Sermon for May 29, 2016: To KNOW and TO GROW

The following sermon was preached by Rev. Mark T. Peterson, on May 29, 2016, at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Holliston, MA. It is the first sermon in a 6 week series on Galatians, entitled TO KNOW, and TO GROW. I will be making references to a document I produced, of the same name, and that is pictured within this post. 

Galatians 1:1-12

¹Paul an apostle—sent neither by human commission nor from human authorities, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father, who raised him from the dead—²and all the members of God’s family who are with me,
  To the churches of Galatia:
  ³Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ, ⁴who gave himself for our sins to set us free from the present evil age, according to the will of our God and Father, ⁵to whom be the glory forever and ever. Amen.

  ⁶I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—⁷not that there is another gospel, but there are some who are confusing you and want to pervert the gospel of Christ. ⁸But even if we or an angel from heaven should proclaim to you a gospel contrary to what we proclaimed to you, let that one be accursed! ⁹As we have said before, so now I repeat, if anyone proclaims to you a gospel contrary to what you received, let that one be accursed!
  ¹⁰Am I now seeking human approval, or God’s approval? Or am I trying to please people? If I were still pleasing people, I would not be a servant of Christ.

  ¹¹For I want you to know, brothers and sisters, that the gospel that was proclaimed by me is not of human origin; ¹²for I did not receive it from a human source, nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ,

I have a new intro today, not really mine I guess, but one I copied, or plagiarized from Paul...but being as he hasn't been around for 2000 years, I think I'm ok. Paul wrote this, as the greeting to Galatians, and he writes similar things in his other letters in the Bible.

Today, we read from Galatians and we will continue reading from it over the course of the next six weeks. For a little background, Paul wrote this letter to the churches of Galatia thousands of years ago. These churches were ones that he had played a role in starting quite a few years before with his message of the Gospel. A message about Jesus Christ and a message that the Bible tells us Paul himself received directly from Jesus. As the story goes, Jesus, who has been raised from the dead and is living encounters Saul with a blinding light, knocks him off of his horse, and tells him to change his name to Paul. Jesus also gives Paul the good news, the saving news about himself, and Paul, an apostle, shared that news with others, like the Galatians.

It had been some years since the Holy Spirit, through the work of Paul, had formed the church in Galatia, and now Paul felt the need to write to them. It seems that Paul's Gospel message, the message of Jesus Christ himself, had gotten a little twisted. So Paul, writes the Galatians a letter, and he writes to them about what they are "TO KNOW" and how they are "TO GROW". 

Paul's themes; TO KNOW and TO GROW, also fits nicely with my own document, my pastoral vision that I call, "TO KNOW and TO GROW", which you all have a copy of. 

Paul wanted the people of Galatia TO KNOW, that they were the Holy People of God, and TO KNOW how they got that way....

Paul also wanted the people of Galatia TO GROW in what it meant to have that holy identity, as the People of God. 

Today, in a different time and place, we are no more or no less the People of God as the Galatians were, and therefore Paul's letter speaks to us as well. We are called TO KNOW and TO GROW.

The first thing that Paul emphasizes, the first thing TO KNOW, is that this Gospel of Jesus Christ didn't come to him from human hands, or human councils, it came to him directly from Christ, and most importantly, this message is not about Paul, but all about Jesus Christ. The message is about God, not about Paul. Paul goes to great lengths to emphasize this. 

This is what we are TO KNOW, even today, that Paul's message, that has been passed on for over 2000 years does not come to us by the power of humans, but by the power of the Holy Spirit. This is a message, a Gospel, about Jesus Christ, that has continued to reveal his presence to humans, right up to, and including today. Though Paul writes the letter, it is the work and Word of God. 

TO KNOW: The Gospel comes to us from Jesus Christ, is about Jesus Christ, and reveals to us Jesus Christ.

