Rev. Reed Lee Pedersen's
Have you ever been told to respect your elders? Have you ever been given some sort of horror story about why it is important to respect your elders? The Bible is full of wacky and fun stories that don’t seem to make sense. I want to lift one up today about a story in the Bible that tries to teach a lesson about respecting our elders and not making fun of bald people. (I admit this article may be self serving.) Elisha, not to be confused with his mentor, Elijah (although he always is), just witnessed his mentor be carried off into heaven. Elijah, not to be confused with his understudy, Elisha (seriously it is so confusing!), actually is one of only two people who did not die. Enoch along with Elijah were instead carried off into heaven to be with God. Before Elijah is carried off to be with God he instills Elisha with power to perform miracles that God gave him. Elisha goes on and performs miracles in God’s name. Then he goes to Bethel: “[Elisha] went up from there to Bethel; and while he was going up on the way, some small boys came out of the city and jeered at him, saying, “Go away, baldhead! Go away, baldhead!” When he turned around and saw them, he cursed them in the name of the Lord. Then two she-bears came out of the woods and mauled forty-two of the boys.” -2 Kings 2:23-24 Woh!!!!! That escalated quickly. My first intuition of this story is to laugh; other’s intuition is to be appalled by Elisha (and God’s) ruthlessness. This story may seem strange, but it serves two points in my mind:
I realize that there are nicer ways to show power and teach a lesson on respect than to maul forty-two young boys with she-bears, but at the same time it’s the amazing tales that stick around in your head. I hope you enjoyed this story! If a younger person doesn’t give you the respect you deserve you can tell them the story of Elisha at Bethel. ;-) Points to Ponder:
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Some states have been passing harsher laws against abortion. This has been enacted through trying to officially say a fetus cannot be terminated once there is a heartbeat. In other states like Alabama the law is even stricter with proposed laws that ban abortion all together, no matter the reason and no matter how far along the mother is. All of this leads to the question I have and I feel every member of a church should have: What’s my church’s stance on abortion? The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) released a social statement on Abortion in 1991 which I feel is still current with today. So what does the ELCA have to say about the issue of abortion? For the sake of time I thought I’d go straight to the end of the social statement when it comes to what the ELCA supports in terms of laws. I would encourage you read the whole document, but I will try my best to tie in how the social statement supports its arguments. Here we go! “Laws should be enacted and enforced justly for the preservation and enhancement This church opposes the total lack of regulation on abortion and any legislation that would outlaw abortion in all circumstances The social statement affirms that life is a mysterious gift of God (II. 2 par.), and that the church mourns any loss of life which God created (III. 1 par.). At the same time, the social statement acknowledges, “A developing life in the womb does not have an absolute right to be born, nor does a pregnant woman have an absolute right to terminate a pregnancy.” (I.C.2 par.) An example used to exemplify this point is when a woman’s health is in danger due to pregnancy. The social statement believes it is morally responsible to have an abortion to preserve the life of the woman. (IV.B.2 par.) The social statement affirms that abortion raises significant moral issues at any stage of fetal development, but it also does not make an official stance opposing abortion legally or otherwise when the fetus has yet to reach viability outside of the womb. It is only at the moment when a child can survive outside of the womb (currently considered to be 22 weeks) that the social statement makes this stance: “This church opposes ending intrauterine life when a fetus is developed enough to live outside a uterus with the aid of reasonable and necessary technology. If a pregnancy needs to be interrupted after this point, every reasonable and necessary effort should be made to support this life, unless there are lethal fetal abnormalities indicating that the prospective newborn will die very soon.” (IV.B.5 par.) The viability clause would oppose the many states which have tried or succeeded in introducing measures to ban abortions as early as 6 weeks into the pregnancy (e.g. Georgia, Iowa, Kentucky, Louisiana, Mississippi, Missouri, North Dakota, Ohio, South Caroline, Tennessee). The stance in the quote above definitely opposes Alabama’s current attempt to make all abortion illegal. This church opposes laws that prevent access to information about all options available to women faced with unintended pregnancies and laws that deny access to safe and affordable services for morally justifiable abortions; The