Worship at St. Luke Presbyterian - June 21, 2015

I was graciously invited to lead worship, while Lesley was in MN working on her doctorate.  What follows is my sermon, and the Prayers of the People from that morning.

Mark 4:35-41

On that day, when evening had come, he said to them, ‘Let us go across to the other side.’ And leaving the crowd behind, they took him with them in the boat, just as he was. Other boats were with him.  A great gale arose, and the waves beat into the boat, so that the boat was already being swamped. But he was in the stern, asleep on the cushion; and they woke him up and said to him, ‘Teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?’ 

He woke up and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace! Be still!’ Then the wind ceased, and there was a dead calm. He said to them, ‘Why are you afraid? Have you still no faith?’ 

And they were filled with great awe and said to one another, ‘Who then is this, that even the wind and the sea obey him?        

                 

JUST A BOAT

When Pastor Lesley approached me to inquire if I would be willing to preach in June, the first thing I did was to look up the lectionary texts for the three Sundays she would be gone.  I read them all and when I got to this story I jumped in my seat a little … It’s a BOAT story!  I love a good boat story!   In my work with youth, we plunge into the story of the disciples and the boat and Peter walking on the water.  We look at where we are in our lives … are we in the boat, are we hanging on to the side, are we walking on water with Jesus?  Our placement relative to that boat speaks to our relationship and our level of trust with Jesus.  In that boat story, we teach the youth that boat is symbolic for so much.

And then other times, a boat is just a boat. We find ourselves here in the 4^th chapter of Mark.  As you may remember, Mark is the shortest gospel.   Mark is bare bones … there is no birth story, there are fewer stories about Jesus’ teachings, and Mark’s original book ends before the risen Christ appears.  Mark gets right to the task of telling us about Jesus and the coming of God’s kingdom, and there is not a lot of fluff along the way.  By the time we arrive at our story this morning, Jesus has been baptized and tempted, called his Disciples, did a little healing and shared some parables about the Kingdom of God.  

The Sea of Galilee is the central location for this story and many of Mark’s stories of Jesus.  This “sea” is actually a freshwater lake 13 miles long and 8 miles wide that is fed by the Jordan River.   First century writers report there were at least 16 harbors on this lake, so this was a well-used and busy lake.  At its deepest point, the lake is only 140 feet deep, and the mountain range to the west funnels in strong winds that often bring about sudden and violent storms upon its waters. 

Earlier in the day, Jesus had attracted some crowds and asked his disciples to get a small boat for him to speak from, so he wouldn’t get crushed by the people and so everyone could hear him.  Jesus stood on the boat near the shore and spoke to the crowds in parables.  After an afternoon of teaching, Jesus tells the Disciples, “Let’s cross over to the other side of the lake.”   They jump in the boat with him and they take off.   Now when I have had the pleasure of initiating Family trips, my suggestion of a destination is always accompanied by questions.  “How long will it take?”  “What is there to do when we get there?” “Can I sit in the front seat?”  I’m sure Jesus was grateful there were no questions, because we learn in the next chapter that their destination was a few miles across the lake, where they would encounter demons and thousands of pigs.  My guess is if they had asked questions, they wouldn’t have gone along on this journey.

Jesus and the disciples are sailing along, when gale force winds arise and waves swamp the boat.  Jesus is sleeping away in the back of the boat.   The disciples wake him up to ask if he cares if they are drowning.  Without a word, Jesus gets up, and orders the wind to be still and the threat immediately goes away.   Not only that, but now the water is completely calm.  Ravaging storm to dead calm … (snap) just like that.   Not a wave, not a ripple.  It was dead calm.

Jesus uses this as a teachable moment.  The disciples are asked, “Why are you frightened?  Don’t you have faith yet?”  Many times when Jesus speaks words like this to his disciples, we tend to see them as criticism.  Like Jesus is saying, “Dummies, don’t you get it?  Why aren’t you trusting me?”  But if we pay attention to the verb here, it is “Asked” … not “rebuked” or “chastised” or “scolded”.  It’s just a question.  It’s a simple question for the disciples, and it’s a simple question for us.  Why are we afraid?  Don’t we have faith yet?  Well, maybe it’s not so simple. 

