Digital Devotions and Related Websites

In an age in which we are increasingly aware of the amount of paper we use, isn’t it wonderful that there are alternatives? I’ll share some of my favorites and invite you to share using the St. Matthew Face Book site. First, our own Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota has a few resources. For Bible study, try: www.enterthebible.org . On this web site, you can begin two different extended Bible studies on an “Introduction to the Bible” and “What is a Gospel?”. There is something on every book of the Bible and overviews of Old and New Testaments. At a sister link, you can have a devotion e-mailed to you daily. The writer is the same for the week and five of the seven days focus on the lessons to be read the following Sunday and the two weekend devotions relate to hymns that might be used as part of the theme. To get at “God Pause” go to www.luthersem.edu/godpause and register your-mail.

I have always like the writing of the late Henri Nouwen and highly recommend this site. They too will e-mail you either a daily devotion or a weekly one. Go to: www.HenriNouwen.org and register your e-mail. Another ecumenical site that I came across when I was preparing for last years series on world religions has a Hindu background, but as I have read the “Thought for the Day” from Eknath Easwaran, who died in 1999, I find many references to the bible, to literary writers and to many of the themes in our faith. You can get to this e-mailed devotion by going to: www.easwaran.org/page/141 to sign us or to read the current “Thought for the Day”

One of my favorite magazines has been Guideposts, founded by Norman Vincent Peale. At www.guideposts.org you can read a number of stories of faith. In seasons of preparation- Advent and Lent, our Bishop Allan Bjornberg and Synod staff writes devotions that we can provide links in that season. All this is to say that there are a variety of free resources you can access, but none of them really substitute for in person worship here at St. Matthews! All of our resources are the results of your generous gifts that keep the lights on, the coffee brewing, the choir singing and the Sunday School learning. Look in the newsletter for information on St. Matthew’s Festival, and for Rally Sunday with start-up activities for the fall.

Peace and Joy!
Pastor Gordon

In The Soup

Over the years, I have become acquainted with the writing of Jon Gordon. It came first in a magazine published by Guideposts called “Positive Living”. He wrote a column on coaching in positive living. From there, I began to get his books, The Energy Bus, Training Camp, The Shark and the Goldfish, and his latest work released in May, Soup. He writes in a simple parable style, that encourages and inspires those in the business world. Gordon wrote Soup, after consulting with Campbell’s Soup Company, but that is all the connection there is between the two. The subtitle to the book is “A Recipe to Nourish your Team and Culture”. I read the book and passed along a copy to Don Jablonski, our new council president and he has provided copies for all of our church council. Why? Because we think the culture of St. Matthew’s needs some TLC.

In the book, Nancy, was appointed by the Board of Directors of Soup, to become it’s new CEO. She has a daunting task, because the company’s sales has taken a downturn, morale at the workplace is at an all time low- they are on their third CEO of the year, and workers didn’t think management cared. Nancy is doing her best, but one day she decided to get away from the company and find a place to get a bite to eat. She stumbles on a little restaurant called “Grandma’s Soup House”. She meets Grandma, and her grandson Peter. The soup has been delicious, but she wants to know the story of their success. Grandma says, “Isn’t it interesting that two people can follow the same recipe and the result is different? The difference lies in the one who stirs the pot. No matter what the ingredients are in the soup, the stirrer is in control. It seems as if part of their personality is stirred into the soup.” So grandma tells Nancy, The number one rule is to sir the pot with love.

We began to use this book at our council retreat and will continue to use it at our monthly meetings, and each step of the way, we will learn more of the culture in which we live and impact that culture for good. Her second instruction is “Lead with Optimism.” Well, your church council is optimistic about the future of St. Matthews and we want you to be as well. Thanks for signing up for worship teams! There is still an opportunity to sign up and participate. Most of all, we covet your prayers. These have been very tough economic time for the church and I believe that prayer makes a difference.
Peace and Joy!

Pastor Gordon

Heating it up for Summer

By the time you read this, those cool refreshing rains that we were complaining about toward the end of May and first part of June should be turning into roasting summer heat. Summer is a great time to do different kinds of things- picnics, camping trips, vacations, and reunions with family or school-mates. One thing does need heating up and that is our relationship with God. Here at St. Matthews, we really need you to amp up the heat on your participation. You will read in the newsletter about the new worship teams that we begin in July. Look for the July team members and the kinds of things that they will do. Consider joining a team! No. Just do it!! A couple of great opportunities are to do a CARES (Coffee, Acquaint, Relax, Enjoy, and Snack) fellowship after church. Feel like cleaning? Do we have an opportunity for you! The schedule is wide open for cleaning the church. Don’t let the few do all the work. Each of the committees will be searching for more members shortly. Consider participating in one area and use the gifts and talents that God has given you to expand the mission of the church.

