Trinity Lutheran Church

Monday-Tuesday, July 13-14^th, 2015.  ELCA National Youth Gathering

Good evening!  This is the first blog of our trip to the ELCA National Youth Gathering in Detroit, MI.  I write this on the end of our first full day here in Detroit. 

   We got off to a bit of a rocky start as one of our group, Luke Knudtson, became very ill Monday morning.  He was sick enough that he was not able to join us on the bus.  Hopefully, he will be better and be able to fly in on Wednesday afternoon to join us.  We pray for his health and hope that God will help him feel better and be well.

  We  got started in the rain at 7:45 pm at the BP in Boyceville.  The kids took their places in the back of the bus and we headed out, picking up groups from Elk Mound, Bateman, and then Medford.  The Elk Mound group brought movies and we watched (and some sang) The Lion King and Tangled.  We stopped in Tomah to switch drivers.  Along the way, the kids slept (especially Kayla Nelson, who can sleep anywhere), cuddled, laughed, talked, and sang (still).  We made it through Chicago and stopped just short of the Indiana border at an Oasis I call the Quarry, which is a place my family would stop on the our way to Michigan to see relatives.  It was about 5 am when we stopped and we all had some McDonald’s breakfast. 

    Most of us fell back asleep again on the way towards Detroit, even with the sun rising and a new day starting.  We did have one close call on the drive as a semi-truck tried to beat us in a construction zone as we went from two lanes to one.  Luckily, we didn’t get hit and everything was fine.

  About an hour outside of Detroit we stopped at a Meijer, which is like a Wal-Mart store but much bigger.  We got snacks as well as supplies that people forgot.  After an hour, we got back on the bus and arrived at our hotel, the Country Inn and Suites Dearborn.  We got checked in and the kids went to their rooms for a needed shower while Wendy and I picked up our wristbands, Bibles, and information for the Gathering.  After a shower, we went to a Big Boy restaurant next door for a much needed real meal.  We sang, “We Thank You Kindly” for grace. 

   After our meal, we went back to the hotel for some nap time or TV time.  At 5 pm, Pastor Brad’s sister Amy and his brother-in-law Will picked us up for an evening at their house. We also dropped off all our diapers that we brought to help the people of Detroit. Joining us was PB’s niece’s church group from Hope Lutheran as well as another group from Iowa.  Though the weather looked dicey and we had fun playing the pool, playing badminton and basketball, playing with the dog, swinging on the swing set, talking, and enjoying some food.  The kids also enjoyed quizzing Amy and Will about PB and seeing pictures of him when he was young.  It was a truly awesome experience to see kids from three different states share and play together. 

    We got back to the hotel, hopeful for ice cream at Baskin Robbins but it was closed.  Some kids got some ice cream from the hotel lobby.  We gathered in PB’s room to recap the day, talk about the next day, set our t-shirt schedule, and pray for a good week, for Luke’s health, and for good rest tonight.

    Tomorrow we will be visiting Greenfield Village and then heading to Ford Field for the first Mass Gathering.  You can join us online at www.elca.org/gathering at 7 pm.

   Please keep us in your prayers and may God bless you!

My niece Kaelyn and I.

I woke up this morning at Luther Park Bible Camp and through my window I heard the soft pitter patter of rain drops.  Mixed in with that sound was the sound of birds chirping.  It was amazingly peaceful.  I sat there in my bed at 4:45 am (yes, I know), and two thoughts came into my head: oh no, we won’t be able to have campfire worship tonight at Trinity and I hope it stops so the girls can go back out on the challenge course today!

It is no secret of my love for Bible Camp and the important role I believe it plays in the faith development of kids. I’m also a realist and understand that camp does not always have the same impact on every youth.  There will be a profound impact on some, some it will have a smaller impact, and on others it will have a large impact but they won’t admit it as it would be uncool to do so.  Camp not only impacts faith, but it can challenge, it can stretch boundaries and expectations, and it can push and test a person’s limitations.   I believe all of that is good for kids no matter their age.

But sometimes I forget that the impact felt is not just on the kids, it is on the adults too.  I think of our girl’s counselor Jess.  This is her first week EVER of leading campers.  She was scared.  I remember my first week as a camp counselor.  I thought I was going to pee my pants. But she has done an amazing job with the girls but what I also see is that they are doing amazing things for her.  As we shared and talked together, she spoke about what great girls they were, how much she enjoyed them, and how she was going to remember them for a very long time.  And this was on Tuesday.  Our kid’s spirit, their faith, was inspiring her.