The story ends with the disciples asking their own questions.  Think of all that just happened here … they ARE overcome.  The “awe” they are experiencing is closer to fear than to amazement.  They are wondering “what the heck just happened here?”  It doesn’t make sense.  So they ask “who then is this?  Even the wind and sea obey him.”  Because WE know the whole story of Jesus, it’s easy for us to reduce the Disciples at this point to clueless knuckleheads.  How can they not recognize the power of Jesus?  He’s just told them parables about the kingdom of God and how MUCH can come from LITTLE, so why can’t they get this.  But really, this story is early in their ministry together, the parables he has told them are pretty hard to follow, and sure, he’s healed some people, but we are talking about CHANGING WEATHER PATTERNS IN AN INSTANT.  If I was in that boat, I know that I would be confused and afraid, wouldn’t you?

It would be easy to look back and see parallels to our own faith journey represented in the boat, or the waves, or the disciples.  But today I feel we are being pushed a little more.  I mentioned before that sometimes a boat is just a boat.  The boat in this story is a vehicle of transportation.  The purpose of a boat is to move you from where you are to some place new.  And here is where our fear creeps in.

Left to our own devices, we like to stay put. Where we are is just great.  Its human nature to stay where things are warm, and safe, and comfortable, and there’s a Jewel down the street to buy M&Ms and coffee and pancake mix.   Where we know the bed is comfortable and no one will mess with our TV remote or ding our car or look at us funny.  Isn’t staying in our comfort zone just delightful?  It’s easy and it’s stress free.  Let’s put up our feet and sit for spell, shall we?

Lovely … but here’s the problem.  Jesus doesn’t want us to just sit on our couch and watch Netflix.  Jesus doesn’t want us to stay in the known.  Jesus didn’t want those disciples to camp for the night by the shores of the lake.  He wanted them all to jump in the boat and take off into the night.   Jesus said, “Let’s go!” and off they went.  No chance to think about it, because we know when given the chance, many of us would sit and think about it and analyze it forever.    Or we would decide we are afraid and the journey wasn’t worth it. 

Jesus had done what he needed to do on that side of the lake, and now it was time to move to a new place. Jesus knew that the group needed to go to the other side because there was someone there who needed them.  Unfortunately for our comfort-seeking, slightly lazy selves, Jesus also wants US to join him on the other side of the lake too.  We know that crossing that lake comes with a whole set of challenges.  Wind, waves, traveling with a smelly bunch of guys, inability to read maps … all upset the calm.   Let's face it, Moving is abusive.  Think about when you get off an airplane after a long trip.   Don’t we all look and feel like we’ve been dragged behind truck for a while? 

Moving from one place to another is change and change is hard.  We resist change.  We fight change.  We ask a million questions before we agree to change, with hopes that our stalling will convince everyone we don't really need to change.   We tell people that it would be so great if those other people would change, because they’re so much better at it than we are.   But Jesus knows all our tricks and Jesus still wants us to change.  He doesn’t want us stuck in one place.  Jesus knows there are going to be gale force winds.  Jesus isn’t afraid of that, and Jesus invites us to come along … “Come on, let’s cross over to the other side of the lake”.  Jesus didn’t tell them, “You guys go on ahead, I’ll catch up with you later.”  That's another story.      Jesus was there on that pillow in the back of the boat, Jesus was there to silence the wind, Jesus was there to ask them to examine their fears. And Jesus is going to be with US too, when the storms arise, when the calm appears, and when we disembark on the other side.

