Rev. Reed Lee Pedersen's
Oh, what a night! This is not about late December back in '63. This is my sermon talking about the true meaning of Christmas and what Jesus' birth tells us about who God is. In between speaking I sing one of my favorite Christmas songs, "Oh Holy Night". Please give it a watch and a listen.
God's blessings to you this Christmas! Jesus is the reason for the season!
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…[the Lord] said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is made perfect in weakness.” So, I will boast all the more gladly of my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me. Therefore I am content with weaknesses, insults, hardships, persecutions, and calamities for the sake of Christ; for whenever I am weak, then I am strong. 2 Corinthians 12:9-10 Do you ever find it hard to admit you are not good at something and/or need help from someone else? I think I can make the safe assumption that most people (myself included) fit in this category. In fact, our country is built on a resistance to being vulnerable. We live in a pick-yourself-up-by-the-bootstraps society that sees strength as overcoming our weaknesses, but we seemed to be better at hiding them instead of overcoming them. For some reason we are called to put up a perfect picture for ourselves at all times. I see this as a pastor. People don’t want to ask for help on committees. It is most noticeable in the fact that I rarely get called anymore when someone goes to the hospital. Most of the time I am called to visit someone in the hospital it is because they’ve already been put on hospice care. As for a fall or something less major, it is on the rare occasion that I am asked to come or even notified that it happened. Many times there is a façade to not tell others because one doesn’t want to be a “bother”. Others are more straight forward and do not wish other people to know their business or perhaps they don’t want the pity party coming their way. That is their right as human beings to have some privacy. My annoyance, though, as a pastor is the consistency at which people do not want help from others, not even God. We have a seldom used prayer chain at our congregation. I know I have spoken about it in other ramblings, but this offers a chance for people to pray for your well-being. This is an opportunity to have people on your side pleading to God for help of any kind. Yet, people even on their death beds sometimes refuse it as an option because they don’t want people to know they are dying until it has already happened. I still am unsure if that says more of the dying person or of the prayer chain that breeds distrust. Maybe for you it’s some help around the house or help with an errand that you want to do by yourself. The thought is that you would rather fail by yourself and not get the job done than get the task at hand done with assistance. Maybe you have an ailment that you do not wish others to know about (or you think they won’t notice). In Paul’s 2nd letter to the Corinthians we read about boasting in our weaknesses. This means that we lift up our faults because it is even more amazing that God’s grace and power can work through such imperfect beings. How are we ever going to boast of the greatness of Jesus if we are unwilling to be honest about the sinful and sloppy mediums Jesus has chosen to work through? What did Jesus die for if we are unwilling to name our faults and sins? It is true that Jesus died for us even though we are still sinners. That is the strength of grace. It is more powerful than our faults. That is why we can confess freely in church what we have done because we have faith that Jesus is more powerful than our own selfish acts. It is also true that many hands make light work. If we are to be the Body of Christ together than that means we need to be open and vulnerable to one another. We need to be open to receiving help and also vulnerable so others can pray and be with us in our dark times. It takes a good amount of strength to be vulnerable for someone and let them in. It is cowardice, not strength, that puts up a wall to the world about their health and need for help. It takes courage to work together for the task at hand and help one another. Hiding our weaknesses ensures they are never overcome. Maybe this is why Paul also wrote, “Bear one another’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” (Galatians 6:2) Too often I find people willing to help others, but unwilling to be helped by someone else. Rest assured, in this plea for confession and vulnerability I will give my own: I suck at asking for help. It is very easy to know when I need it because I will draw away from others and overuse the word ‘fine’ when talking about myself. As far as other imperfections…my main sin of choice these days is gluttony. I’ve gained 35 pounds since June, but I have been too proud to ask for help from anybody or to have anybody actually make sure I stick to a healthy lifestyle. I am telling this to you because I want to practice what I preach. I am imperfect, but God loves me anyways. Jesus died for me anyways. I hope you find this article helpful and it inspires you to lean on others and most importantly to lean on God. If you have a need or a health concern that you have not been sharing. Let it out. Remember, many hands make light work. Many hearts make light work of the burdens we have in our own lives. God bless you and keep you! God’s face shine upon you with grace and mercy. God look upon you with favor and give you peace! Points to Ponder:
Some of you may know this Seinfeld reference. A man finds George dipping a chip more than once. He yells at George, “You don’t double dip the chip! That's like putting your whole mouth in the dip!...Next time...you dip it once…and then end it!” This line of thought is the same one Lutherans and other denominations have when it comes to baptism. If you have been baptized you are good to go. No matter what denomination, person, or place your baptism occurred in, there is no need to double dip the chip. Some forms of Christianity believe you need to undergo a rebaptism since the first was done during infancy. This rambling is part one of this topic. There could be many more written (but that would involve me remember to do so!). So will there be a part two? Maybe. For now, here is part one of explaining why we do not believe in rebaptism. This is based off an emphasis on Holy Baptism being a gift of God and powered by God instead of seeing Holy Baptism as an act of commitment to God. Because we believe that God is present and main actor in Holy Baptism Lutherans baptize people usually when they are babies. This is commonly called “infant baptism”. The opposite thought waits until the child can truly claim faith and commitment to God before receiving Holy Baptism. This is called “believer’s baptism”. Lutherans would rather put their faith in the Word of God (this is the Word that created the whole world and that became flesh in the form of Jesus Christ), than put faith in our own ability to believe and trust in God. This means we would rather put our trust in the power of God and the power of Christ than in our own ability to believe strongly. Martin Luther writes, “Assume that the first baptism is without faith. Tell me which is the greater and the more important in the second baptism, the Word of God or faith? Is it not true that the Word of God is greater and more important than faith, since faith builds and is founded on the Word of God rather than God’s Word on faith? Furthermore faith may waver and change, but God’s Word remains forever [Isa. 40:6-9, 1 Pet. 1:24].”[i] Faith in God is an up and down roller coaster. I do not know about you, but I find myself sometimes doubting and sometimes truly believing. Depending on what life throws my way my faith can waver. That is why when it comes to baptism I do not question whether the person being baptized could actually believe or did believe in that moment. I do not question whether a baby can truly accept the gift of grace from God through Holy Baptism. Instead I focus on the unassailable Word of God rather than a inconsistent faith. I realize this is a nerdier version of my rambling than most, but this is important stuff. Please know that God’s power is greater than our own. Jesus’ love is greater than our faults. This is perfectly witnessed to and experienced when God empowers the water in the font to wash away the sins and welcome someone into the communion of Saints. Points to Ponder:
[i] Martin Luther, “Concerning Baptism: A Letter to Two Pastors”. Luther’s Works Vol. 40. [ii]Ibid. Do you ever wonder why we have stockings on Christmas Day? When I grew up I was told Santa Claus would not only put presents under the tree, but he was also the one filling my stockings that night with more candy than anyone needed. Of course, that candy never made it to January. It was not until I began dating my wife that I learned of something called St. Nicholas Day. St. Nicholas (270-343 A.D.) was a bishop in the early Christian Church. Legend has it that St. Nicholas came across a good man who had been squandered out of his money. He worried because he had no money to pay a dowry for his three daughters. They would not be wed, but instead they would have to become prostitutes. Nicholas was a very wealthy man, so three nights in a row he threw a bag of coins to help the man pay his daughter’s dowries. On the final night they caught Nicholas in the act and he ordered them to not tell anyone for he was not doing it for recognition. To celebrate such a man Western Christianity sprung a custom that took place on St. Nicholas’s feast day, December 6th (also my wife’s birthday!!!!). In the United States, this commonly meant putting a shoe outside one’s bedroom the night before in hopes that a few coins would be in it the next day. This later morphed into hanging a sock which would then be filled with sweets. Thanks to English and Scandinavian influence, St. Nicholas eventually became more known as Santa Claus. I think St. Nicholas teaches us a wonderful lesson in giving. Many times during this time of year we think about what we might buy others and what others might buy for us. Perhaps good ole St. Nick can inspire us to give to charity this Christmas season. Maybe he can inspire you to give not in a boastful or selfish way, but rather with a heart towards those in need. Maybe instead of that shirt you had in mind for that special someone; you give to charity in their name? “The point is this: the one who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and the one who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. Each of you must give as you have made up your mind, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” 2 Corinthians 9:6-7 Let us be givers this Christmas season and keep spreading that Christmas cheer! Points to Ponder:
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AuthorPastor Reed is a first call pastor at Augustana Lutheran Church in Andover, Illinois. Archives
July 2019
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