social statement supports adoption over abortion (V.A.2 par.) at all stages of life, but it also believes that all individuals should be properly taught about all of their options. As a church we may push for adoption, but we are called as a people loved by God to love the people no matter their choice of whether or not to terminate a pregnancy (IV.3 par.). The social statement also pushes the government to aid and support women who seek to terminate pregnancies that occur when both parties did not participate willingly in sexual intercourse (e.g. rape, incest, oppressive cultural upbringing). Again, while there is always a push to minimize abortion and promote adoption, the social statement makes it clear that someone inability to afford an abortion should affect their ability to have one. This church opposes mandatory or coerced abortion or sterilization I think this speaks for itself. This church opposes laws that prevent couples from practicing contraception While the social statement affirms the appropriate context for sexual intercourse is marriage (III.6 par.), it also affirms the importance of sex education within the Christian faith. “Prevention of unintended pregnancies is crucial in lessening the number of abortions. In addition to efforts within church and home, this church supports appropriate forms of sex education in schools, community pregnancy prevention programs, and parenting preparation classes. We recognize the need for contraceptives to be available, for voluntary sterilization to be considered, and for research and development of new forms of contraception.” (V.A) (Please note: By promoting the teaching and use of contraception to reduce unintended pregnancies, this statement is indirectly opposing the use of abortion as contraception.) This church opposes laws that are primarily intended to harass those contemplating or deciding for an abortion I think this very clearly goes against the current law seeking to be passed in Alabama. I think it also goes against states that try to make it so hard for the woman to get an abortion and so they have to cross state lines just have an abortion. Conclusion When it comes to abortion and its debate please remember this: “This church encourages its members to participate in the public debate on abortion in a spirit of respect for those with whom they differ.” (V.D.3 par.) This issue is ongoing and very present in today. As we talk about it together please remember to be civil and loving. Please remember the hurt with which someone may feel when it comes to this issue. All life is sacred. This includes the lives of the people you differ with when it comes to abortion. Point to Ponder
This past Sunday was Good Shepherd Sunday. Jesus equates us to sheep. “My sheep hear my voice. I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life, and they will never perish. No one will snatch them out of my hand.” (John 10:27-28) This got me randomly wondering if that means our Christian spirit animal is a sheep. I am not too fond of sheep. In growing up with them I found them to be quite dumb and a pain in the rear end to show at the Greene County Fair. Inspired by my lackluster feeling towards sheep I sought out to find my spirit animal. Identifying a spirit animal is based off a religion called animism. This path I am going down is not asking people to turn away from our one and true Savior, Jesus Christ. I am not trying to turn us all into heretics. Instead, I want us to think about what animal represents our personality and life and how that affects the way we worship God and share God’s love with the world. Now there are a lot of websites like the one I visited which talk about spirit animals. They have a list of all the spiritual animals and they even have a fun quiz to help you figure out what your spirit animal might be. The questions range from social habits to personality traits. Upon completing my quiz I found out my spirit animal is a hummingbird. The website has this to say about what that means, “The hummingbird spirit animal symbolizes the enjoyment of life and lightness of being. Those who have the hummingbird as a totem are invited to enjoy the sweetness of life, lift up negativity wherever it creeps in and express love more fully in their daily endeavors. This fascinating bird is capable of the most amazing feats despite its small size, such as traveling great distances or being able to fly backwards. By affinity with the hummingbird, those who have this bird as totem may be encouraged to develop their adaptability and resiliency while keeping a playful and optimistic outlook.” Now you could read this as some sort of pseudo-paganism religion. I find it more interesting to think about this in light of my relationship with God. Perhaps, as a hummingbird I am called to share God’s love through lightening the mood of others. Maybe there are some great things God has in store for me to do for the world for God’s sake. Whatever it is, being a hummingbird could mean I have the ability to change into whatever the Holy Spirit needs me to be for God. Points to Ponder: Take a spirit animal quiz.
