"You open wide your hand . . ."

Thursday, July 31

Scripture

You open wide your hand and satisfy the desire of every living thing. (Psalm 145:16)

Reflection

This verse serves as the appointed antiphon (refrain) for our psalm this coming Sunday. (Three years ago while at Camp Vermilion with some of our high school youth, I composed a musical setting of this verse that we will sing again on Sunday.) The context of “satisfy the desire” is God’s intention that all would have enough.

I think of the motto of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA): “God’s Work. Our Hands.” I wonder if, in order for God’s hands to open, our hands also need to open.

Prayer

Gracious God, Open our hands that you might do your work through us. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

"Come, buy wine and milk without money . . ."

Wednesday, July 30

Scripture

Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to the waters; and you that have no money, come, buy and eat! Come, buy wine and milk without money and without price. (Isaiah 55:1)

Reflection

Some of our high school youth recently traveled to Chanhassen for a mission trip to “Feed My Starving Children,” an organization started in the Cities with the aim to address global childhood hunger (see the August Messenger newsletter coming at the end of this week). How is it that so many have so much while many others have so little?

Our passage from the prophet is an invitation for all of God’s children who are hungry, not just those of us who have enough. I expect the prophet’s words might sound very different to hungry children in Nicaragua, where the packets of nutritious food we prepared for “Feed My Starving Children” were sent, than they might sound to us who are well fed.

Prayer

Gracious God, You desire that all of your children might be fed. Open our hearts to participate in the desire of your heart. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Commemoration King Olaf of Norway

Tuesday, July 29

Commemoration

Olaf, King of Norway, Martyr, d. 1030

Reflection

Olaf, after whom St. Olaf College is named, learned to do battle in Viking raids led by his foster father King Sigurd Syr of Ringerike (his biological father died before Olaf was born). While on an expedition to France and Spain, legend has it that Olaf had a vision in which a powerful figure announced, “. . . you shall be known as the eternal king of Norway.” He returned to Norway in 1015 after his confirmation in Christianity with the intention of establishing Christianity throughout Norway, ironically through violence. After gathering support and through many battles, he was recognized as king in 1019 and in the next years was determined to uproot the last vestiges of paganism. Olaf gave the church of Norway a code of laws in the Norwegian language and revised the civil laws of the nation, known as the “Laws of St. Olaf,” which he administered impartially, to the anger of the aristocracy. In 1028 powerful King Knut of Denmark and Britain joined forces with the king of Sweden to attack Olaf, who fled to Russia. He returned from exile in 1030 and attempted to regain his kingdom, but he was killed in the battle of Stiklestad, north of Trondheim, on July 29. The stunning Gothic cathedral of Nidaros in Trondheim is built over his burial site.

Prayer

Gracious God, You raised up your servant, Olaf, to bring Christianity to Norway and to establish and administer laws with impartiality. Embolden all leaders with the same courage and impartiality, as we acknowledge that you are Judge of all. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

"The Kingdom of Heaven Is Like . . ."

THE SEVENTH SUNDAY AFTER PENTECOST

Year A, Lectionary 17

July 27, 2014

Romans 8:26-39

Matthew 13:31-33, 44-52

Pastor David Tryggestad

Concordia Evangelical Lutheran Church

Duluth, Minnesota

The kingdom of heaven is not for a future time only; it is a present reality.

Our Gospel for today continues Jesus’ string of parables about the kingdom of heaven. Two weeks ago we heard the parable of the sower: “Listen! A sower went out to sow.” The sower sowed seed on various kinds of soil. Last Sunday the parable of the wheat and the weeds: “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to someone who sowed good seed in his field; but while everybody was asleep, an enemy came and sowed weeds among he wheat . . .”

Today Jesus expands the images of the kingdom of heaven beyond agricultural ones: “The kingdom of heaven is like at mustard seed . . . the kingdom of heaven is like yeast . . . the kingdom of heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field . . . the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls . . . the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea . . .”

What are some themes or conclusions we can draw from these sayings?

I’d like to suggest some places to start the conversation.

The kingdom of heaven permeates ordinary, everyday stuff of life. The kingdom of heaven grows and expands imperceptibly. The kingdom of heaven produces a harvest. The kingdom of heaven exists in the midst of weeds; it includes fish of every kind. The kingdom of heaven is worth everything we have. The kingdom of heaven is hidden.

