Seeing the Face of Christ in Our Families--Thursday, March 1, 2012

Colossians 3:12-15

¹²As God's chosen ones, holy and beloved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience. ¹³Bear with one another and, if anyone has a complaint against another, forgive each other; just as the Lord has forgiven you, so you also must forgive. ¹⁴Above all, clothe yourselves with love, which binds everything together in perfect harmony. ¹⁵And let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, to which indeed you were called in the one body. And be thankful.

As I run around at breakneck speed trying to juggle family, work, and friends, I am in awe of my cousins who have put aside their own needs and families to rally around my Aunts health issues including sciatica and "rising numbers" indicating her ovarian cancer is rearing its ugly head. They have divided household, financial, medical (thank God one daughter is a nurse) and other tasks to give her "assisted living" in her own home.  In the case of one daughter it might have come at a high price as she separated and has since become divorced over this as well as other issues. I know God has a plan for all of us and I wonder in this narcissistic world if her story is to remind us of our priorities and the true meaning of a Christian family...in our own and in the greater Christ the King family. Maybe in this Lenten season we should put aside our individual wants and needs, and rally around our love of Christ and his sacrifice and try to move in a harmonious direction to worship the Lord knowing that God has a plan for us and our congregation as we work together to make CTK a healthy vital, growing Face of God.

Karla Mergenthal

For reflection:

The Bible passage speaks of “clothing.”  What names would you give to the “clothing” that you “wear” most often?

What gets in the way of your showing “compassion, kindness, humility, meekness, and patience” to your nuclear and/or extended family?

What can you do differently, to contribute more fully to building a healthy, vital church family?

Seeing the Face of Christ in Our Families--Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Joshua 24:14-15

¹⁴Now therefore revere the LORD, and serve him in sincerity and in faithfulness; put away the gods that your ancestors served beyond the River and in Egypt, and serve the LORD. ¹⁵Now if you are unwilling to serve the LORD, choose this day whom you will serve, whether the gods your ancestors served in the region beyond the River or the gods of the Amorites in whose land you are living; but as for me and my household, we will serve the LORD."

There are a lot of definitions for “serve” in the dictionary, but they basically mean the same thing“to assist others and to be trustful.”  As a family, we read today’s Bible passage and discussed what it means to serve the Lord.  Responses included helping the homeless, helping those who are sick, being kind to others, worshipping God, giving of tithes,and volunteering at church.The Bible says in Mark 10:45(NIV), “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”This passage reminds us that Jesus is the greatest servant of all.

Jesus had a willing heart to serve God and so should we. Willing service is done out of love. In sharp contrast, idol worship is self-centered; focusing on what a person can get from serving an idol. Christians are to be selfless rather than self-centered. Instead of expecting God to serve us, we are to serve him, expecting nothing in return. We serve God for who he is, not for what we get out of him. Let’s learn to serve God and one another as Jesus did!

The Lyn Family

For reflection:

What does “serving the Lord” look like in your life?

How is serving, a form of worship?

What do you find happens within your spirit, when you serve?

Seeing the Face of Christ in Ourselves--Tuesday, February 28, 2012

Psalm 8

O LORD, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth!
You have set your glory above the heavens.
²Out of the mouths of babes and infants you have founded a bulwark because of your foes,
to silence the enemy and the avenger.
³When I look at your heavens, the work of your fingers,

the moon and the stars that you have established;
⁴what are human beings that you are mindful of them, mortals that you care for them?
⁵Yet you have made them a little lower than God, and crowned them with glory and honor.
⁶You have given them dominion over the works of your hands; you have put all things under their feet, ⁷all sheep and oxen, and also the beasts of the field,
⁸the birds of the air, and the fish of the sea, whatever passes along the paths of the seas.
⁹O LORD, our Sovereign, how majestic is your name in all the earth!

We look at the 8^th Psalm and reflect on all that God has created and placed at the feet of Mankind.  Out of all of Gods’ creation, we alone can begin to even discern the presence of God and to appreciate all that has been provided for us.  To a lesser extent, we have been endowed with the ability to create by freely passing accumulated knowledge from generation to generation.  The more that we know, the more we understand the gift we have been given.  With the help of God, we created two children who have grown into the men we prayed they would become.

Petra and Gary Rodzewicz

For reflection:

In what ways are you a “co-creator” with God?

What are the particular places and spaces that God has called you “to have dominion over,” and what do you think that means?

Take time this week to open yourself to the wonder of Creation.  Take a walk, or take a bike ride…and deliberately, consciously, take note of the miracle of existence, from the mightiest royal palm, to the tiniest budding wildflower.  Be awed by the majesty, of all that God is, and God does.

Seeing the Face of Christ in Ourselves--Monday, February 27, 2012

Psalm 32:1-7

Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.
²Happy are those to whom the LORD imputes no iniquity,

and in whose spirit there is no deceit.
³While I kept silence, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long.
⁴For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as

by the heat of summer.