The old saying goes, “April showers bring May flowers.” Even though the grass gets green in April, it seems that May is when the trees and flowers really start to pop. A mixture of Mother’s day, graduations, prom, and many more occasions call for flowers to be used in May. I know my dad and brothers still keep the tradition of planting flowers at my parent’s house for my mother. I have never really been too interested in flowers other than looking at them. Planting and taking care of flowers is definitely not an interest that I hold. In honor of May I want to share about my favorite flower: The Luther Rose. Also called the Luther Seal, a colleague of Martin Luther, Sir John Frederick of Saxony, charged Lazarus Spengler with creating this rose as a representative of Martin Luther’s teachings. Martin Luther loved it and stuck with it as his seal from then on. In fact, Martin Luther even gave an explanation of what it all means and stands for. (Please note: the following information was taken from Luther’s Works volume 49). The Black Cross in a Red Heart Martin Luther saw the cross as a constant reminder of the Crucified Jesus who saves us: “Although it is indeed a black cross, which mortifies and which should also cause pain, it leaves the heart in its natural color. It does not corrupt nature, that is, it does not kill but keeps alive. "The just shall live by faith" (Romans 1:17) but by faith in the crucified.” The White Rose “Such a heart should stand in the middle of a white rose, to show that faith gives joy, comfort, and peace. In other words, it places the believer into a white, joyous rose, for this faith does not give peace and joy like the world gives (John 14:27). That is why the rose should be white and not red, for white is the color of the spirits and the angels (cf. Matthew 28:3; John 20:12).” Blue Background “Such a rose should stand in a sky-blue field, symbolizing that such joy in spirit and faith is a beginning of the heavenly future joy, which begins already, but is grasped in hope, not yet revealed.” Golden Ring “And around this field is a golden ring, symbolizing that such blessedness in Heaven lasts forever and has no end. Such blessedness is exquisite, beyond all joy and goods, just as gold is the most valuable, most precious and best metal.” I hope you find the same fondness for the Luther Rose as I do. As I reflect on the works of Jesus and the role of God in my life, I can think of no more powerful symbol. The Luther Rose cannot be planted in the ground as most flowers are planted. Instead, it is a message of truth, joy and life that is planted on our hearts. Points to Ponder:
This past Lenten season a community of churches from our school district banded together to have noontime ecumenical services every Friday. Each church would host a service and invite a minister from a different church to preach. I was unable to attend all of the services, but I did make many of them. What these ecumenical services did was give our churches the practice of being the Church. The Church (notice the capitalization) is the community of all believers of Jesus. For some they call it the Christian Church. For others (including the ELCA) they call it the catholic (notice the lack of capitalization) Church. This is not the Roman Catholic Church, but rather it is the catholic (meaning universal) church. All in all, the Church is the meta-version of believers which exists above any denomination. There is a common misconception that the Church used to be one singular entity of believers. Anyone who reads the epistles and the book of Acts can see that this is not true. Through the history of the Church it has spurned denominations. The denominations of the Church are vast and numerous. Today there are even denominations within denominations (e.g. Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, Lutheran Church Missouri Synod, and Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod). There is even a denomination which claims to be non-denominational. All these denominations are then made up of churches. A church (non-capitalized) is the ground floor of ministry. I serve the Church by serving a church, Augustana Evangelical Lutheran Church. While all believers are part of the Church, some also belong to a specific church. Each church has its own identity, location, and history. The Church, on the other hand, is identified with Jesus and the story of his life, death, and resurrection. The Church has no set location. Instead, like Christ, it is everywhere. I am saying all this to get to a point: the Church, and thus Jesus, is greater than our churches. This is most certainly true. So how often do we treat it in the reverse order? How often do we choose not to interact and try to understand people of other denominations because they interpret Scripture differently? Ecumenism (working together across denomination lines) is the center at what it means to be the Church. When we can sit down and praise Jesus together as children of God we make a statement that Jesus is the true center of our identity. I do not want to belittle denominationalism. As a proud Lutheran it would be hypocritical of me to do so. I believe that people should attend church and learn about God from a church and denomination that best helps their faith pilgrimage. I also understand that some denominations have non-negotiable stances that don’t play well with others. Imagine you are gay or a woman and the church a couple blocks down does not think you have authority to be there. I am an ELCA Lutheran because I could not see myself in any other denomination, but I also recognize my membership in the community of all believers. That is why I believe it is important that we can work ecumenically as a church so that we can truly be the Church. Whatever our differences, it says more about the power of the love of Jesus when we can work together rather than strictly stay only to ourselves. Points to Ponder:
A dear friend of mine recently passed away. He was only 65 years old but Parkinson’s disease had weakened his body and it finally gave into the rest of eternal slumber. This is extremely sad for me, because my friend, Peter, was the first person to get me to think critically about faith and the Bible. He taught me it was okay to laugh at the funny jokes comedians make about Christianity and the Bible without feeling like a heretic. As I grieve Peter’s loss I have come to realize that as we walk with others through the dying and death process we are reliving Holy Week each time. Maundy Thursday – Seeing them for the last time On Maundy Thursday we remember the Last Supper. This was the last meal Jesus had with his disciples. This was the last time he spent with all of them before he would be betrayed killed. When my wife and I were informed of Peter’s failing health we wanted to make sure to see him. The very next day we drove a few hours so that we could be there for Peter and his wife, Jette. Even though he was already on hospice and couldn’t really speak, it was a powerful meeting to see my friend one last time alive. Sometimes we get our Maundy Thursday moment and we know it. Other times, like the disciples, we only realize it was the Last Supper with that person in hindsight. Someone dies unexpectedly and you have to think back to the last time you were able to spend with them. I can tell you the disciples did not know this would be their last time with their beloved rabbi. Good Friday – Their body betrays them and they breathe their last breath On Good Friday we remember Judas betrayed Jesus. Jesus was handed over to the religious authorities. Jesus was then handed over and sentenced to death by the Roman authorities. Jesus hung from the cross and took his last breath. My wife got the news in a text. Peter had died. She shared that information with me. I felt like I got punched in the stomach. Perhaps, we, like the disciples who fled Jesus before he died, are unable to be there when that person dies. Whether for work, location, or family’s wishes you cannot be there. Someone has to share the news to you that someone has died. Maybe we are like the women who followed and watched all the way to Jesus taking his last breath. Either way, the life in this world is gone and we are only left with grief. Easter – We recognize and lift up the eternal life they have with the risen Lord at their funeral On Easter Sunday we remember the women who went to anoint their dead Messiah. They were welcomed with an empty tomb. Death and grief no longer filled their hearts because Jesus had risen. Their Savior had completed his act of conquering death and thus instituted our eternal life with God.
Peter’s memorial service will probably be a private affair. I am not sure if I will be able to be there to accompany his body and memory to God. God willing, I will hopefully be able to be part of it. Funerals are definitely sad. I am not trying to say that they aren’t, but in the funeral liturgy we do more than mourn our dead acquaintances. Interestingly enough, we gather at a funeral because of the deceased, but the whole worship service done within the Lutheran context is centered on the crucified and risen Jesus Christ. Why is this? It is through the eternal Jesus Christ that we are promised an eternal life with God. We lift up the deceased, but we also commend and commit them to God’s loving care. We make a bold proclamation during funerals following the words of Paul, “When you were buried with him in baptism, you were also raised with him through faith in the power of God, who raised him from the dead.” (Colossians 2:12) In conclusion, being with someone as they are dying is not easy. Grieving for those who have passed away is not easy. Luckily, as we relive Holy Week with them we can hold onto Jesus’ promise that they are forever with God and we will see them again. Points to Ponder:
Tax season approaches (unless you are a farmer than you’ve been done for a month). Some may be getting refunds and some may realize they owe the state a federal government a bit of money. When it comes to refunds it seems that some people rely on that money to pay bills. For others they may use that tax refund to go towards paying future taxes. Then for others the tax refund is like “free money” that can be spent towards a vacation or other fun purchases. This rambling is for the third group. Have you ever thought of using that “fun and free money” towards helping others and the glory of God? Yes, that refund may get you airfare to Florida, but what if it helped people eat that week? Yes, that refund may help you get that jet-ski you’ve been churning for, but what if it helped provide water for a village? Yes, that refund could pay for the weekend road trip and hotel stay in the next state over, but what if it was put in the collection plate on Sunday to go towards the church’s ministries? How you spend your money is how you spend your money. I am not trying to tell people what they should or should not do. I just want to highlight another way that money could be spent. Points to Ponder:
“Every person dies two deaths, when they breathe their last breath and somewhere in the future when the last person to remember them dies." Have you heard something like this quote before? I was unable to find the true etymology of this quote and others like it, so I decided write out my own version. The point of it is that we die again when we are no longer remembered. This is the basis for the movie, “Coco”. In the movie people in the land of the dead vanish forever when they are no longer remembered. This may be true for the “Mulan” universe as well considering the Great Stone Dragon is destroyed when Mushu accidentally destroys his statue. The need to be remembered (or not forgotten) is what drives a lot of people. It pushes people to do great things. It pushes people to do heinous things. Statues, paintings, and buildings are made to set a person’s name in the history books, so that they can live on forever. The need to honor those who have died is the whole reason we have memorials. You might see, “In honor of so-and-so please donate some money in their name to this cause or this church.” These actions are taken so that a person can be remembered. (Side note: church memorials are meant to honor God first and foremost in memory of the deceased. Unfortunately, more often than not honoring the memory is more important than honoring God when memorials are being decided upon.) I think the fear of not being remembered is really just an extension of the fear of dying. The great thing about Jesus’ death and resurrection for us is we are promised to live forever. As Jesus hung from the cross he was being mocked and rebuked by the Roman soldiers. He was also being mocked by one the men being crucified next to him. The other person being crucified next to Jesus defends Jesus and accepts his own fate before God. Then he asks something of Jesus: Then he said, “Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.” [Jesus] replied, “Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” –Luke 23:42-43 In living forever with God we are remembered forever, too. This is something to chew on as we move forward into our lives. This rambling does not and is not trying to discourage us from attempting to do great things in our world to make it a better place. Instead, let this rambling is a reminder that you will always be remembered. Even if nobody knows who you are, God does. Points to Ponder:
Have you ever noticed that sometimes in hymns we sing “Hallelujah” and sometimes we sing “Alleluia”? I am not sure whether it was a case of OCD or nerdiness, but it used to bother me that there were two different words being used interchangeably. I figured they meant the same thing and wondered why both were needed.