Change is difficult.  Change is scary.  Last January, after working with teenagers for 22 years, Jesus started whispering to me, “Hey, what if you stopped working with the youth?”   I didn’t want to hear that.  I was really good at my job.  I knew what I was doing.  I had the trust of the teenagers and their families.  But Jesus wasn’t OK with me standing still.  The whispering got a little louder, “No, really, I mean it.  I have something else I want you to do.”  And I said, “No thanks, Jesus.  I can’t leave a solid job.  I have two girls in college.  I’m afraid, so I think I’ll just stay put, but thank you.”  But Jesus is relentless.  “I know you’re afraid, but I have a plan.  Just get in the boat with me and let’s see where this goes.”  So I did.  I resigned from my job.  And I had many nights of being afraid of what would happen.  I had days where I asked, “Hey Jesus, can’t you see I’m drowning here?”  And then things became clearer.  There was a new role for me.  I’m getting off the shore just a few offices down, and I’m landing in a place where I’m not sure what I’m doing.  But I am changing.  I am excited for the unknown that is to come.  But I know I only moved because I listened to Jesus’ invitation to change.

Following Jesus means that we need to be dissatisfied with sitting on one side of the lake.   Jesus rarely stayed in one place for long and as his followers we need to seek out those new places that we as individuals and as churches need to go. If the church never changed, we would still be singing Gregorian chants, and refusing to allow the LBGT community in our doors.  If the church never changed, you wouldn’t have a female pastor or this larger sanctuary.   The events of this week prove to us that we as a nation need to change … we need to push for fundamental changes in our laws and attitudes to heal the deep racial wounds that are entrenched in our society.  We must work to eliminate the violence we have allowed to be done to our African American brothers and sisters.   The church has long been a leader in bringing about sweeping change in issues of justice and equality and it seems clear that we are being called to step firmly onto that boat once again.

Most of the time, the hardest part is getting into the boat … agreeing to change.  Because we know that getting in the boat also invites the storms, and we really like when things are calm.     But Jesus knows what’s over there, and wants us to get there.  Listen for those whispers, examine the boats in the harbor ready to depart, put on your deck shoes and get ready jump on board when you hear the invitation.   Work together to find what boat St. Luke’s is being called to step on to next.   It will be a wild ride, but oh, so worth it.   May we each have the faith to take up Jesus’ invitation and may we believe that getting to the other side is essential to the work of God’s Kingdom.

Prayers of the People

Loving and gracious God, we gather together to worship you this morning, and we seek to make sense of a world that is confusing, violent and seems so far from the world you created. 

Our hearts are especially heavy Lord, as we remember the names of those who gathered to worship you on Wednesday and are now in your heavenly presence after a gunman senselessly ended their lives.  We uplift to you, your beloved children Rev. Sharonda Coleman-Singleton, Cynthia Hurd, Susie Jackson, Ethel Lance, Rev. DePayne Middleton-Doctor, Rev. Clementa Pinckney, Tywanza Sanders, Rev. Daniel Simmons, Sr., and Myra Thompson.   Surround their families, the congregation of Christ the Emmanuel AME Church, the Charleston community, and our nation with your comforting and powerful love. 

We know that the loss of a life through violence breaks open your heart, Lord.   Allow that sorrow to reside deeply among each of us, and refuse us the ability to be content with the way things are.  We pray that you transform the hatred that lies deep in the hearts of people.  We seek a world where each person, regardless of their skin color is treated as a precious child of God and held sacred.   Help each of us to work for change, to refuse to be complacent in matters of race, and fight for an end to violence and injustice.   

God, inspire our leaders and guide our own creative souls to head to the other shore you have prepared.  Infuse your churches with energy and commitment to step forward together to bring about the Kingdom as you intend.

Amidst the sadness of the week, we also experience joy in our lives.  This morning we celebrate the birth of Nora Bee Meeks and rejoice with her parents, Brian and Sarah and Pastor Lesley and Scott at this wonderful new arrival into their family.    Be with St. Luke as they prepare to welcome Lesley back from Study Leave and as they begin to say farewell to Megan as she concludes her work here with them. 

We each have joys and concerns that lie on our hearts.... We silently offer these now to you, our God...

Loving God, through all the sorrows and joys we know that the one constant is YOU. Your deep and abiding love sustains and nourishes us.  We know that WITH YOU, and each other, we can do far more than we can alone.   We know that you are with us and together we pray the prayer we received from your son ...

Prayers of the People - June 14, 2015

Lord, you gather us together each week, just as the harvest is gathered at the end of a growing season.     Our intention is to leave this building renewed and reconnected with you ... we seek to walk in the world as Jesus taught us. 

