February 28, 2007
Some thoughts following Monday night’s Book Club Meeting

It’s really nice to know who you are, and last night at Redeemer’s Book Club discussion, it was finally pointed out to me that I am a post-modern Traditionalist. Oh, you’d like a translation? I think being a post-modern Traditionalist means I’m all about the relationship, and that I find real expression of the relationship I have with the Holy Trinity through more traditional forms of worship. That being said, how does all this post-modern stuff this play out?
Where I come from, and I expect where you come from as well, being in a relationship means participating in a two-way conversation…there’s definitely two involved in the deal. When it comes to our everyday lives, we have a host of different relationships – relationships with our families, with our friends, with the neighbors, with the butcher and the baker and the candlestick maker. And we tend these relationships if we want them to flourish. If we want our spouse to love us, we speak lovingly to them and respect their points of view; if we want our children to have a positive relationship with us, we don’t belittle them or mock them or make them feel unnecessary; if we want a decent relationship with our neighbors or with the people with whom we do business we are civil and respectful and when we borrow the snow blower we return it in one piece and when we get a bill, we pay it on time. Maintaining decent relationships with others really does involve investing a great deal of sweat equity – really does involve a great deal of maintenance – heavy maintenance. We can’t neglect others; we can’t put others on the back shelf; we can’t pretend they don’t exist…not if we want to maintain any sort of decent, respectful relationship with them…not if we want to remain connected to them.
Why then do we often think things are different when it comes to God? Why do we think we can neglect prayer, neglect worship, neglect reading God’s Holy Word, neglect visiting his House on a regular basis, neglect eating and drinking at his Holy Table and yet maintain any kind of viable relationship with the Lord? It seems as though our culture has relegated our Holy and Powerful God to the role of sponge Bob…without the hard edges. From the Master of the Universe, our twenty-first century popular culture God has morphed into a being capable of absorbing all, and yet somehow continually bouncing back with a ready smile and the desire to slap us on our collective backs, forgiving and forgetting our sins (if we even acknowledge that we have them), just as we have managed to forgive ourselves for forgetting the reality of God. What kind of a relationship is that? Not one that’s built to last!
One-sided relationships don’t last – and that’s a fact. Eventually your spouse stops asking you how they look when all you can do is criticize; eventually your children don’t come home for a visit when all you can do is pick at their hair or their clothing or their career choices; eventually your friends stop calling of you don’t return their calls; eventually your neighbors and the people with whom you trade turn on the ‘closed’ sign when they see you coming if all you can do is take advantage. There is a limit to all relationships.
Does that include any relationship with God? Well yes…and no. I know that God forgives us for all the foolish and all the malicious mistakes we make, but I also know that we have to repent of them – that is admit them and with God’s help try to amend them. And to do that, we have to be in a relationship with God. You see it comes full circle – God wants us to be in relationship with him…he is both soft and loving in that regard. But God is also demanding – he demands our full attention. We must tend our relationship with him. I think it was Saint Augustine who said something along the lines of: “We love God because He first loved us.” Given that is true and it is - for we could only fear the unlovable – we reciprocate that love through tending to our relationship with God and our relationship with all of his creation in an intentional fashion. We need to pay attention to our relationship with God – keep it close, keep it sacred. What better time to do that then during this very Holy Lent? What better time for me and for you to renew our relationship with the one who loves us best? Because in the end it’s all about love…our loving, two-way relationship with the God who created and saved and sustains us all.
Yea, there’s no doubt about it – the members of the Book Club have me pegged…I’m a post-modern Traditionalist. It’s great to be known!