For us pastors, we get inspired by the kid’s faith as well, by watching the Holy Spirit pull on them, by seeing the ways they express themselves and interact with each other.  Pastor Ken from Stanley and myself went out on the challenge course with our girls (who are in the same cabin) to take some pictures and they wanted us to participate, and so with them we tried to conquer the log and the balance platform, laughing and falling and struggling and succeeding together.  In those moments, we weren’t pastors and kids, we were teammates and members together of the body of Christ. And last night, at dinner, when they asked Pastor Ken and I to join them again on the challenge course today, it was hard to see them be sad when we both said we couldn’t because they were going out in the late afternoon and we would both be back at church, getting ready to lead worship.

We pastors also get inspired by each other through the conversations we have and the friendships and relationships that are formed during camp week.  We serve camp where we can but we are encouraged to just be with the kids and the counselors.  It has been cool to have counselors who remember me and talk to me like an old friend and to meet new ones and get to know them.  It is fun for Pastor Brahm and I to play during worship and to have all the pastor’s try, and fail, to play capture the flag with the kids.  We get to sit with and meet kids from all over and get to see that God is doing amazing things.  And it was surreal to get a phone call from Kayla, a counselor who had kids from Trinity 7 years ago at Luther Park.  She also came and was VBS coordinator for our VBS one year.  I got to know her very well and in that seven years I watched her go from camp counselor to seminary student and, on August 15^th, she will become my pastoral colleague as she will be ordained into Word and Sacrament ministry.   She called to tell me the date and ask if I might be able to be there and that she wants me to have a role in that service.  And that all started seven years ago when, during her very first week of campers, she was inspired by, and shared her faith with, a group of campers from Trinity Lutheran Church.

God works in mysterious ways.  Thanks be to God!

Note:  The following below was my sermon at this year’s Boyceville High School Baccalaureate service.  I think you might like it.  And if you don’t, then it won’t be any different than my previous columns.

Note 2: I did not actually write out this sermon.  I had this idea a year ago during the Baccalaureate service.  I came home and wrote down the following: “Selfies” and “I am with you always.” I just went off of that.  So, this is my best shot at remembering what I said four days ago.   

You all might not realize this, but I founded the selfie.  It’s true.  Before you could take a hundred pictures and delete them on your phone, or before Kim Kardashian put out a best selling book of just pictures of herself, I took selfie’s with cameras that had this strange thing called “film” in them.  If you had a camera and you left it or handed it to me, I would take a picture of myself.  Hold on, I’m going to do that now.  (take picture).  I once took 20 pictures of myself at a friend’s wedding, who had 20 disposal camera’s on the tables of their reception.  They were super happy to see my face so many times.

A selfie, is of course, a picture aimed at just the person taking the picture.  It is focused solely on the self.  It is pointed inward.  And today, as you get ready to graduate, you probably feel like everything is pointed right at you.  Why shouldn’t it be?  We are here to celebrate this important event, this achievement that you have done.  We are here to celebrate all that you have accomplished during your high school career and at your parties, your parents will be proudly displaying all sorts of picture, your awards, your achievements.

But I bet that none of you accomplished those awards and achievements on your own.  I bet that if you looked closely, you would see that you had help along the way.  You had friend who studied with you for tests, teammates who helped you achieve your goals, cast mates in plays that helped everything go well.  You had parents and coaches that instructed you and inspired you and supported you.  You had parents and family members who were there for you.  You were never alone.  You had people with you every step of the way.  And, you had your Savior Jesus Christ with you.

In our readings tonight, God makes promises to you.  To be your shepherd, to be your God, to always love you, and to be with you always till the end of the age.  No matter where you go or what happens in your life, God in Jesus Christ will be there.  To forgive you, to save you, to lead you of through the valley of the shadow of death, to surround you with a great cloud of witnesses.  There are going to be amazing highs in your life and dreams will come true.  And there will be times of unimaginable sorrow and sadness, where dreams are crushed and life is dark.  In all of it, you will not be alone.  You will not be alone because God has promised to be there.  Always.  ALWAYS.  Life is never just a selfie, but a group picture because Christ is always there.