⁵Then I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not hide my iniquity;
I said, "I will confess my transgressions to the LORD," and you forgave the guilt of my sin.
Selah ⁶Therefore let all who are faithful offer prayer to you;
at a time of distress, the rush of mighty waters shall not reach them.
⁷You are a hiding place for me; you preserve me from trouble;
you surround me with glad cries of deliverance.

After receiving my "blog" assignment from Pastor Katie, my one remaining neuron went into a panic. I read the suggested scripture, Psalm 32:1-7 from my old grandma's German bible. I didn't get much from it. Probably because I don't read German. Anyway, I focused on Seeing The Face of Christ In Ourselves and with than in mind I went to bed thinking, "When I wake up in the morning I'm going to look in the mirror for the Face of Christ."

Well, the next morning came and into the bathroom I went to look. It was terrible. Not only was the Face of Christ not there, but there was an old guy staring back. He had bird's nest hair, an unshaven chin, and eyes that had a surly, "I'm not awake" look. How in the world was I going to find the Face of Christ in that?!

It took just a moment for me to remember a verse in the Psalm's selection, "I said, 'I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,' and you forgave the guilt of my sin."

I looked back in the mirror at the old guy. Well, it can't be anything less than a sin for someone to look like that, I thought; and so with that I asked The Face of Christ that lives in my spirit to forgive him. The old guy. For not always remembering to put Christ first. And then the Face reminded me that it was important to forgive myself, which (reluctantly) I did; and then to take that forgiveness and to pass it around for the rest of the day, and maybe that week, and that month, and for as many days as I could. Pass around the forgiveness. It seemed such a simple thing to do for all He has already done for me.

I look in the mirror now as I embark on today's adventure and the Face reminds me to forgive. Toss in a little joy to sweeten it. Blow a kiss to the heaven's in thanks. I'm off again, today's crusade awaits!

David List

For reflection:

How is forgiveness, an experience of freedom?

Is there someone in your life toward whom your heart is hardened, or who you have not forgiven?  What needs to change within your spirit, in order for you to let go of your anger?

Where do you hear the gospel promises proclaimed in the psalm?

Seeing the Face of Christ in Ourselves--Sunday, February 26, 2012

Isaiah 61:1-4

The spirit of the Lord GOD is upon me, because the LORD has anointed me;
he has sent me to bring good news to the oppressed, to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim liberty to the captives, and release to the prisoners; ²to proclaim the year of the LORD's favor, and the day of vengeance of our God; to comfort all who mourn; ³to provide for those who mourn in Zion —  to give them a garland instead of ashes, the oil of gladness instead of mourning, the mantle of praise instead of a faint spirit. They will be called oaks of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, to display his glory. ⁴They shall build up the ancient ruins, they shall raise up the former devastations; they shall repair the ruined cities, the devastations of many generations.

A while back, I was asked to consider serving as a Board member of a prestigious institution.  My first reaction was to say, “Thanks for asking, but no I’m not really interested.”  Instead, I said I would give it some thought and get back to the person who had asked me.  What later struck me was that person saw something in me that I did not know existed in me.  After some soul searching and reflection I decided to accept that awesome responsibility.

At one of our first meetings together, and with quite a large group, this basic question was posed to all of us; “Do you run in the pack or are you more prone to be out front leading the pack” (are you a leader).  That first year was a real learning experience.  I noticed the blank stares, with eyes cast downward and virtually no one wanting to make eye contact with either the moderator or even other Board members.  Sometimes, the silence was just deafening.  What it made me realize was each of us have to get involved, if you’re going to have an impact on things going on in your life.

The ascent to the mountaintop is never easy.  It’s usually filled with twists and turns and a lot of unknowns that lie ahead.  I thank God for my positive outlook on life and know that encouraging and working with others builds camaraderie, trust and a true sense of being.       

Rick Lindstrom     

For reflection:

Think of a situation which stretched you or challenged you.  What new things did you discover about yourself?

Talk a family member or trusted friend that knows you intimately, and be bold to ask, “What do you see in me, that you think I might not see in myself?”  Then, turn the tables and do the same for your conversation partner.

Consider Lent as a time, not just to “give up” something, but as a time to discover new ways to serve the Lord with boldness.

Seeing the Face of Christ in Ourselves--Saturday, February 25, 2012

1 Corinthians 13:11–13

¹¹When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child; when I became an adult, I put an end to childish ways. ¹²For now we see in a mirror, dimly, but then we will see face to face. Now I know only in part; then I will know fully, even as I have been fully known. ¹³And now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; and the greatest of these is love.