On July 10th from 9-3, we will have the annual council planning retreat- right here at church. It will be a great opportunity to get the scope of our ministry for the next year. First we will look at the calendar from July to June (2010-2011) and plot out the obvious, and then the not so obvious, fellowship activities, education opportunities, worship experiences. We will be looking for ways we can better co-operate with one another and be supportive. Next, we will do some visioning for the future, a 5 year plan, for things that we would like to see take place within our congregation. Finally, we will have our July council meeting at the close, so we make better use of our time together.

For too long we have been living, actually existing, but we need to look toward the future and allow God to shape us for ministry in the future. I hope you are part of the summer heat!

Peace and Joy!
Pastor Gordon J Young

A Month of Celebrations

I don’t know about you, but in our household, we have had to deal with a loss of 50% of income since September. Since Dayle has not been employed. While it is not fun, we are making adjustments as we can. In reality, St. Matthew’s has gone through the same downturn in offerings- nearly 30% down. While we are making it, it is not always fun. We have chosen not to hire an office secretary for a while to help ease the budget and are greatly appreciative of volunteers to help with office duties. Being stretched for funds does not mean we cannot continue to celebrate. At home, we have a celebration plate for the person to be honored. At church we have a weekly celebration of Holy Communion as we remember that we are invited to the banquet of our Lord. We must find more ways to celebrate! June is a month of celebrations!

If you do not scan the opening pages of Christ in Our Home devotional, do so today and you will find a list of celebrations. Here is the list for June and notice that not all are Lutherans on the list: Justin Martyr, The Martyrs of Uganda (1886) John XXIII, Boniface, Chief Seattle, Columba, Aidan, Bede, Barnabas, Basil the Great, Gregory of Nyssa, Gregory of Nazianzus, Macrina, Onisimos Nesbit, John the Baptist, Presentation of the Augsburg Confession, Philipp Melanchthon, Cyril, Iranaeus, Peter, and Paul.

Occasionally, the devotion for the day tells a little more about the person, but it is always easy to find more about these men and women of faith as well as the one event listed (Presentation of the Augsburg Confession). All you need to do if you have a computer is to type the name into the search engine and out will come an article or more, and books by that person (if there are any), It is important to celebrate these lives not as super special holy persons, but as witnesses to the faith we too share. Their stories can enrich ours. Here is a challenge for you: If you do search and find more about that person, let me know and we can put a short article in the next newsletter.

Here is another request: If you want to describe a celebration your family enjoys, let me know that as well and we can share it with others. Life is too short not to celebrate God’s presence daily. May you keep your eyes open this summer for a multitude of celebrations.

Peace and Joy!
Pastor Gordon

Opening to the Holy Spirit

If there is one thing that the month of May does not need, that would be more activities! Schools, elementary, secondary and university all have stacked the month of May to the brim. With the arrival of spring-like weather, people are spending more time outside, caring for lawns, and planting gardens. Even churches are filled with activities as Sunday School comes to a resting place for the summer. We add to that, confirmation, new members, and a semi-annual meeting and you can see how busy we can get. Even the ECLA gets busy with Synod Assemblies.

Ours, the Rocky Mountain Synod will meet May 27-29 in Denver, Colorado. The theme will be Word, Story and Image. I am inviting you to consider a special gift to help St. Matthew’s Lutheran church send our three voting members- Pastor Gordon, Scott and Stacy Frandsen. We anticipate the cost to be $1100 for the church. The Synod will pay for our air fare as part of the travel equalization. The Bible Study Leader, Diane Jacobson has four keynote presentations: The Bible: Devotional Reading, The Bible: Historical Reading, The Bible: Literary Reading, and The Bible: Lutheran Theological Reading. At this assembly, Olan Mills will again take pictures for a Synod picture directory and on Friday, there will be 17 ways to “Experience the Word”. I believe that it is essential that we be represented especially as we anticipate utilizing “The Book of Faith” materials this fall.