Wow! Has it really been September since I last visited this site? It's hard to believe that time goes by so very quickly! And yet it does.
On Sunday last we celebrated the final Sunday in the church year - Christ the King - and we remember that Christ's Kingdom isn't of this world: "Pilate entered the headquarters again, summoned Jesus and asked him, 'Are you the king of the Judeans?' Jesus replied, "Do you ask me this on your own, or did others tell you about me?...My kingdom is not from this world, If my kingdom were from this world, my followers would be fighting to keep me from being handed over to the Judeans. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here." Jesus' kingdom is not and never was a political one...it's much more than that ever could be! Jesus is both ruler of our hearts and our souls in this world and He is the King of the world to come!
And it's a funny thing about Kings...they generally have subjects. Isn't it wonderful that we are subjects of our Lord Christ from the day of our Baptism to the day of our new birth into the Heavenly Kingdom! And it's a funny thing about Kings...they want loyalty...they want their subjects to listen to what they have to say and act on it.
So how can we show the world that we are Jesus' very own subjects? His very own brothers and sisters? God's very own children? Well, it's simple to state...and it isn't so simple to do. We are to love God with all our hearts and all our minds, and our neighbors as ourselves. A tall order...thank God that Christ, our King, isn't the remote sort as most human kings are. Thank God that Christ, our King, came down from heaven to meet us in the form of a little baby, born in Bethlehem!
Which brings up something else...thank God that Advent - the start of the Christian year and calendar - begins next Sunday (December 3, 2006)...and thank God he gives us this time to prepare for Jesus' Incarnation - His arrival among us...not only as King, but as Savior!

WOW! Where did the summer go? September already…that means the excitement of the Philadelphia Phillies now gets coupled with the excitement of the Philadelphia Eagles. I’m a big fan of this ‘cross-over’ season…we get the best of the best. (Who doesn’t adore baseball and football?)
It’s the same in church – the ‘cross-over’ season is upon us. Summer is not quite a thing of the past – but like the school year brings the need for early wake-up calls on a Monday through Friday basis and the purchase of tons of number two pencils – so this time of year brings a quickening of the pace at Redeemer. (Not that the pace wasn’t frantic enough during Vacation Bible School – it was beyond frantic – it was thrilling!!!)
We’ve any number of programs getting started – let me give you a heads up…
Christian Education – Sunday school. RALLY DAY is scheduled for September 10, 2006…we’ll have the last of our single 9AM services on that day – give our Sunday school teachers and students a rousing cheer – and perhaps share a treat or two – and give adults and children the chance to spend some time together getting reacquainted after all the summer vacations.
Christian Education – Sunday school. Regular Sunday school classes begin at 9:30 AM on September 17th – the same Sunday that we return to our Sunday schedule of 8:15AM and 11:00 AM services.
Christian Education – Adult forum. Adult classes are back in force on the 17th as well – as Randy and Carole Gettmann lead a six week discussion of “If You Want to Walk on Water, You’ve Got to get out of the Boat.” We’ll be meeting this year in the Fellowship Hall. The parlor, although quite a lovely spot, got a little crowded. It’s our prayer that soon the Fellowship Hall will be squishie and crowded as well during Adult Forum time. (Rumor has it there will be a coffee pot brewing down there!)
Christian Education – Tuesday Bible Study. Lots of people tell me they are hungry for Bible study. Consequently, we’re starting a forum on the Gospel according to Saint Mark on Tuesday – September, 26th from 7PM to 8PM. It’s going to run most Tuesday evenings from then until December. Want to learn more about Jesus and the Gospel of Mark – join us!!!
Christian Education – Confirmation. Confirmation is one of the most fun aspects of being a pastor…it’s a chance for me to interact with the congregation’s youth…and that’s always a blast. This year our Confirmation classes and our Sunday school classes for 7th and 8th grade will be coordinated so that each enhances the other. If your child is of Confirmation age, please let me know. (That’s seventh and eighth grade at this point.) I’ve got a list of people – but it might not be a complete list…and I don’t want to forget anyone! We’ll be starting soon – and I’ll be sending a letter to parents and students to let you know time and place of our kick off meeting. Watch the mailbox!
This list is getting long…and I haven’t even begun to mention Worship and all it entails – like the contributions of our acolytes, and our Assisting Ministers, our ushers and our Communion Assistants, Aid for Friends and all of our incredible Social Ministry efforts, the times we can reach out to others in our community to witness to the saving grace of our Savior, the Choir and the Bell Choir – those who make an incredibly joyful noise unto the Lord, our Kids’ Night Out programs, our opportunities to get together in fellowship and fun, well…you get the idea. There is something for everyone here at Redeemer. Don’t cheat yourself and miss out on all the challenges and all the fun!!!