But the distractions of the world and our limited capacity to concentrate pull us away from that walk and from you. We are grateful that you welcome us back each week and continue to plant the seeds of your love and compassion within us.

Loving God, sometimes we feel like we are pummeled by life.   We are like a fragile seedling facing a barrage of wind and water.  We are battered by the interactions we have with one another and the world around us.  People hurt and disappoint us, physical illnesses challenge our bodies, mental illness clouds our minds. We carry sorrow, fear and anxiety in our hearts. 

God you are the giver of life and the source of our healing.  We beseech you to cleanse our hearts and heal our lives.  We pray for your hurting world.   We pray for the people who are physically hungry and in need of clean water.  We uplift those who fervently seek justice and equality. 

Be with your children who live under the threat of violence and war.   God we ask you to shine your light into the dark places of this world. 

Grant us each a compassionate heart ... fill us with insight and creativity to actively seek solutions to the issues that erode your planet and damage your children.   Allow your seeds of love, justice and mercy to grow within all of our leaders and those who work for change.

As members of the Chicago community, we know that the rising temperatures of summer can be accompanied by rising violence in our neighborhoods and our streets.   We pray for the victims of violence, for their grieving families and for the ripples of damage that this violence has on our communities and our souls.  

God of all creation, you live among us.  Send your spirit to reside in each of us and calm our fears, cool our anger and ignite a fire to continue the work of your Kingdom.

God be with our Elders who gather today to support the work of this church.   We have imagined a future for this congregation, and we seek to match our dreams with the plans that you have for us.    Be with our church leaders as they seek to stitch together a budget for the coming year, as they call people to serve on Boards and Committees, and as they plant the seeds of seeking, connecting and serving in our hearts.

Active and loving creator, Our building is a busy place this week.  We delight that children will fill our hallways and lawns each night with their energy and curiosity during our Vacation Bible School.  The sounds of our children, and the loving leadership of our volunteers are gifts to our church and our community. 

Please be with us as we prepare to welcome the Chicago Presbytery into our church home on Tuesday.  May our diligent preparations provide a welcoming and comfortable place for this larger faith community to gather. 

Mother/Father God, we know that as your children, we are wondrously made!    When our lives seem unordered and random, we take comfort in knowing that you have a plan for each of us.   You have placed people in our lives to comfort, support and walk by our side through disorder. You have written on our hearts dreams and desires.  You have given each of us gifts, skills and talents to use in the building of your kingdom. 

God we know that you continue to plant small seeds within each of us.  Help us to nurture those seeds so they grow abundantly and spread branches of faith and love to your people everywhere. 

We are so grateful for your passionate love for us, for the gift of your spirit within us ... and for your relentless encouragement to be a part of a Kingdom that is always moving forward.  We gather as your people to pray together …

Prayers of the People - May 31, 2015

Please join me in the spirit of prayer

Loving God, you are with us in all of the beginnings and endings in our lives.  We look to your strong and nurturing presence to guide us through these changes, as on our own we often fear the unknown future.  Knowing that you are with us can transform that fear and strengthen our hearts to move forward.

Be with our graduates this morning as they move with excitement and trepidation through the summer and towards the day they begin college away from home.   Bring them new relationships that encourage and support them.  Strengthen them as they face new challenges. Remind them of their strong faith when they stumble and are discouraged. 

God, as our parent, we seek your guidance.  Many of our families are sending off their first child to college.  Comfort those who are struggling with this transition and constantly remind them that their children are in your safe and loving hands.  Fill our families with energy and love as they seek new rhythms of life in this time of change.

This morning we celebrate the new life and baptism of George, as we also sorrow with Lora over the loss of her father.   We look to you, God of our beginnings and ends, and know that you walk with us when we celebrate and when we mourn.  May your love for us at all times reside deeply in our hearts.