Perhaps you’ve heard the phrase, “It’s all Greek to me.” It is a Shakespearean quote commonly used to say, “I don’t understand.” When it comes to the ‘hallelujah vs. alleluia’ question it would be false (and perfectly ironic) to say, “It’s all Greek to me.” The original language of the Hebrew Bible (Old Testament) is actually Hebrew. The original language for the New Testament is Greek. Hallelujah derives from Hebrew (haleluya). It translates out to “Praise the Lord.” As the Israelites were ruled by the Greeks and assimilating to their culture and language they decided to translate the Hebrew Bible to Greek. This translation is called the Septuagint. In doing this, they translated heleluya to allelouia. When the Romans took over they wanted to translate everything to Latin. They used the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the Hebrew Scriptures, rather than the original Hebrew Scriptures to translate. Thus, they translated allelouia to alleluia. The English language derives from Latin, so it adopted the alleluia. As people like Martin Luther looked back to the original Hebrew there was a reclaiming of the ‘h’. This means that any liturgy or hymn written before the 16th century would use alleluia. Any hymn of liturgy inspired by the pre-16th century Christian music would probably use alleluia. Lastly, and most annoyingly, any hymn written post-16th century used hallelujah and alleluia interchangeably. So which side are you on? Do you prefer to praise God with and an ‘h’ or without an ‘h’? Do you prefer to praise God as the Romans did or in connection with our Hebrew brothers and sisters? Either way, we are praising the Lord! In a previous rambling I discussed the fact that God has no gender. While it is true that gender and biological sex are created means which God is above, why then do we still call God, “Father”? The answer is pretty simple. We know God as Father because we have been made known by the Son. Jesus, the incarnate Son, addresses God the Father many times like in John 14:6-10: Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. If you know me, you will know my Father also. From now on you do know him and have seen him.” Philip said to him, “Lord, show us the Father, and we will be satisfied.” Jesus said to him, “Have I been with you all this time, Philip, and you still do not know me? Whoever has seen me has seen the Father. How can you say, ‘Show us the Father’? Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me? The words that I say to you I do not speak on my own; but the Father who dwells in me does his works.”
Does this not prolong and build up the gender specific way we talk about God? Does this not defend those who seek to use this information to explain why men and women are not equal? This role of Father has less to do with a gender and more to do with a role and more to do with the Triune nature of God (God the Father, God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit). What about addressing God as mother? There is no specific Scripture to support addressing God as a mothering God when using Trinitarian language. That being said, Jesus (the one with whom the Father dwells) relates himself to a mothering hen wishing to spread her wings over the people of Jerusalem (Luke 13:31-35). This can lead us to believe that we can certainly address God as our mothering God. If you think of the stereotypical archetypes of father (protector and provider) and mother (birthing life and nurturer) in terms of role rather than gender you will find that God does indeed fit both categories of Mother and Father. Either way I think it highlights a close relationship with God who is near rather than a distant relationship with a supreme being from far away. In conclusion, we address God as Father because that is what Jesus did. This does not mean God is a man. This does not mean God the Father is a man. Instead, God who has no gender is both mothering and fatherly to and for us. 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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