The second thing that we are called TO KNOW, is that Jesus Christ came to Paul, he came to this world, he comes to us in this Gospel message for a reason! Paul writes "Grace to you and peace, from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who gave himself for our sins to set us free from the present evil age." Jesus is here with us, because he is doing something for us. He is saving us from our sin and freeing us from this evil age. 

We might not like to talk about sin, thinking that this type of language is a thing of the past, or that if we just ignore sin it will go away. But, our whole reason for needing salvation (from Jesus) is the fact of sin in our lives and world. I like to say that, "The Good News about the Church is that we have a savior. The bad news about the Church is that we really need one."  Jesus Christ is here doing something, and doing something about sin.

The sin that Jesus is doing something about, affects us all, no matter if it is our own sin or the sin of someone else. Sin's effects are apparent through all times and places, and we are confronted with its devastating results as we are about to observe Memorial Day. In our observance, we are marked by the markers of those who have lost their lives in service to our country, as a result of being put into violent situations. As we mark generations of those men and women who have died, we see the continual consequences of war; death, destruction; pain, and loss. Setting aside the issue of being right or wrong, in these losses, no matter who we are, or what times and places we have lived in, WE KNOW that war touches us. WE KNOW that this violence, this sin, leaves its mark, and darkens the lives of us all. Worst of all, WE KNOW that we will join with the mass of humanity that has gone before us, and continue to pass our sin on to the coming generations.

In our memorials, we remember. We remember the role of sin in our lives, whether we choose to acknowledge or not. Truly, sin is at work in our lives, and we don't have to dig hard to see that. Recently, there were bomb threats made towards schools in this area. These threats, thankfully, were unsubstantiated, but that didn't stop them from having an effect on teachers, staff, parents, and even young students; causing fear, stress, and anxiety. This sinful act causes us to wonder; what would happen if the threats were true? and what type of person would do something like that? When these thoughts enter into our lives, they become a part of our very being, causing us to be more afraid of others. These thoughts can cause us to turn inward, looking more and more upon ourselves, and our own protection, security, needs, and desires, and captivating us in fear, so that we forget about our neighbor. Sin, works its way into our lives, and then holds us captive to our own selfishness, however that manifests itself. 

The GOOD NEWS, what God, through people like Paul, so wants us...

TO KNOW: The Gospel comes to us from Jesus Christ, is about Jesus Christ, and reveals to us Jesus Christ.

TO KNOW: Jesus Christ has come to us to give himself for our sins, and to free us from this evil age. 

In my document, "TO KNOW and TO GROW" there is a focus on my calling to preside at worship, because it is in our worship, in our gathering, where God speaks to us the Gospel message that God wants us TO KNOW. As we read Galatians together today, we remember that 2000 years ago the people of Galatia didn't read this alone, in their homes. Rather, they gathered together to hear it, and to be formed by it. The Holy Spirit continues to call us together, into worship, so that we, like the Galatians, KNOW that Jesus Christ has come to give himself for our sins, and KNOW that Jesus does this work in grace and peace. 

The Holy Spirit calls us together in worship so that we can hear God speak to us about the grace of Christ in ways that go beyond words. God speaks to us in water that is splashed upon us, so that we KNOW that we have been made Children of God, so that we KNOW that God has claimed us as his beloved. God speaks to us in the bread and wine that we take and eat the body and blood of Jesus Christ, given for us, for the forgiveness of our sin, for the forgiveness of the sin of the world, so that we KNOW that nothing we do can separate us from the love and life of God.

The Holy Spirit gathers us in worship TO KNOW this promise of God, to experience this promise together, and then....the Holy Spirit empowers us TO GROW in being people of this promise. When we KNOW of God's love, it transforms us, so that we may GROW in our own love for God, and love of all whom God has made.

The Holy Spirit gathers us in worship to be formed, TO GROW, in our holy identity, and the Holy Spirit gives to us many spiritual gifts and practices to help us grow, and for today, our growth comes from focusing on a question Paul posed to the Galatians, "Am I now seeking human approval, or God's approval? Or am I trying to please people?"