Do you know what the most tweeted selfie of all time is?  A group one that was taken at the Oscars two years ago.  May you know that you are never alone and my you remember that Christ will be with you always.  Amen

Note 3:  At this point, I took group selfies with the class.  You can see them on my Facebook page

“For I have come to call not the righteous, but sinners”  Matthew 9:13b

I love this above quote from Jesus.  There is a part of me that wishes this was over the door leading into either the church itself or the sanctuary (not that I don’t love our Welcome graphic or the Trinity stained glass).  Why would I want this quote to be something that people see before they enter this building or worship space?  Because it is a reminder that I think we (including myself) need.

There is a misconception that the church is a place for “good” people,” that the church is a place where you will find the morally perfect.  But that is not the mission of the church and that is not the mission of Jesus.  The church is not a place for the righteous, though we have often portrayed ourselves as such.  The church is not the place for the perfect or people who never make mistakes.  The church is a place for sinners.

See, we all know we sin.  That is no surprise.  We all know that we mess up and need the forgiveness of Jesus Christ.  Again, no surprise.  But what is surprising sometimes to us is that we would actually welcome other sinners.  What is surprising is welcoming the person that looks different from us, acts different from us, dresses different from us.  What is surprising is that we might welcome people who have messed up in life in ways that often that are hurtful and shameful.

For way too long the CHURCH has tried to set itself above everyone else.  But Jesus doesn’t go away from those that are stuck in the mud of sin, Jesus jumps head first into the mud with them.  Jesus goes in places that drive the religious leadership crazy.  A few verses before the one above, we hear this: “When the Pharisees saw this, they said to his disciples, ‘Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?’” They can’t believe that Jesus would even dare get near these people. Yet, Jesus does. And so should we.

We need to be honest that we are sinners and that the church needs to be a place for sinners. Of course, through our faith in Jesus Christ, we strive to live according to God’s will. But when we falter and when we see others falter, we can’t just ignore or shun or toss out those people. We can’t ignore or shun or toss out ourselves. We must welcome and remind and forgive and inspire them through faith in Jesus Christ. Then, and only then, will we really be able to change the world and show them that the CHURCH is not a place of hypocrites or a place where people look down on others, that the CHURCH is a place of forgiveness, love, and hope.

May the Holy Spirit help us in this calling and may we remember that Christ has come for us, sinners, who are in need of redemption.

The other day I was playing golf with a friend (this was before it went to being winter-like) and though it was a beautiful day, it was really windy. Sometimes the wind was a help, either keeping a ball in play or helping it to fly farther than it normally would go. But then, sometimes it helped make a bad shot worse or made a hole much longer as it needed to be.

It reminded me of life. Sometimes it goes well, sometimes it goes bad. Sometimes you hit a good shot, sometimes you don’t. Sometimes the wind pushes your ball the right way or the wrong way. But what I thought about was that no matter where the wind pushed, my friend was still with me. Rejoicing when it was going well, suffering when it wasn’t, walking besides me.

Our Savior Jesus Christ walks with us every day. In the good and the bad, Christ is there. He is there to rejoice with us and to cry with us. He is there to give us a high five when things go well and a supportive hug when we need comfort. No matter how we play in life or how the game goes, we always have a friend with us.

One of the greatest romantic comedy movies of all time is “When Harry Met Sally.”  In the movie, Billy Crystal’s character has a quirk where he reads the last page of a book first so that if he dies before he finishes the book, he knows how it ends.

Sometimes I wonder if that is how we deal with Holy Week, this week of the church year from Palm Sunday to Easter Sunday.  We know the end of the story, Easter Sunday, where Jesus rises from the dead.  But we often forget about what occurs before then.  We forget about Maundy Thursday and Good Friday.  We read the last page of the book before we know the whole story.

But it is the details of the story that make the ending richer and more meaningful.  I can find out the score of a game, but if I don’t watch it or read about what happened to get to the final score, I don’t appreciate the win as much.  Think about the Badger win over Arizona to get to the Final Four.  It was a seven point win.  Yet, if I didn’t see the game or read about it, I wouldn’t know that the Badgers were down at halftime and that they had a remarkable second half to win the game.  It makes the win even more impressive.