Christ, Our shepherd, you formed the church as a community of support.  As a faith community, we are feeling the challenges of beginnings and endings with our staff.  Embrace us all as we say good-bye to some and prepare to welcome others to the staff team. Help us to be patient with one another during these changes.  We seek to align our energy and efforts with your desires for us.   We feel a new light burning to seek your truth, connect with your people, and serve your hurting world.  [1] 

You know our hearts Lord.  You are fully aware of the personal struggles we face.  We gather together to support each other on the journey.  We seek to know your heart and align our lives in your direction.  We rejoice in the gift of your presence in our life and together we pray ...

Our Father...

---

 [1]

Morning Prayers 3/15/15

Gracious and loving God, you set in motion the morning sun and the evening stars.  You have led us through the harshness of winter into the bright promise of Spring.   We are grateful that the snow has finally melted and we can see our sidewalks, lawns and our neighbors.  We feel a renewed energy and look for signs of new growth everywhere. 

God of all creation, your visible signs of new life surround us.  Green is replacing brown, light is replacing the dark.  Each sign points to the resurrection that is to come.   Help us to also see the signs of the new life that you desire for each of us.   Set us free from our reluctance to live fully and deeply.  Awaken us to the beauty that holds and enfolds us.   Set aside our fears and fill us with energy and courage.   Open our eyes to all we can become in the life you have set before us.

Lord, you walk with us when we face dark days.    We cry out to you from the depths, Lord— listen to our voices!  We ask that you surround Bertha West and her family as they mourn the loss of her daughter Angela.    Walk with Wade, Teresa, Wesley and Tara Thrall as they grieve the loss of Wade’s father Arthur, who passed shortly before his 89 birthday.   Heal and transform Chris Hanzelin, as he has many days ahead in the hospital.   Comfort us all with your loving arms and peaceful spirit as we struggle with loss, illness, fear.  Help us to find ways to comfort others and share those tender places in our own lives with one another.

Help us Lord … we each have our own struggles, fears and weaknesses.   We need your help to see our way through.  We share with you the places we need your help…

Thank you Lord …   As we gather together this morning in your house, O God, we are thankful for much. We rejoice in the baptisms of Lucia and Shallon!  We are grateful for this building, for the people who come in and out of these doors each week, and for your spirit that inspires us to imagine a bright future for our congregation.    We offer to you now our individual thanks …

Imaginative God, bless the efforts of our church leaders and especially our Stewardship team.  Be with us this week as we imagine what the future is for FCC and each prayerfully consider our financial commitments to the church for next year. 

As we continue our walk through Lent and towards Holy Week, we know that you are with us on this journey.   We know that ahead of us are the joyous shouts of Hosanna, the sorrowful denials of friends,  and darkness of the tomb.   But you have also promised us a new life,  we have knowledge of the resurrection and know that Christ calls us to move forward in hope.  Help us be a church that lives in all seasons, that supports one another through the times of celebration and the times of challenge.  Help each of us be “all in” and committed to the work of your Kingdom.  Together we pray to you, with the words your son shared with his disciples …

Thoughts on Youth Ministry

Jan Edmiston asked me if I would be willing to be a guest on her blog, and would I be willing to write about what I wish I knew when I started in Youth Ministry.  Here is the article!

What I wish I knew when I started in Youth Ministry.

These are my reflections after 22+ years of working with teenagers, churches, families and volunteers.    I didn’t go to seminary, but I’ve been in the trenches and figured some stuff out as I went along. 

Relationships are key to your ministry, and your relationship with your students should not be at the top of your list. 

1.       God: It goes without saying that you need to be working on your relationship with God.  You can’t lead people on a journey that you’re not on as well.  All else stems from this (and sorry to be so cliché, but it’s true)

2.       Volunteers: Grow a team of people who love God and love teenagers to serve with you.  I spend 40% of my budget and at least that much of my time and energy on building and maintaining relationships with my adult and youth volunteer team!    The time spent in teaching, planning and playing with my volunteers means I have people willing to return year after year because this ministry gives them a place to serve with people they care about and enjoy spending time with.  Younger youth look forward to the day they can be a staffer, because they recognize that we love each other and it’s a bunch of fun.