KNOWING the Gospel of Jesus Christ. KNOWING the grace it gives to us and KNOWING that it is ours forever, we are given the freedom to ask this question of ourselves, "Are we seeking human approval or God's approval?", and simply in our self-examination, we begin TO GROW in our trust for God, our love for God, and our life together in God. 

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Amen

TO KNOW: The Gospel comes to us from Jesus Christ, is about Jesus Christ, and reveals to us Jesus Christ.

TO KNOW: Jesus Christ has come to us to give himself for our sins, and to free us from this evil age. 

TO GROW: "Am I now seeking human approval, or God's approval? Or am I trying to please people?"

Sermon for April 10, 2016: Coffee with Jesus

This sermon was preached by Rev. Mark T. Peterson at Christ the King Lutheran Church, Holliston, MA on April 10, 2016.

John 21:1-19

1After [he appeared to his followers in Jerusalem,] Jesus showed himself again to the disciples by the Sea of Tiberias; and he showed himself in this way. 2Gathered there together were Simon Peter, Thomas called the Twin, Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, the sons of Zebedee, and two others of his disciples. 3Simon Peter said to them, “I am going fishing.” They said to him, “We will go with you.” They went out and got into the boat, but that night they caught nothing.
  4Just after daybreak, Jesus stood on the beach; but the disciples did not know that it was Jesus. 5Jesus said to them, “Children, you have no fish, have you?” They answered him, “No.” 6He said to them, “Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some.” So they cast it, and now they were not able to haul it in because there were so many fish. 7That disciple whom Jesus loved said to Peter, “It is the Lord!” When Simon Peter heard that it was the Lord, he put on some clothes, for he was naked, and jumped into the sea. 8But the other disciples came in the boat, dragging the net full of fish, for they were not far from the land, only about a hundred yards off.
  9When they had gone ashore, they saw a charcoal fire there, with fish on it, and bread.10Jesus said to them, “Bring some of the fish that you have just caught.” 11So Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn. 12Jesus said to them, “Come and have breakfast.” Now none of the disciples dared to ask him, “Who are you?” because they knew it was the Lord. 13Jesus came and took the bread and gave it to them, and did the same with the fish. 14This was now the third time that Jesus appeared to the disciples after he was raised from the dead.

  15When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my lambs.” 16A second time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Tend my sheep.” 17He said to him the third time, “Simon son of John, do you love me?” Peter felt hurt because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” And he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep. 18Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and to go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.” 19(He said this to indicate the kind of death by which he would glorify God.) After this he said to him, “Follow me.”

Lenten Hope, X-Men Hope

Continuing on the theme of hope from last weeks blog post, I wanted to write something more about the kind of hope that Christ gives to us, and enables us to give to one another, using one of my favorite super-heroes, Charles Xavier, a.k.a. Professor X, to do so. 

Charles gives a wonderful vision of hope in the movie, X-Men, Days of Future Past, which tells the story of mutants who work together across time, with the goal of changing the past, in order to save the future. In a moment of desperation, Charles, who has the power of telekinesis, visits his future self (Professor X)

Charles: I'm not the man I was. I open my mind up and it almost overwhelms me.

Professor X: You're afraid. And Cerebro knows it.

Charles: All those voices…so much…pain.

Professor X: It's not their pain you're afraid of. It's yours, Charles. And as frightening as it can be, that pain will make you stronger. If you allow yourself to feel it, embrace it, it will make you more powerful than you ever imagined. It's the greatest gift we have: to bear their pain without breaking. And it comes from the most human part of us: hope

That last line of dialogue is also the truth of our lives, and the pain that is present in our lives is ultimately a gift, and not a curse. The emotional pain that we suffer, helps us to know that both ourselves and others matter. When someone is suffering, or even dies, we ache emotionally because we care about them. When we ourselves are hurting, it is our minds telling us that we are deserving of love, care, and comfort. If someone hurts us, or hurts others, our emotional response tells us that this behavior isn't right. Just as our physical bodies experience pain, to tell us something isn't right with them, our emotional side does as well. We are often able to treat our physical pain, so that we can do the things with our bodies that we want to do, thus it can be a gift to us. The same is true of our emotional selves, but we often times leave that side of things untreated, and it ultimately hinders our wholeness of health, just as a sprained ankle hinders our ability to walk. 