Easter is about the resurrection of Jesus Christ, the final victory over sin, death, and the devil.  But it means even more when you realize what happened to get to Easter.  The gift of his body and blood through Holy Communion.  Betrayal.  Denial.  Trial.  Beatings and mockery.  Crucifixion.  Death.  So much that occurs that makes the ending even more amazing, fulfilling, and important.

I invite you to come and experience the whole story this week.  Join us for worship on Thursday and Friday at 7:00 pm.  If you can’t join us, read the story from the greatest book of all, the Bible. Start at Matthew 26:31 and read until you get to Matthew 28.  Don’t just read the last page.  Read the whole story.  It makes all the difference.

One of the items on Amy’s and I bucket list when we went to Washington, D.C. last week was visiting the United States Holocaust Museum. We scheduled it for the last day and gave ourselves a large amount of time to get through it. Being someone who has always been interested in the history of World War II, reading countless books, watching movies and television shows about it, I felt like I was readily prepared for the museum. I had seen much of the gruesome pictures and videos of the Holocaust. I knew what I was getting into before we started.

I was wrong. Touring the museum is not what I would call an enjoyable experience. Moving, yes, but the kind of moving that sticks with you like peanut butter sticks to the roof of your mouth. You see pictures going up three floors to showcase a community of Jews that had lived in the same place for hundreds of years that no longer exists. You stand in a railcar that held hundreds of people, carrying them to a death camp, and you can feel the fear they must have felt. . You walk into a room filled with shoes collected by the Nazi’s from those people in those railcars and not only does the sheer number overwhelm you, it is the SMELL of the shoes that really gets to you.

You feel such a sadness and you get lost in the midst of it all.  Time stops.  When Amy and I got done, we realized we had spent way more time in there than we realized.  The museum takes you from the very beginning, including anti-semitism from the rise of Christianity on, including some of the writings of Martin Luther, all the way to the rise of Hitler, the Holocaust, and the aftermath of the Holocaust.  Besides all the big picture stuff, it gives you a chance to read and hear the stories of individuals.  You can sit and read people’s accounts of being in the concentration camp.  You can read the stories of people who risked, and lost their lives, trying to help others.  You get a little booklet of the story of one person who was affected by the Holocaust.  You can read my person’s story at this link: http://www.ushmm.org/wlc/en/idcard.php?ModuleId=10006360

But the emotion I felt the most, the one that is still with me as I write this, is shame.  I feel shame.  Why?  Because so much of this could have been prevented.  So much of this could have been stopped.  And I’m not talking about at the beginning.  Throughout the war, the systematic destruction of human beings could have been halted, could have been slowed, maybe even stopped.  But it wasn’t.  Why?  Fear.  It was because of fear.

People knew what was happening and did nothing.  Governments, including our own, knew what was happening and did nothing.  The church, across denominations including our own, not only did nothing, but sometimes actively participated.  Neighbors did nothing.  Yes, there are many examples of heroic individuals and even communities who risked their lives to help, but on the whole, civilized people from around the world stood by and watched.  They watched because they were afraid.  They watched because it was not “their problem.”  The watched and did nothing.  It is downright shameful.

But the reason I feel shame is because, if I look inside myself, I can’t honestly say that I would have done anything.  I can’t honestly say, “I would have been different.”  I think the many of us would like to say, “I’d risk my life, my family’s life, to help someone, to make the madness and destruction stop.”  We would like to say that. I would like to.  Yet, even today, we see injustice and violence going on around us, big and small, and we often do nothing to stop it.  We see people getting degraded and bullied because they aren’t “cool” or come from the right place or have the right job or even have the right heritage.  Systematic slaughter still occurs around the globe and we often stand by and do nothing.  We demean people different from us even in our own backyards and we don’t stop it.  Because we are afraid.

As I left the museum and as I have reflected on my visit since then, I have mostly prayed to God a couple of things.  I have asked for forgiveness for all the times I stand by and do nothing when I know something should be done.  I have asked that we might, as people, work to stop injustice in even the smallest ways.  And I have prayed that, if something like this would ever happen again, that I would have the courage and the faith to stand up and speak out.