The kingdom of heaven permeates ordinary, everyday stuff of life. Jesus speaks of everyday, down-to-earth images and experiences. His audience knows about seeds and weeds, and nets and fish. His audience knows about yeast and bread. His audience knows about workers in a field stumbling across something of value; his audience knows about sellers scouring through rummage sales and antique stores looking for something of great price. The kingdom of heaven permeates ordinary, everyday stuff of life.

The kingdom of heaven grows and expands imperceptibly. Jesus speaks of seeds sprouting and growing, through we can hardly understand it. Jesus speaks of the smallest of seeds growing to become the largest of shrubs, growing to become a tree. Jesus speaks of yeast mixed within measures of flour. My wife, Lynn, bakes a lot of bread. She tells me that only a small amount of yeast—about one and one-half teaspoons—can work its magic in three cups of flour. Imagine how effective the lives and witness of a handful of faithful Christians might be when mixed together with the world!

The “three measures” of flour in our Gospel would make enough bread to feed 100 people. Our grandson, Miles, works in the kitchen at Camp Vermilion this summer, and they make bread every day to feed that many. Three measures is the same amount of flour from the story in Genesis of Sarah preparing a feast for the three strangers who visited her and Abraham, the strangers turning out to be God’s very self! Imagine that God might show up under various guises adding leaven to our despairing world. The kingdom of heaven grows and expands imperceptibly.

The kingdom of heaven produces a harvest. In the parable of the sower, from two weeks ago, the seeds fall on all kinds of soil: on the path, on rocky ground, amidst thorns and thistles, and in good soil. The result is a harvest of thirty-, sixty-, a hundred-fold. A very small amount of yeast produces great quantities of bread. The kingdom of heaven produces a harvest.

The kingdom of heaven exists in the midst of weeds; it includes fish of every kind. “Pastor, I’m not sure how I should relate to my relatives, friends, and acquaintances who are not Christians. I’m not sure I should have much to do with them.” It’s a question and comment I hear often. I was asked a version of it again this past week when someone approached me unannounced in my study. I wonder if the question is not addressed in at least two ways in our Gospel for today. First, leaven must be mixed with the flour to do its work. Christians who withdraw from the world can have no positive influence on the world. Second, Jesus insists, in these parables and elsewhere, that the Church is a mixed bag: the church consists of wheat and weeds; the church has good fish and bad; the seed of God’s word falls on all kinds of soil. It’s not our job to be attaching labels to others. God will sort all of this out in the end. We would do well to attend to our own individual lives, striving to respond in obedience to God’s call and claim on our lives, striving to be “good soil,” to be yeast. The kingdom of heaven exists in the midst of weeds; it includes fish of every kind.

The kingdom of heaven is everything we have. “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field which someone found and hid; then in his joy he goes and sells all that he has and buys that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant in search of fine pearls: on finding one pearl of great value, he went and sold all that he had and bought it.” Living life here and now in the joy of God’s love is worth everything we have. One praise song puts it: “Nothing can compare to the promise I have in you.” And that promise is not only for a future life; it is for here and now. Living life here and now in the joy of God’s love affects everything we do and every decision we make. The kingdom of heaven is everything we have.

The kingdom of heaven is hidden. It is like the smallest of all seeds. It is like a tiny amount of yeast working unperceived in the midst of measures of flour. It is a treasure hidden in a field. It is a pearl of such value that the merchant searches unceasingly to find it.

The kingdom of heaven is hidden in the midst of not only the ordinary, everyday stuff of life; the kingdom of heaven is hidden and almost obscured in the midst of the suffering and brokenness of life.

Lynn and I attended the Bluegrass Festival at Camp Vermilion yesterday. Hundreds of folks from across northern Minnesota came together, in part, for the great music that included a musical group from Colorado called “Jerusalem Road.” More importantly—and this became more and more evident as the day progressed—we came together to experience the loving and blessed community of faith that is Voyageurs Lutheran Ministry. Not only did former staff come together to reunite with each other and with current staff, but the thick web of deep and meaningful relationships across generations was evident, and all were welcome! We were all made to feel a part.