When our emotional pain goes untreated, it doesn't just go away, it hides itself deep in our subconscious. Over time, the world, and all the pain that is in it can seem overwhelming, and we build up an immunity to the world by losing our ability to care, to feel useful, and to have any sort of hope for it. In order to keep from feeling our own pain, we retreat into self-made cocoons of frivolities, busyness, cynicism, and addiction, and creation becomes more disconnected, despairing, and cruel.  It is true that hurting people hurt people, and on a global level, a hurting world hurts itself. 

In the movie, it was Charles who confronted his own pain, and allowed himself to feel it, so that he could use his superpowers for good, and bring hope to the situation. For us, non-mutants, this confrontation with our own pain, and the pain of the world is too tall of an order for us. Thankfully, we have a Savior, who is both human and God, whose pain, bore out of unimaginable love, have given to us salvation and hope. 

By the grace of Christ, we can embrace the pain in our lives, knowing that our God feels that pain with us, and is with us in it. What is so amazing, is that with Christ, as we embrace and feel our own pain, our cocoon starts to become stripped away, and we are able to bear the pain of others, and give them hope, the hope of Jesus Christ. 

Sermon for February 16, 2016: Thirteen Pounds of Temptation

This sermon was preached by Pastor Mark T. Peterson at Christ the King Lutheran Church in Holliston, MA on the 1st Sunday in Lent, February 16, 2016. 

Luke 4:1-13

1Jesus, full of the Holy Spirit, returned from the Jordan and was led by the Spirit in the wilderness, 2where for forty days he was tempted by the devil. He ate nothing at all during those days, and when they were over, he was famished. 3The devil said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command this stone to become a loaf of bread.” 4Jesus answered him, “It is written, ‘One does not live by bread alone.’ ”
  5Then the devil led him up and showed him in an instant all the kingdoms of the world.6And the devil said to him, “To you I will give their glory and all this authority; for it has been given over to me, and I give it to anyone I please. 7If you, then, will worship me, it will all be yours.” 8Jesus answered him, “It is written,
 ‘Worship the Lord your God,
  and serve only him.’ ”
  9Then the devil took him to Jerusalem, and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down from here, 10for it is written,
 ‘He will command his angels concerning you,
  to protect you,’
11and
 ‘On their hands they will bear you up,
  so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’ ”
12Jesus answered him, “It is said, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ” 13When the devil had finished every test, he departed from him until an opportune time.

Sermon for June 28, 2015: Repent, the Room's Only Half-Painted

This sermon was preached by Rev. Mark Peterson at Christ the King Lutheran church on Sunday, June 28, 2015. Our service was one of Repentance and Mourning, in the wake of the killing of 9 people at Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, SC on June 17, 2015.

Matthew 5:1-10

When Jesus saw the crowds, he went up the mountain; and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. ²Then he began to speak, and taught them, saying:
³"Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
⁴"Blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted.
⁵"Blessed are the meek, for they will inherit the earth.
⁶"Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they will be filled.
⁷"Blessed are the merciful, for they will receive mercy.
⁸"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God.
⁹"Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God.
¹⁰"Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

Greetings to you in the name of Jesus Christ,
I opened by reading this a letter from ELCA Presiding Bishop, Elizabeth Eaton, found here.