The 50th day of Easter also comes in the merry month of May- May 23rd to be exact. We celebrate the gift of the Holy Spirit to the church and to individuals. If we are to have life as a church, we must pray for the gifts of the Holy Spirit. From Luther’s Small Catechism, we say “The Holy Spirit calls, gathers, enlightens and makes holy the whole Christian church on earth and keeps it united with Jesus Christ in the one true faith. Daily in this Christian church the Holy Spirit abundantly forgives all sins-mine and those of all believers. On the last day the Holy Spirit will raise me and all the dead and will give to me and all believers in Christ eternal life.” I don’t know about you, but I need the holy Spirit, and I believe that the congregation of St. Matthew’s needs the Holy Spirit as well. Pray for the Holy Spirit and then be open to the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Pray as we come together in our semi-annual meeting on May 23rd that the Spirit lead us to be a more effective church. Pray for your leaders and those who will be stepping into leadership positions, that God will be honored by our service.

In Christ,

Pastor Gordon J Young

Yearning for the Resurrection

Maundy Thursday is only two weeks away as I write this article, and I am already yearning for Easter. I am not looking forward to just the day of April 4, 2010, but to the resurrection and new life. I am tired of negative news and in the culture of fear that we have set for ourselves. I believe that the resurrection poses a question that must be answered with our very lives. Are we ready to stake my life on the resurrection of Jesus? To do so will mean that we must let go of fear, risking everything for the kingdom. I furthermore believe that St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church is at a crossroads as well. Will we live in the resurrection, or will we dwell on our problems?

First St. Matthew’s is at a crossroads as a result of the ELCA’s decision on gay and lesbian ministry. A few of our families have moved on because of their convictions that this was “abominable”. As many of you know, I support the ELCA’s actions and would have voted for them if I had been present. The issue for me has to do with inclusivity and whether or not our faith will allow us to let others minister, if called by God. I believe we are moving on, even though we grieve for those who have left. It is time to welcome all people and use the gifts that God has given them.

Second, St. Matthew’s is at a crossroads financially. While we have responded to the financial crisis in December, we have come nearly to the same place again. Salaries, mortgages and utilities are all we seem to pay and those occasionally on a rotating basis. The solution is not to give more, but to invite more to come. I believe that finances will take care of themselves if we focus on the ministry at hand.

Third, I believe that we are at a crossroads spiritually. In the five and a half years that I have been your pastor, I have worked to stimulate a prayerful community and to get into our book of faith- the Bible. I believe that God puts a desire to worship – sing and pray and be silent in God’s presence. We cultivate the joy of the resurrection in the way we worship and pray. We anticipate the resurrection as we read the scripture. Worship is not an individual practice, but a community practice. We yearn for the resurrection.

I have witnessed many miracles in my ministry, enough to convince me that the resurrection is real. Will we yield our fears to the Lord? Do you believe in the resurrection from the dead? Dry bones can live again. Renewal can come to those who yearn for the resurrection.

Looking Forward
Pastor Gordon Young

Jonah’s Journey

I have been a believer that some bible stories get attached to us because they have much to teach and guide us through life. One story that I keep coming back to over and over through the last 40 years is the story of Jonah. Now I am no fisherman- perhaps like Jonah. I have been known to drown a fish before I get it reeled in, but fishing with my father in Montana is one of the things I look forward to each summer. You know the story as well as any in the Bible. God asked Jonah to go to Ninevah (modern day Iraq) and preach repentance to the residents. Jonah does just the opposite and books passage to Tarshish (perhaps Spain), running away from God. Here is one connection for me. As much as I like serving the Lord, sometimes when it seems that the going will be rough, it is easier to book passage to Tarshish to avoid it.

On board the cargo boat, Jonah is sleeping in his quarters while a great storm pounds the boat. Sailors are panicking and thinking at the same time that perhaps this storm is the result of someone’s sin. The short stick falls to Jonah. While Jonah claimed responsibility, since he was running away from God, he was a little too eager to take the blame. Jonah turned his responsibility into an opportunity to get out all together, just throw him overboard and the responsibility for his death is the sailors and not his own. In Lent we focus on sin, those we commit that are against God and others as well as the things we do not do. Facing responsibility is important as we look toward the cross and the resurrection. It is our sins that put Jesus there and only his forgiveness can heal.

Surprise! A great fish swallows Jonah and he has a floating cavernous tomb in which to meditate. He prays. In times of crisis, we seem to pray our most earnest, and deepest prayers. Jonah did and it seems as a result, the whale vomited Johan up on a beach. God’s command was renewed. Jonah didn’t get off the hook, just because he took a detour. He still had to go to Ninevah. So he did. He shortened what the Lord had commanded him to say to barely: “Repent, or else!” Guess what the people did and even from the greatest to the least, even the animals put on sackcloth and sprinkled ashes over themselves in token of their remorse. Jonah didn’t like his mission, but he did it anyway.