3.       Senior Pastor:  When I have a great relationship with my Senior Pastor, I am energized!   I know I am free to try new things and he/she will have my back.  And when I fail, she/he is there to help pick up the pieces, encourage me to keep trying, and defend me when parents complain.   When I don’t have that relationship I feel afraid to try things, isolated and alone and my ministry suffers.  Seek out regular time to check in with your Pastor and be honest about the joys and sorrows of your job.

4.       Parents are often super busy and details like permissions slips or trip deposits are way down on their to-do lists.  Cut parents slack and look for ways to support them in the task of parenting teenagers (which is really rough).   Hold events where they can be included and they don’t have to pay, cook, clean or give the right answers. (parent dinner night; mom/daughter conversations about beauty, self-esteem, acceptance;  A family Capture the Flag night; etc.)  Communicate through emails, texts, Facebook posts, postcards, calendars, the church newsletter, etc. on the off chance that one of those might catch their attention and keep them informed about church stuff.  Answer their phone calls, emails, texts.   Don’t view them as adversaries, but as partners … even when they don’t live up to your expectations.    Parents are the #1 influence on the spiritual lives of their children and they need your help and support!

5.       Students:   It may be surprising that this is so far down my list, but besides knowing everyone’s name and some of what makes them tick, I can’t be expected to have close relationships with all my students.  And they don’t necessarily want that either.  That’s why I rely on my volunteers!   They can attempt to forge those relationships with everyone.  I do have close relationships with some of my students, there are those who are naturally drawn to me and who I “click with” deep down.   My goal is for every student to have that “someone” and know that when they aren’t there their absence is noticed and they are missed.  It just can’t always be me.

My Stuff

Be authentic.  Teenagers always turn away from people they know are full of crap.  They respond and are drawn to people who are real and honest about who they are, what they love, and where they falter.  Admit when you’ve made a mistake, apologize often, accept the consequences of your actions and don’t hide any of it.  Be willing to say, “I don’t know, but I’ll try to figure it out”.  Tell stories of your successes and failures.  Speak of your strong faith, and those areas were you are uncertain and/or doubt.  (But also set healthy boundaries … don’t overshare or burden your team or students with stuff that isn’t appropriate).  

Take care of yourself.  I’ve met many youth workers who are a hot mess.  You weren’t called to this ministry to kill yourself.  Sabbath is not a suggestion, it’s an imperative.  Hot baths are good, long showers are good, chocolate is good, catching up with an old friend is good, time with your spouse or partner is essential.   Eating well (so hard, I know) and exercising are good.  Don’t be that worn out, tired, mentally frazzled person that shows up when too much is going on.  Be that beloved child of God who needs to take care of themselves so they can do the work they are called to.

Fun is not a bad word.  For the middle years of my ministry, I outlawed the use of the word “Fun”. Fun could not be the goal for a lesson or event.  After all, I only have them for six years and there is so much that I want to teach them before they leave for the scary, secular world of college!  Jesus didn’t die on a cross for us to have fun or be happy!  But I was ignoring my number one goal … building relationships.  I’ve learned that fun is not a dirty word, and that providing opportunities to just have fun together is what binds us together.  My most favorite activity is our yearly Work Camp Nightly Volleyball game.  Everyone plays, no score is kept, each person gets to serve, it doesn’t matter how many are on your team or where you stand on the court, and if you don’t know how to serve, someone will take a 5 minute game time-out to teach you (and you get 20 tries before we move on).    I never set these rules, they just organically happened when I allowed space for fun to take over.   And Jesus might have been willing to die on a cross for these types of all-inclusive games to occur! Don’t always take yourself and your job too seriously. 

Grace is the word.  Give it like crazy.  Give it to your Pastor, the parents, your volunteers, your students, your congregation.   Cut people breaks.  Give your volunteers time off.  Forgive when people screw up.  And give grace to yourself as well.  Don’t just preach it, do it often and without hesitation.

Congregational Stuff

Keep your Congregation informed.  When they don’t hear about the good stuff we are doing and the challenges we are facing, they write us off.  You are the advocate for teenagers to your church.   If you need more money, volunteers, resources, space, etc. you will have a much easier time with those requests if your congregation is invested in your ministry.  But they aren’t going to walk into your office and say, “Tell me about the youth”.   Cheerlead for your youth, make spaces for them to participate in worship, hang pictures in the hallways of their crazy activities, feature a student each month in the church newsletter, and ask them to write summaries or give talks following meaningful trips or retreats.  Anything that helps the congregation know and care about who they are and what they do will help when you need them to back you up and invest in your ministry.