Rev. Elizabeth Eaton,
 Presiding Bishop of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

On Wednesday of this week, I received this email...a mass email, the Presiding Bishop doesn't just email me personally. It was an email talking about this day of Repentance and Mourning, with the above letter attached, and I opened the email, and sighed, as I thought about how we had just had a theme like that to our services at Christ the King last Sunday. A day when I shared some of my own personal connection to this tragedy, as I knew and was a friend to Rev. Clementa Pinckney in seminary. It seemed like we'd already done this, and I was thinking about being outside for the first time and joining together as One, I really didn't want to do this today.

But, we are a people Chosen to Proclaim, and part of our proclam
ation is being in unity with something greater than ourselves. Of course we are in unity with God, but a reflection of that is our unity with our fellow ELCA congregations in our synod, and across the nation. Our Presiding Bishop is our leader, and so as an expression of our unity, it is good for us to join together in this day of Repentance and Mourning, just as we'll join with the ELCA in September for God's Work, Our Hands Sunday.

In an act of civil disobedience, Bree Newsome
 takes down the Confederate Flag
that flew at the South Carolina State Capitol

And so, I was sort of over the hump of hesitancy about doing this Service of Repentance and Mourning, and then something else hit me. I was kind of shocked, by my own fearfulness and callousness, my own desire to so quickly move on, from even a tragedy that affects me, on a personal level. I thought about how, in the celebrations of these lives that were lost, as the people have really come together, especially in South Carolina where I lived for almost five years, as it looks as if a great symbol of hatred, the Confederate Flag, is finally going to be taken down. A symbol that I would see frequently, as the state capitol, was not far from the seminary. As the people came together this past week, it seemed as if the work around racism was going to be finally accomplished. But throughout this great coming together, there has been a constant drumbeat that the work is not over, our problems aren't solved, and that coming together over this tragedy and a renewed focus to ridding ourselves of racism and racist symbols is wonderful, but this work needs to continue. 

So, I was a little shocked, when I heard those messages of the work needing to continue and agreeing with them, and then found myself thinking, "well, we don't really need to do that here in Holliston. Here at Christ the King." I was shocked by my own response, and it really speaks for itself. It speaks to our need to continue to remember, to continue to do the hard work of self-examination, about where we are in error in this country, and our own contributions to that error. Also, to examine just how in our day to day lives and goings-on, we contribute to a system that has not been founded on equality. The work needs to continue.

In thinking about this issue of race, I thought about what happened just a little before my time. It seems to me, that we as a society in general feel as if we've settled these issues over race, with things like the passage of the Civil Rights act, the marches that took place, and the movement as a whole. We feel that racial discrimination is a thing of the past because we've outlawed it in this country. The work though, is not complete.

The way we've dealt with race issues in this nation, is as if we were re-painting a room. While, it seems like the majority of the work is basically over, because we've gotten the main walls painted, and the room does look a lot different, there's more to do. There's now taking care of touching up some of the little areas, doing the trim work, and cleaning-up. The parts of painting that are real tedious, and take much longer than we think, or maybe that's just me, as I never seem to give enough time to complete any task. It seems like these things are just small potatoes, in the large body of work, and no one is real eager to start on them, like perhaps they were to take care of the bigger parts, that someone notices first. Yet, until this secondary work is done, the work is not complete, and the room while looking different, still remains a mess. 

This is what our work with racial inequality is in this country. It needs to be continued, and moved forward. It hasn't been completed, and the party responsible for leading the way on the work that remains is the Church. We are called to lead this work not because it makes us feel good, or even because it's the "right thing to do". We are called to lead this work, because the completed result of this work is the vision of the Kingdom of God. A vision of a people and creation living together in peace, justice, and in love. A place, a kingdom, where no one lives in fear. Rather, a place where each person lives with an abundance, and with dignity. 