Finally, Jonah is pouting outside of Ninevah. When God comes the question is “Can I not have mercy on those I wish to have mercy on?” Jonah says, “Yes, but…” The story ends. Jonah is all about the grace of God, that comes whether we are in the mood or not. The three days in the whale are connected to Jesus three days in the tomb. If this is a time of darkness for you, don’t avoid it, and don’t go it alone. God goes with you. Remember the third day! May God bless this time of reflection as we near Easter and bring you through to experience the resurrection with full joy.

God Bless!

Pastor Gordon J Young

By the way, come to Mid-week Lenten Services where Jonah Journey is the theme.

Bits and Pieces

Lent begins with Ash Wednesday on February 17. The theme for this season is "The Sign of Jonah" There will be six clips from the life of Jonah that will remind us that we are in the season of Lent. Ash Wednesday will use the imposition of ashes traced as a cross on our foreheads to remind us that we are dust and to dust we shall return. We bear the mark of the cross reflecting our mortality. Each of the six weeks in Lent you will receive a take home reminder of that evening's drama. On February 24 and March 3, 10, 17, 24 there will be a soup and bread supper. Remember to sign up and bring your favorite soup and/or bread.

With the events of the past week, this season of Epiphany has seemed more like Lent. Dayle and I made a quick trip on January 19 to be with our daughter Katie as she mourned the death of her fiancée Tony. Tony had a rare form of muscular dystrophy. We met Tony's parents and family, and in addition, lament that their wedding date of April 17 will never take place. Thanks for your prayers during this time.

The adult class will begin a new study using Max Lucado's book "Fearless" beginning February 7. If you don't have a copy, we will place an order on February 1st, so let me know. Books get here in two days. "Fearless” raises the issue of fear and all kinds of fears that we have.

This week, I am at the 2010 Theological Conference in Colorado Springs with other pastors and leaders of our Rocky Mountain Synod. Our speakers include Dr. David Lose whose topics include: The Power of Story, A Competition of Stories, and Opening the Biblical Story. Carrie Newcomer will speak on The Power of Transformative Story, and Faith and Vocation: Authentic Work, and Deep Listening. Robin Jensen will speak on Image as Exegesis: Narration and Interpretation of Biblical Text in Visual Art, Image as Proclamation: The Communication Dimension of Visual Art, and Image as Meditation: The Spiritual, Pastoral and Liturgical Functions of Visual Art. It is a good time to get together with others in our Synod. This year we will be at the Cheyenne Mountain Resort in Colorado Springs.

Peace and Joy!
Pastor Gordon

A Year of Living Generously

2009 is quickly coming to an end. This has been a year marked by the great recession. Hints of the widespread effect the downturn in the economy will take came late last year. There have been a number of families impacted in our congregation, who have lost jobs, downsized in a job, or face other economic stresses related to unexpected health issues. To respond, we usually tighten our belts and spend less and put away more, just in case. The fear of terrorists seems pale compared with the frightening economy. In fact, it has been a fear-filled decade.

How do we live as people of faith, in the context of fear? I have subscribed to a quarterly journal called “Word and World” for a number of years and occasionally, they give a preview of an upcoming issue. The January issue is on health, healing and wellness. One article intrigues me in the issue to still be received is called” How I Pray Is Breathe” by Mary Hinkle Shore. When I am fearful, I tend to breath faster and shallower. When I notice that fear response in others, I simply say: “Breathe!” Every breath is a gift from God. My breathing helps me to remember that since God gave me the breath of life, I need not worry, or be overcome with fear. I breathe deeper, and slower, treasuring each breath.

My breathing reminds me that I cannot out-give God. It is very humbling experience to be on the receiving end of such generosity. We mark the birth of Jesus- God did not even hold back his own Son. We look for the Epiphanies of Jesus, discovering where he chooses to reveal himself to us. We are humbled when we journey to the cross, and again overwhelmed when on Easter we experience the extraordinary generosity of God again, who raised us Jesus from the dead.

What would it be like for us as the faith community of St. Matthew’s Lutheran Church to dedicate 2010 as a year of living generously? We would discover the great impact we have as a church on our community and we would give generously to support those ministries. We would dedicate a portion of our time to assist in those ministries, teaching, worship, and serving in the community. We will discover that we as individuals have gifts to offer and our God who is so generous, will use us to demonstrate his generosity to those in need. When we live generously, fear fades, community is strengthened, and hope is renewed.

Pledged to Live Generously in 2010

Pastor Gordon J Young