Getting youth to worship is a difficult battle.  Churches often believe their youth ministry is weak if they don’t see youth in Sunday worship.   I’ve tried for years to think about ways to get my youth to come the hour or so early to attend worship before youth groups.   But they just don’t, and often times their parents don’t either.    Teenagers like to sleep in when they can and often Sunday is the only day they are not scheduled like crazy.  IF they do go, their friends aren’t there and they often get dirty looks if they are dressed in t-shirts and jeans.   Traditional worship isn’t touching them down deep.    But none of this means teens are not faithful, deep, inspiring or in touch with the living God.     They are, they just don’t often find that in worship.  Choose your battles wisely on this one.

Youth doesn’t have to happen on Sundays.  Tap into the pulse of your families and find out what works for them.  The traditional models aren’t working anymore in much of the country and we need to be in touch of the demands on students and their families.  Be creative and willing to try something new.    If you need to run things through a Board or Committee, bring those results and preferably a few parents with you as your present new models, dates, and times for approval.  Congregations who are unwilling to meet the needs of families are losing members and frustrating Youth workers.

Good luck, God bless and be ready for the best job ever!

Prayers of the People - February 15, 2015

Transfigured

God we approach you this morning, in the midst of a season of cold, dark aloneness.  We have journeyed from our homes, where many of us have spent the last few weeks inside and away from others.  We’ve kept to ourselves due to the cold, the amount of snow, the flus and colds everyone seems to be sharing, and the lack of sunlight to brighten our path.   In all of this we KNOW that you are with us and we eagerly await the transfiguration of the season, the weather and our sense of aloneness. 

We hear about the desperate state of your people around the world and we long for situations to be transformed.  The country names and atrocities are repeated so many times, we become desensitized to the damage that has been done to  people and communities.  Fighting in Ukraine, Strikes on Gaza, Isis seizing towns, hostages executed … all of these words are mentioned so often they lose their meanings and we give up looking for solutions.    Loving God, we know that in the midst of crisis, signs of your love are all around.    We trust in your power to comfort those in need and we ask you to not only change current dire situations, we look to you to transform the world to be brighter, more luminous and more in line with the Kingdom you intend.  Make the way clear for us to know how to walk with you in these efforts, as we seek to be Christ's disciples to a hurting world.

In our own country, we spent yesterday celebrating love and relationships.    But this followed a week that was marred by tragedies of young lives lost.  We hold close in our prayers the family of Kayla Mueller, the young aid worker held by Isis militants.  The confirmation of Kayla's death has brought deep sorrow the nation.     We are shocked at yet another shooting that devastates a family, and are heartsick when we see the pictures from Chapel Hill of Yusar, her husband Deah and sister Razan.  We struggle with the senselessness of their deaths ... radiant, young lives that were ended because of anger.    Our ever-present God, we know that you mourn with us.  We ask you to not only comfort these families and us, but we need your sense of peace to be infused within each of us, especially when we feel anger rising within.   Transform our strong feelings into clear paths for change.  Help us to be peacemakers, to work to rid our lives and communities of anger that damages others and ourselves.  Guide us and show us paths where we can spread the love you have shared with us to others.

As a community of faith, we too are challenged with loss that seems impossible to manage.    Together, we surround the Harris family as they face the future without the earthly presence of John, their loving husband and father … a man who compassionately served you, our community and our PADS guests.  We also life up the Carlson family as yesterday they gathered to celebrate the life of Diane.  Our prayers are with the Emola family on the loss of Dominic's brother.  The darkness of winter make these losses all the more difficult.  In the midst of the darkness, Lord, we see your light shining through.  We celebrate the birth of Elizabeth Margaret Dewitt and look with promise at the life she will lead.  We witness the snow melting, the sun shining brightly on a crisp day and know that Spring and the season of resurrection is coming.   We enter Lent this week, the season of repentance and humility.  We recognize our holy longing for you, O God and we look for the power of your love to transfigure us.    Give us imaginations and strength to continue moving forward, to step out of the aloneness of winter and reach out to one another and to you. 