God is at this work, and God is calling us to join in this work. God is calling us to repent. To be clear,

Top row: Cynthia Hurd, Rev. Clementa Pinckney, Rev. Sharonda Coleman-Singleton 

middle row: Daniel Simmons, Rev. Depayne Middleton Doctor, Tywanza Sanders

Bottom row: Myra Thompson, Ethel Lee Lance, Susie Jackson

the repentance that God calls us to, is not necessarily to feel ashamed, or sorry; or to not be proud of who we are and how we've gotten there. The repentance God is calling us to, is to turn and look at the world and admit to ourselves that the work is not yet done, and that God is calling us to join in the work that remains.

We are called to a repentance to turn and see that our sisters and brother, who don't look like many of us, experience this world and this country in a unique way, and often, that experience is not on equal terms as us. 
We are being called to repent and join our sisters and brothers, to be peacemakers and bridge the chasm that exists between us. We are being called to bridge this chasm not by saying "come and join us", but by joining others, in their walks, in their lives, and in their perspectives; by joining others in their sorrow and grief. 

Why do we need to repent?
Not too long ago, I was given a subscription to Ancestry.com, and in doing family research, there is a good possibility that one, (that I know of anyway) of my lines was a slave owner. While this discovery wasn't a real big issue for me in this time and place, I don't even really know if it's true, and doesn't seem to have any effect on me, I then thought about something else. My reflections turned to my Great-Great-Great Grandfather, Truman Payne, who had three different wives and four different marriages. My Great-Great-Great Grandmother was Truman's second wife, and yet in Truman's obituary, she's never even mentioned. I've previously wondered how this brokenness affected the lives of my Great-Great, my Great, and even my Grandmother, and consequently, how this family history has played into my own life. 

We are much bigger than ourselves, and while much of the past that makes us up is good, there are parts that can be tough to reckon with. Yet, looking at our past helps us to better understand who we are as we examine the roll it plays in making us the people we are in the present. 
When we examine our country's past, and think and show some empathy; we empathize with those whose ancestors were bought and sold, whose grandparents knew their place in society, whose parents were told where exactly it was that they could buy a house. These are the people today, who are told to be proud of their history and culture, and yet even today, often suffer if they are too proud, if they openly display their own "blackness" too much. 

We are a part of this society, and it is time for us to repent, and continue the hard work of self-examination, and to walk with those who view society with a different lens than the one we've been given. It is time to join our sisters and brothers of color in their walks, because Jesus is walking with them. It is time to join with our sisters and brothers in their walks, because Jesus is walking with us in order that we may join in the blessing of those who are the subjects of the Beattitudes.

One final piece that I would like to share. When I was in Columbia, SC, my friend Scott and I went to one of the little neighborhood, storefront type churches that were around the seminary. We did this to complete a class assignment of going to a worship service at a congregation in another denomination. The church we went to, like many in our neighborhood, was a black church. The service was about three hours long, and we were the only people in the service who were white, and yet, I've never felt more welcomed in a house of worship, than I was that day. 

We weren't only greeted by friendly people, but by people who actually cared that we were there. People who showed us where we were in the service, helped us to understand what was going on in the service, and spoke to us after the service in a way that made us feel as if we were guests, leaving the house of friends. The welcome we received was one of true friendship, and it was and is very humbling. 

Emanuel AME Church, Charleston, SC.

So, as we as a society, as a church, as even a pastor, are in danger of moving on from such tragic events, we remember that moving on isn't the way of the Kingdom of God. Instead, it is through repentance, and transformation, and a fuller reliance on the love that has been given to us, and will continue to be given to us, that will bring about this Kingdom. 

On this day of repentance, we join in mourning over the violence and loss of life in Charleston. We join in the mourning of a broken society, and our broken communities. And in our mourning, in our dark night, we wait with hope, because we know that as the Psalm says, "Joy comes in the morning." 
We give thanks today for the witness of all, the victims, the families, and so many others involved, who have shared God's love. We ask that their witness and grace may fill our lives, so that we too may witness to the One who is Lord of all, Jesus Christ.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, 

Amen

Ask the pastor: Why do you want to be a pastor?

