only those who travel great distances to reach people with the gospel. However, missionaries are not only people we sponsor and support, missionaries are who we are here, now, where we are. As we envision together how we can join with God in the work of the Kingdom, we do well to reflect on the following passage from 2 Corinthians 5:16-21:

 ¹⁶From now on, therefore, we regard no one from a human point of view; even though we once knew Christ from a human point of view, we know him no longer in that way. ¹⁷So if anyone is in Christ, there is a new creation: everything old has passed away; see, everything has become new!  

¹⁸All this is from God, who reconciled us to himself through Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation; ¹⁹that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting the message of reconciliation to us.  

²⁰So we are ambassadors for Christ, since God is making his appeal through us; we entreat you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. ²¹For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.

Look this passage up in your own bible and read it in context. How might it translate into our life together as the Body of Christ? What does it mean to consider yourself and one another as ambassadors for Christ? How does God's gift of the ministry of reconciliation clarify our common purpose?  What responsibility do we share?

Reconciliation, by Josefina de Vasconcellos, in St. Michael's Cathedral, Coventry.

Take a Walk

I went for a walk last evening after supper.  Before I left, my daughter Isabelle loaded some new music on my iPod so I would have something other than “boring” pod casts to listen to as I made my way. It was a good evening to be outside. It felt like Spring even though it was in the mid-thirties. Our new-year polar vortex re-calibrated my thermostat.

In years past I was an avid walker.  Other than yard work and occasional bursts of gym-going, intentional walking was my primary form of exercise. Recently I have felt the need to shed a bit of the holiday cookie ballast that clings so closely. So, yesterday, I decided to go for a walk. 

As it turns out, I walked to Target, stopped by the Starbucks cafe for a decaf cappuccino. I sat there and observed . . . . then noticed a group of eight women who had gathered at one end of the cafe for what turned out to be either a Bible study or book discussion. They greeted one another with hugs, laughter, and warm conversation. I quickly deduced that these fellow coffee connoisseurs were actually clandestine Christians! I wanted to join them in their fellowship. 

It occurred to me later that had these women held their book discussion in the confines and privacy of a church building, I would have never noticed their contagious, attractive and Spirit-filled fellowship (mission). 

The point of sharing this story is to say that sometimes seeing God at work in the world takes intentionality. (I’m grateful that these women let their light shine in the growing darkness of this January evening.) For sure God is at work in our midst when we gather on Sunday mornings around Word and Sacrament. However, God is not on hiatus the rest of the time. Nor should we be undetectable as God’s ambassadors for Christ.

I encourage you to take a walk sometime and see what you can see. Where is God at work in the world around you? Where do you see Jesus in others? How can you be about such a witness that reveals the contagious, attractive, and Spirit-filled light of Christ? How could we do this together as the Body of Christ?

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Prayers needed!

This Saturday morning there will be a "Leadership Retreat" at St. Luke Lutheran Church for council members, other leaders, and any interested inquirer. The purpose of this retreat is to consider our mission as the people of God in this time and place. We'll review some trends, engage in some scripture study, pray, and join in conversation. Please keep this gathering in your prayers!  And, if you would like, come and join us.  The plan is to gather together at 9:00 AM and to disperse no later than 1:00 PM.

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Second Sunday after Epiphany

January 19, 2014

Prayer of the Day

Holy God, our strength and our redeemer, 

by your Spirit hold us forever, 

that through your grace we may worship you 

and faithfully serve you, follow you and joyfully find you, 

through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.  Amen

Readings

Isaiah 49:1-7

Psalm 40:1-11

1 Corinthians 1:1-9

John 1:29-42

Consent

Baptism of Christ, Jacopo Robusti Tintoretto (c. 1585)

Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan,
to be baptized by him.
John would have prevented him, saying,
"I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?"
But Jesus answered him,
"Let it be so now;
for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness."
Then he consented.  
(Matthew 3:13-17)

In a rush to get to the action of this scene, we often miss out on the details of the prelude.  No mere filler, these verses immediately preceding the description of the baptism of Jesus are filled with wonderful details that can help us comprehend and more fully appreciate the will of God.

The first spoken words of Jesus in Matthew's gospel are included here.  

But Jesus answered him, "Let it be so now; for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness."  Then he consented. (NRSV)  

Eugene Peterson, in his transliteration of this passage in The Message, puts it this way: 

But Jesus insisted. “Do it. God’s work, putting things right all these centuries, is coming together right now in this baptism.” So John did it. (The Message)

These first words set an example for us. They demonstrate willingness. They model openness. Jesus is fully cooperating with the will of the Father, humbling himself publicly before John in the water of the Jordan.   

Then John consented. So John did it. 

John's protest was met with Jesus' pronouncement. And the result was righteousness.

In the face of God's persistent, lavish and extravagant grace for us, do we protest? Are we reluctant to cooperate with God's work? Are we willing co-laborers with God and habitations of the Holy Spirit? 

 

This Sunday the Church celebrates the Baptism of Our Lord.  Take some time before gathering for worship on Sunday to review and meditate on the readings we will hear together. And while you're at it, make some mental notes on what baptism has meant in your life. Is it just a date in your past, or does it shape and inform your daily walk into the future? When were you baptized? (What is your baptismal anniversary?)

The Baptism of Our Lord

First Sunday after the Epiphany

January 12, 2014

Prayer of the Day

O God our Father, 

at the baptism of Jesus you proclaimed him your beloved Son 

and anointed him with the Holy Spirit. 

Make all who are baptized into Christ faithful 

to their calling to be your daughters and sons, 

and empower us all with your Spirit, 

through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord, 

who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, 

one God, now and forever. Amen

Readings

Isaiah 42:1-9

Psalm 29

Acts 10: 34-43

Matthew 3:13-17