It was profoundly moving to meet and talk with the parents of Libby Hill, the VLM staffer from Kansas who was tragically killed in a car accident last summer during the week of July 4. Her parents came, not with bitterness and resentment, but with love and grace. They came wanting not only to retrace Libby’s steps from last summer when they brought her here, filled with excitement and enthusiasm, but also to share in a glimpse of the kingdom of heaven that is at the heart of the mission and ministry of VLM.

Their daughter Libby gave everything she had—her very life—to share in that glimpse of the kingdom of heaven, and they wanted to share that which Libby had shared  and to share with the other staff members, especially with those who were on staff with Libby last summer. One of those is Jonathan Vickers from London, who almost lost his life in that accident and who returned for the third summer in a row. Jon also has experienced that same glimpse into the kingdom of heaven that is VLM.

The Apostle Paul tells us in our Second Reading that the “Spirit helps us in our weakness; for we do not know how to pray as we ought, but that very Spirit intercedes with sighs too deep for words” (Romans 8:26). It is especially in those times when the kingdom of heaven is hidden and seems to be not only obscured but obliterated, when we do not know how to pray, that the Spirit intercedes for us. No doubt Libby’s parents did not know how to pray in receiving the news of their daughter’s death, as the Spirit interceded on their behalf with sighs too deep for words. No doubt Jonathan’s parents and brother and sister did not know how to pray as they took the first flight they could from London, not knowing whether they would find their son and brother alive or dead when they got here, as the Spirit interceded on their behalf with sighs too deep for words.

The Good News is that the kingdom of heaven is in our midst as a present reality, even in its hiddenness, bringing forth an abundant harvest of love and joy. The Good News is that, in this kingdom of heaven, both here and now and in eternity to come, nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus!

Thanks be to God!

Commemorations Bach, Schűtz, and Handel

Monday, July 28

Commemorations

Johann Sebastian Bach, died 1750; Heinrich Schűtz, d. 1672; George Frederick Handel, d. 1759; Musicians

Reflection

Known as “the fifth evangelist,” J.S. Bach composed hundreds of organ and choral works for the church, in addition to hundreds of instrumental pieces. His choral works include almost 200 cantatas based on German hymns, according to the Church Year. Bach considered all of his music to be in the service of God, and his manuscripts often conclude with the motto, Soli Deo Gloria (“To God Alone Be the Glory”).

Heinrich Schűtz was born 100 years before Bach and was Germany’s greatest composer before him. He composed melodies and simple, four-part harmonizations for the psalms, a project which comforted him in the untimely death of his wife. His studies in Italy influenced his music, and he served in various capacities in Germany and Copenhagen.

George Frederick Handel was born less than a month before Bach and within a two-hour drive (according to Map Quest)! Yet the two never met and their lives took them far apart, Handel living most of his adult life in London. He is best known today for his beloved oratorio Messiah. While Bach was buried without ceremony, 3000 mourned Handel at Westminster Abbey.

Prayer

God of glory, You gave to your servants Bach, Schűtz, and Handel great and abundant gifts to proclaim your glory and to give us a glimpse of your beauty. Be present with your servants who seek through music to inspire the praises offered by your people. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Commemoration July 6: Jan Hus, Martyr, 1415

Commemoration July 6

Jan Hus, Martyr, d. 1415

Reflection

Jan Hus (anglicized as John Huss) was a Bohemian priest who spoke against abuses in the church of his day in many of the same ways Martin Luther would a century later. He insisted on preaching in the vernacular in worship and railed against the luxury of the church hierarchy. He spoke against the withholding of the wine at the Lord’s Supper, and because of this stance was excommunicated, not for heresy but for insubordination toward his archbishop. He preached against the selling of indulgences and was particularly incensed by the indulgence trade of two rival claimants to the papacy who were raising money for war against each other. He was found guilty of heresy by the  Council of Constance and burned at the stake. The earth from around the spot where he was burned was dug up and removed so his ashes could not be gathered and preserved as relics by his followers, who were known as the Czech Brethren and eventually  continued as the Moravian Church.