The first question I received in my "Ask the Pastor" box is, "Why do you want to be a pastor?"

This is a difficult response to articulate, as I'm not real sure how to describe being a pastor as something to be "wanted". At it's foundation, the role of pastor is about trying to listen to what God wants as the ultimate goal, and following where God is calling, rather than doing what I want, comes with the territory of being a pastor.

To describe being a pastor in terms of a calling as opposed to being a career objective makes for a better fit. Being a pastor is a calling, mostly because I don't get to pick and choose who I'm a pastor to. Instead, I've been called to give people the truth of God's love, grace, justice, and peace, no matter who they are, what abilities they have, who they voted for, or how much they give. God's truth is shown to us in Jesus, so ultimately my calling, is to show Jesus to others.

While being a pastor is not necessarily about what I "want", that doesn't mean that I don't find joy in my call, and that I don't like doing it. I find being a pastor a great privilege and am grateful that I'm called to serve in this way. Here's a list of some of the things that make me tick as a pastor.:

-Serving God- ultimately, having only to answer to the Truth, is very freeing for me.

-Proclaiming Good News-when you share Jesus with people, it is sharing the gift of new life in all things.

-Presiding at the Sacraments: Baptism and Communion- "You have been sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked with the Cross of Christ forever." "The body of Christ, given for you. The Blood of Christ, shed for you." Participating in these rites is a source of great joy.

-Teaching about God and our place in God's story of salvation.

-The relationships that I get to be a part of, the sacred things that people entrust to me about their lives gives me a chance to be with others during the best and worst times. But whether it is joy or sorrow, God gives me a look at the depth of compassion and love that we are made and held with, and it is beautiful. People's stories are at the end of it all, really stories about God.

-Children

-Learning more about myself and human beings as I wonder and pray with the Creator of all things.

-Being around people who are called to serve and use their gifts in many unique ways, and bless me with their lives.

-Learning to see with the eyes of Christ, and sharing this vision in a wide variety of areas, especially in the life of a congregation.

-Having many ways to be creative and try to grow in that creativity in ways that connect with others.

As a final note, I just wanted to write that my calling as a pastor is something that has been formed in me since I was born. My parents, as well as my greater family, made faith a part of our life at home; they read the Bible to us, prayed with us, brought us to worship and Sunday School, shared fellowship with others in our congregation, hosted refugees from Central America, loved us, expected kindness and nurtured this formation throughout the years. Faith; a relationship with God through Christ's church and a relationship with all of creation through Christ's love is a part of who I am. Through this faith, given to me and sustained in me by the work of God and so many others, I have the honor, the very humbling honor, of being called as a pastor.

Sermon for May 17, 2015: Birthday Party Testimony

This sermon was preached by Rev. Mark Peterson at Christ the King Lutheran church on Sunday, May 17, 2015.

Second Reading: 1 John 5:9–13

⁹If we receive human testimony, the testimony of God is greater; for this is the testimony of God that he has testified to his Son.  ¹⁰Those who believe in the Son of God have the testimony in their hearts. Those who do not believe in God have made him a liar by not believing in the testimony that God has given concerning his Son.  ¹¹And this is the testimony: God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.  ¹²Whoever has the Son has life; whoever does not have the Son of God does not have life.

             ¹³I write these things to you who believe in the name of the Son of God, so that you may know that you have eternal life.

Greetings to you in the name of Jesus Christ,

This morning, our reading from 1 John talks about testimony. Now, if one wants to find an example of testimony, they need go no further, than a 4-year old, giving testimony about how great birthday parties are. I’m not sure if this is universal, but I do know that my 4-year old, Charlie, is so into birthday parties, that he’s been planning his for about the last 7 months, and we still have about 5 months to go.

The plan has been revised over time, which is good, because at one point our house was going to be a Batcave, with Charlie reassuring me that we didn’t have to paint the whole house to make this happen, just some of it.