Even in the midst of her imprisonment, when she faced the darkest days of her life, Kayla understood your strong presence,  God, and was comforted.   We are inspired by the words she shared,  “I have come to a place in experience where, in every sense of the word, I have surrendered myself to our creator because literally there was no else.   And by God and by your prayers I have felt tenderly cradled in freefall. I have been shown in darkness, light and have learned that even in prison, one can be free. I am grateful.  I have come to see that there is good in every situation, sometimes we just have to look for it. I pray each day that if nothing else, you have felt a certain closeness and surrender to God as well, and have formed a bond of love and support amongst one another.”  We praise you God for the life of Kayla.

God, you love each of us extravagantly and without limit.  Teach us to surrender to you, and move us to seek communities where we gather around your love to support one another.   Let us tenderly cradle one another in freefall and celebrate together the light that is to come in your Kingdom.   Be with us now and always as we pray together …

Prayers of the People - October 19, 2014

God we know our hope lies with you and we look to for comfort and strength as we enter the darker days of this season.  The leaves are changing, the days are getting shorter, the air is brisker and we are reminded of the fragile nature of our human existence …  we need you as our strong light and beacon to guide us through the days ahead.

We awake each morning and are bombarded with frightening images and words about strange diseases and terrorists threats that make us afraid.  The news is energized each time a new fear can be introduced and we often get swept away in this fearful energy. 

Loving God, erase our fears and focus our energy on looking for hope.   We pray for the victims of Ebola and the healthworkers who are searching for answers and lovingly care for patients. 

We pray for people around the world who are displaced from their homes and living under constant fear for their own safety. God, be our light and guide us to dissipate the voices of fear that surround us and focus on your love and healing power.

Lord, we know you are always with us...walk closely with us as the days get colder and we begin to close our front doors and nestle in at home.  Because the moments to enjoy the warm sunlight are fewer, we move inside and turn inward, we choose to listen to our own insecurities and live in a state of fear of what is to come...  We become more concerned about our own situation than the condition of our neighbors and others in our world.  Mother Father God, as you love all your children, you remind us of the ways we are called to reach out to love and serve others.  Bring us out of the safety of our homes to be your hands and feet to those in need. 

Bless the volunteers who love and serve our PADS guests each Sunday.  And Inspire the men we serve to seek new and healthier ways of living. Guide our church to serve the hurting world in deeper ways and spread your message of hope and love to all of your children.

We are entering the last weeks of an election season and the fevered voices of fear surround us … we hear negative messages coming from the candidates to our TVs, our mailboxes and our computers.  The Focus on what others have done wrong infects our society and our own heads We find ourselves echoing the negative tone in our own words and relationships.  

God, we know your voice is stronger than all others … guide us to ignore the other voices, to tune out the  fear and focus on your calm and loving voice.   Inspire us to imprint your words on our hearts and be the voices of hope.

Amid the shorter and colder days, we still can witness beautiful blooms and celebrations.  This morning we are reminded of God’s promises of hope with the birth of Lucas Uzureau and the baptism of Peyton Grace.   We rejoice that Billie Hauser is healing rapidly and will come home this week, and that Scott appemeyer's condition has improved and he is again at home.  We are grateful for our church that offers a safe home to our youth who return from retreat this morning.  

God we ask you to especially care for those who are ill.  Some of us have colds or the flu, while others have much deeper ills, both physically and mentally. We lift up Ray Brejcha who is currently hospitalized.  Surround us with your healing power, comfort us deep down and remind us that our hope lies in you.

Quiet those fearful voices in each of us and bring us peace.

God you have taught us that life is always changing.  We are guided to look forward and know that on the other side of the cold and dark lies the resurrection, the promise of a different future.  We know we can pass through fear and live in the hope of a new world.  Your son, Jesus taught us not to fear but to trust and follow him. We thank you for this gift and be with us as we pray together …

Our Father…