Prayer

Lord God, We give you thanks for the life and witness of your servant, Jan Hus. Where your Church is in error, correct it. Where it is floundering, lead and guide it. Empower us to be bold witnesses of your love for the world. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

"Come Unto Him"

Friday, July 4, 2014

Scripture

“Come to me, all you that are weary and are carrying heavy burdens, and I will give you rest.” (Matthew 11:28)

Reflection

If I was hearing the beautiful voice of Alice Pierce sing “Rejoice Greatly, O Daughter of Zion!” from Handel’s Messiah on Monday, today I’m hearing my wife, Lynn, sing another aria from that same oratorio: “Come Unto Him, All Yea That Labor,” which I heard her sing for the first time when she was a soloist at Luther College in 1969 for the annual performance of Messiah. She was so excited to learn that she had been selected for this performance that she fell down the stairs and broke her foot! My roommate and I, who happened to see her fall, carried her to the health service (little did I know then that she would be my wife!). At the performance several weeks later, when Lynn limped up to the podium to sing her solo, her cast having just come off, her mother overheard someone near her in the audience say, “Isn’t it nice the cripple can sing!”

We all carry heavy burdens. Our Lord welcomes us to lay our burdens down and find rest in him.

Prayer

Dearest Jesus, May I find rest in you today and every day. In your name I pray. Amen.

"Wretched Man That I Am!"

Thursday, July 3, 2014

Scripture

Wretched man that I am! Who will rescue me from this body of death? (Romans 7:24)

Reflection

One of the things I especially love about the Apostle Paul is his transparency and brutal honesty. He protests: “I do not understand my own actions. For I do not do what I want, but I do the very thing I hate” (vs. 15).

Paul desires to do what our Lord would have him do, but Paul, in his “flesh,” does the opposite. If this it true for Paul, how much more is it true for us?!

Paul’s “resolution” of this inner conflict is to turn to the grace of his Lord and ours. “Thanks be to God through Jesus Christ our Lord!” (vs. 25).

Prayer

Dearest Lord Jesus, Rescue me from this body of death! In your gracious and merciful name I pray. Amen.

"What Does the Old Testament Say About God?"

Wednesday, July 2, 2014

Scripture

The Lord is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. (Psalm 145:8)

Reflection

The Old Testament year in our Confirmation curriculum asks the question, “What Does the Old Testament Say About God?” The Old Testament says many things about God. The main thing the Old Testament says about God is precisely what our psalmist says: “God is gracious and full of compassion, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love.”

Our psalmist is not alone in this pronouncement about God. This statement about God is reiterated throughout the Old Testament. It is the “lens” through which everything else the Old Testament says about God is read and interpreted.

Prayer

Gracious and compassionate God, Thank you for revealing yourself throughout Scripture as slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. Thank you, especially, for revealing yourself to us through your Son, Jesus, our Lord, in whose name we pray. Amen.

Commemorations July 1: Catherine Winkworth and John Mason Neale, Hymn Translators

July 1

Commemorations

Catherine Winkworth, d. 1878

John Mason Neale, d. 1866

Hymn Translators

Reflection

“Now Thank We All Our God,” “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty,” “In Thee Is Gladness,” “Comfort, Comfort Now My People,” “O Come, O Come, Emmanuel,” “Good Christian Friends, Rejoice,” “All Glory, Laud, and Honor,” “Come You Faithful, Raise the Strain,” “That Easter Day with Joy Was Bright,” “Christ Is Made the Sure Foundation.” If this list of hymns leaves you humming or even singing aloud, it is due to the tireless efforts of the two hymn translators we commemorate today. Without the painstaking labors of translators, hymns from across the globe, or even across the border, would remain “locked” in the language of the original author, inaccessible to other tongues.

Our Evangelical Lutheran Worship contains as many translations of Catherine Winkworth as hymns by Martin Luther. Raised in England with relatives in Germany, Winkworth was the foremost translator of post-Reformation German hymns into English. She was also a leading advocate for women’s rights. She died suddenly of a heart ailment at age 51.

John Mason Neale, a master of 20 languages, remains the most important translator of hymns and liturgies from Greek and Latin into English. Suffering most of his short life of 48 years from a lung disease which kept him from exercising his priestly duties in the Church of England, he was made warden of Sackville College, and institution for the poor. He was persecuted, and even mauled, because of his support for religious orders for women. Despite his many adversities, he gained worldwide recognition as a writer and translator.

Prayer

Lord God, Continue to empower your Church to raise up and nurture those who make accessible the rich treasures of hymns and liturgies to the world. In Jesus’ name. Amen.