Young children sure know how to give testimony to how great a birthday is, and it is wonderful that we get to partner with Ascentria Care Alliance, to help give children in the Intensive Foster Care Program a birthday party. I hope that these children share in the same enthusiasm and anticipation as Charlie does for his birthday party. I hope that their birthday party testimonials are filled with imagination and wonder.

When Candace Cramer, from Ascentria, approached me about being a part of their 50 days of Easter campaign, I looked at our calendar, and thought about all that we have going on, and I was a little apprehensive. Thankfully, our Community Outreach Board and Christian Education Coach coordinated things and we were able to be a part of it. This morning, we will send those bags off with a great deal of love and joy, and I’m very thankful that we have gotten to be a part of things in this way.

As a human, this project, and our relationship with Ascentria is a great testimony for our congregation. We can tell people all about the great work that we are doing at Christ the King, and all the ways that we help people in need. Maybe, thinking of this from a human point of view, our work will inspire people to come and join us, so that we can do even greater things together. This project gives us a testimonial to reach out to a people who might be seeking a church that does these types of outreach projects. I do know, for example, that our involvement with Family Promise Metrowest has brought in some people, and most importantly, brought them for for the sake of a great cause, helping to house the homeless.

This is indeed, my human testimony. And when I say that the things our congregation does, the outreach ministries we are involved in are outstanding, I mean it, and giving our testimony about what we do is an important part of who we are. There is a problem though, my testimony is only human. Even if I give my testimony with the enthusiasm of a 4-year old talking about birthday parties, it is still, limited testimony.

To bring it back to that birthday-party testimony. In my experience, what makes birthday parties wonderful aren’t really the things that 4-year olds have in mind. Sure, a good theme, decorations, cake, and presents can be a part of a great party, but there is no thing or experience that you can give to a child that is melt-down proof. What really makes a birthday party worthy of such a testimony, are the relationships the child has, and the feeling of people celebrating with you, because they care about you. The type of relationships that aren’t always so readily available in the lives of foster children.

As we send these bags off this morning, if our testimony is only concerned with telling our story about the great work we’ve done, then like all human endeavors, what we’ve done becomes pretty insignificant. Without loving relationships, without people celebrating with you because they care about you, we could throw a birthday party for these kids in the actual Batcave with unlimited Batmobile rides and it would still fall short of giving them what they really need, which is love and nurturing.

Christ the King prepared birthdays in a bag, and they are packed
and ready to go to the children in Ascentria Care Alliance's
 Intensive Foster Care Program

Thankfully, we aren’t giving these bags to those children so that they receive our own, human testimony, nor are we doing this so that everyone who follows are facebook page will receive a testimony about how great we are. Rather, the testimony that we are sharing is much greater than us, it is the testimony of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.

The testimony of Christ testifies that continues to call us into relationship with God and with each other. The testimony that calls us to love the sisters and brothers God has given to us. That calls us to love God’s children, as our own children, no matter who they are.

And, even though we fall short even in that regard, this is the testimony that saves us with a life poured out on the cross and that is given to us in all times and places through the power of Christ’s resurrection and ascension. The testimony of a love which knows no boundaries and a life given to save a world so broken, it would even have a need for foster programs in the first place.

This is the testimony, the testimony of Jesus Christ, that we are sharing with those children, and the testimony they are sharing with us. It is a testimony of love, and we send these bags on to those children because we do love them. And we join in the work of Ascentria, because this partnership helps us to share this loving testimony in ways that we aren’t able. And most of all, by this testimony, we remember how short our own love and actions can fall and fail, and in doing so, we hear the testimony of Christ, saying to us, “This is my body, given for you. This is my blood, shed for you.”

May we grasp hold of this testimony, and know that though our life is short and our love limited, we will never be without Christ’s eternal life. And may we grow in our trust of this promise, so that we may live in the joy of sharing this love, and rise together, with all of our fellow sisters and brothers in the resurrection of Christ.

In the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit,

Amen