There are two quotes/images, that I want to leave you with.  One is from the very start of the museum and one is at the end of permanent exhibit.  The first is from the Bible.  The second, from a Lutheran pastor who was first a Nazi supporter and then an opponent who was sent to a camp.  I hope that they both stick with you as they have with me.  And, I hope you get a chance someday to go to Washington, DC, and not just experience all the wonderful monuments but also take an opportunity to visit the Holocaust Museum.  I think it is something that everyone should see.

I was talking with our high school students on Wednesday serving the meal when someone mentioned that they had given up something for Lent. The next day, again I heard someone say, “I can’t have that, I gave it up for Lent.” People have, during this time of renewal in faith and life, given up something for Lent as a sacrifice that mimics the sacrifice that Jesus Christ made for us by dying on the cross. It can be a very noble thing and if nothing else, I appreciate people thinking about their lives and their willingness to do a discipline during this holy season.

But then I think about this: will affect major change? After all, when I used to give up stuff for Lent, even I actually made it all of Lent without it, I couldn’t wait to have it again when Lent was over. If I gave up ribs for Lent, the day after Easter I’m sitting down at Famous Dave’s and having the XXL rack. I have a feeling that the majority of people who give up something for Lent will go to it when Lent is done. So is it really worth it? For some, it might be. For others, including myself, it really isn’t.

But you know what has been worth it for me over the years in terms of Lenten discipline? Taking something up. Not giving something up, taking something up. Here is an example. Instead of giving up coffee for Lent (if I drank it), give the amount that coffee costs to the poor. Instead of giving up video games or Trivia Crack for Lent, take five minutes every day to pray or read the Bible. Instead of giving up ribs, go for a walk or work out for 20 minutes. I have found that when I take up something for Lent, it has a much better chance of sticking as a habit that strengthens my spiritual, emotional, and physical life than giving something up.

This year, I have taken up trying to read the Bible for five minutes at the start of every work day. Sounds weird right, considering I’m a pastor and all. But though I spend a lot of time in God’s Word, it is often for a sermon or a Bible study or even one of these Trinity Tidings. I sometimes forget to read it just for my own personal faith. So I’m using our Bible passages found in the Good News calendar for my Lenten discipline that I hope will turn into something I do every day, long after Lent has ended.

No matter how you honor Lent, whether it is giving up something or taking up something, my hope is that you are orienting your hearts and minds to the work of your Savior Jesus Christ who has given you everlasting life and that you would be strengthened in faith during this time.

I have to admit, if I am honest with myself, that sometimes I have grave concern for the human race. Now, it isn’t like, “These kids these days are just so rotten” or “the United States is just going to pot and we have to go back to such-and-such a time.” Many of the issues we have in this world are issues that have been around for centuries and just keep coming back around.

But there are days when I am concerned and my soul and heart feel heavy. Days where all I see and hear hate being spouted towards others, days when it seems like all people want to do is tear down the other, or the neighbor, or even members of their own family. There are days when it seems no one is willing to listen to anything someone has to say, even if it is just to understand their point of view. And there are days when the quest to be “right” and to “win” seems to trumpet compassion, fairness, justice, and love.

However, then there are two days like the two days I had this week that restore my faith in humanity, faith that reminds me that love and compassion and generosity are not gone, days when I am astounded by the capacity of people to care for someone else, even a complete stranger. Days that remind me that God is still active and present in the world.

The first of those days was the Coaches vs. Cancer event on Thursday night around the JV & Varsity Girls Basketball games between Boyceville & Glenwood City. I was honored to be the announcer for the event and just amazed at all the items that were donated and the people who came out. As someone who has lost both parents to cancer and watched many friends battle it, every cent is so important. But even more important is letting those who struggle with it that they are not alone, that there are people supporting them, even complete strangers. Over $6,000 was raised in one night and the event was very well done. Though my voice was basically gone when I got home, my heart was full of hope and pride for what was accomplished by our two communities.

The second of these days was today (I’m writing this on the 7^th) as I got to participate in my first Polar Plunge. Last year I told Todd Ebensperger that I would love to be part of his plunge team for this year and so I joined up. I must admit that I was nervous about jumping, most especially being a fat man trying to get out of cold water. But when I went down to the event, I loved the positivity and all the great energy. I loved the sense of common purpose. I loved the big hug I got from one of the church’s Special Olympics participants, Brian Frieberg, both before and after the plunge. I loved our costumes as our team, Kayden’s Krusader’s (named for Todd & Teana Ebensperger’s son Kayden) were going as super heroes (I was Batman. Of course). I loved that I saw people of all ages there and loved that some of our congregation members were there to cheer us on.

I have to admit my adrenaline was pumping before we jumped and that, though cold, the initial plunge wasn’t too bad at all. It was a rush, especially as we sprinted back to get out of the wet clothes. But just hear the crowd cheering, to see Kayden and Susie and Brian in the audience, the people we were jumping for, just made it really, really fun and cool. Over $30,000 was raised and I know more is coming in and our team did our part, raising over $3,000, with $700 of that coming from many of you in donations to me.

The best part was seeing the smiles not only on the crowd, but on the participants. Of course, they were freezing, but they were also so jacked and full of spirit. It reminded me again of what can happen when people come together.

And that is the thing. We so often only see the negative in the world, live by fear and not hope. We only see the worst in the other or what bad might happen in a situation, instead of the possibilities and good things that might come. Events like Coaches vs. Cancer and the Polar Plunge remind us of the best of ourselves. They also remind me as a disciple of Jesus Christ that though I have days of despair, I also believe in a God of hope and a Savior who loves all.

May we live by hope, love, and compassion instead of fear, hate, and despair. For that we can say, “Thanks be to God!” Amen

As I watched the end of the Green Bay-Seattle NFC Championship game and the unbelievable way it ended, a question came into my brain that has popped up before a couple of times. The question is this, “What is worse: getting blown out or losing at the last second?”

I am someone who has experienced both many times as the majority of sports watching has been following losing teams. I remember sitting there in 2003 watching the National League Championship Series, thinking that my Cubs were going to go to the World Series being three outs away and watching it all collapse. I’ve seen numerous blowouts and decisive losses, like the 2006 Super Bowl with the Bears. I’ve watched my hockey team blow three goal leads in the third period to lose and get blown out by seven, which takes real work in hockey. I’ve experienced losing in every which way you can imagine.

So there is my verdict and it is based solely on emotional anguish. I would rather get blown out ANY DAY than lose in the last second. Let me tell you why. Sometimes you just aren’t good enough. You just aren’t and if you get blown out, especially in a playoff game, as the blowout happens, then I think to myself, “Hey, at least we got here. I’m going to be thankful for that and toast my team for a good season.” I remember when the Cubs beat the Giants in 2002 to go to the MLB playoffs. They played Atlanta next and they had no chance. None. And they got destroyed. But as I watched the games, I was just thankful they got there. No stress. No crying. No wailing. No anguish.

But when you get beat at the last second, holy cow is there anguish. What really makes it worse is the feeling that you were the better team or that you had it and just slipped out of your grasp. I’ve heard from a ton of Packer fans who keep talking how they were the better team last Sunday yet still lost. It is just the worst. And to make it all more destructive, you keep playing the game over and over and over in your mind. If this had happened, then we would have happened. If this hadn’t occurred, victory would be ours.

I think back to two very different Packer Bears game over the past year. The first was the last game of last season on December 29^th, 2013. The Packers were the better team but the Bears were leading and had a chance to sweep the Packers for the first time in a long time. We all know what happened. On fourth down with 48 seconds left, the Bears idiot safety decided to jump a route instead of covering Randall Cobb, who caught the winning touchdown. All I could think of was “why” and “what if” and that game bothered me for days. Weeks even. It was anguish. I especially loved reliving it last spring when the play was played over and over and over prior to the Men’s Choir concert. Thanks Kevin Bird. J

This year, the Packers blew the Bears out of the water. Destroyed them. No anguish. We weren’t a good team and the Packers were better. The games came and went and there was no dwelling, no replaying plays in my head over and over, no avoidance of sports radio, newspapers, or sports websites. Life went on fairly easily.

I know that many of you would rather have it the other way, would rather at least have a chance in a game, even if it ends up tearing your heart out like the bad guy in “Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom.” But for me, the question “What if?” is the worst question ever because there is no explanation and really, no relief. It just hangs there, forever, and haunts like a ghost.

Of course, in the end, it is just a game. There are so many other important things to worry about that cause us pain and anguish and so many other things that cause us joy and happiness. It is just a game. Right? Right?

May God be with you this week and always.