We could not wait to see what our little brother would look like.  When we met him we noticed he has the same chubby cheeks we had when we were born.  Now we are like parents to Hudson. We help feed him his bottles. We love to play with him with all his toys.  We teach him to pray at the dinner table with us.  We help Mom and Dad change his diaper.  Our favorite thing to do is to take a bath with him.  He loves to squirm, splash, and tries to swim away.  As we read this Bible verse again we thought about how God provides all of these same things for us that we are now doing for Hudson.  It reminds us of how much God loves us.  I think when you graduate college, you are like an adult.  Now we as kids , we like to play on playgrounds with other kids.  When we show love to our brother or to our friends, it is like being Christ ourselves.  Also we just gave Valentines to show our love to others. 

Prayer: Dear Lord, Thank you for giving us food, water, and shelter.  Help us stay healthy and teach us to love one another. AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAmen.

Charlotte(8) and Amelia Lee(6)

For reflection:

How do you embody the presence of Christ to those closest to you?

Today, rest in the ways that God is present to you…in your family, and/or in those that relate to you like family.

Seeing the Face of Christ in Ourselves--Friday, February 24, 2012

Galatians 2:19a-20

^19aFor through the law I died to the law, so that I might live to God. I have been crucified with Christ; ²⁰and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

I think that we should try and live as if we have been given a second chance.  We should help the helpless.  Feed those unable to feed themselves.  Help ones who cannot help themselves.  Help teach those who have a hard time learning.  Become role models to God’s children who have no role models.  Trust that all of your good deeds will not go unheard.  This is the real test: for us all to reach out and commit to the needs of the helpless. 

Doug Kraft

For reflection:

What does it mean to you, to be crucified with Christ?

What are some of the opportunities to “help the helpless” that surround you?

Take time today, to thank God.  Give thanks that you never exhaust God’s forgiveness and love...and that you have another chance, this day and every day, to see the face of Christ in your neighbor, and be the face of Christ to your neighbor.

Seeing the Face of Christ in Ourselves--Thursday, February 23, 2012

Psalm 25:1-7

To you, O LORD, I lift up my soul.
2O my God, in you I trust; do not let me be put to shame;

do not let my enemies exult over me.
3Do not let those who wait for you be put to shame;
let them be ashamed who are wantonly treacherous.
4Make me to know your ways, O LORD; teach me your paths.
5Lead me in your truth, and teach me, for you are the God of my salvation;
for you I wait all day long.
6Be mindful of your mercy, O LORD, and of your steadfast love,

for they have been from of old.
7Do not remember the sins of my youth or my transgressions; according to your steadfast love remember me,
for your goodness' sake, O LORD!

In worshiping God, we must lift up our souls to him. None who wait on and believe in God shall be ashamed of it. Even the most devout believer both needs and wants to be taught of God. If we sincerely desire to know our duty, and are resolved to do our duty, God will show us the way. The psalmist is earnest for the pardon of his sins. When God pardons sin, he is said to remember it no more, which denotes full remission. It is God's goodness, not ours – and His mercy, not our merit – that are the foundations for the pardon of our sin. We make an urgent plea because we are acutely aware of our own unworthiness; we must be satisfied with the riches of God's mercy and grace. It is a boundless mercy that covers forever the sins and follies of a youth spent without God and without hope. We beg that such mercy be granted us and we ask God to accept our trust in Him.

John Kelso

For reflection:

Is there anything you find yourself wishing God “would not remember?”

What are you “waiting on God” to answer in your life right now?  What impact does this waiting have on you, and/or your relationship with God?

Throughout the day today, consider what it means to walk in God’s pathway.  What would need to change, in order for that to happen more fully?

Seeing the Face of Christ in Ourselves--Ash Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Bible Reading: Psalm 51:1-12                    

Have mercy on me, O God, according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy blot out my transgressions.
²Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.
³For I know my transgressions, and my sin is ever before me.
⁴Against you, you alone, have I sinned, and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you are justified in your sentence and blameless when you pass judgment.
⁵Indeed, I was born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me.
⁶You desire truth in the inward being; therefore teach me wisdom in my secret heart.
⁷Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
⁸Let me hear joy and gladness; let the bones that you have crushed rejoice.
⁹Hide your face from my sins, and blot out all my iniquities.
¹⁰Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me.
¹¹Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from me.
¹²Restore to me the joy of your salvation, and sustain in me a willing spirit.

This familiar psalm was written by David after Nathan told him of God’s judgment against him because of his adultery with Bathsheba and his sending her husband, Uriah, into battle to be killed. One can wonder why our faith traditions exalt such a man and others who have clearly fallen short, but it is these exemplars of faith who instruct us in divine grace.  This psalm reminds us of our own sinful nature and the horror we experience when we think we could be cast away from the grace of God and His Spirit because of it.  But it also propels us to faith and hope for redemption through the Holy Spirit and the vision of Christ.  Like David, we seek the joy of salvation which is offered freely through Jesus Christ and will be with us eternally.                                                                            

It has been said that the only thing we contribute to our own salvation is our sinfulness. We can’t save ourselves. We can’t do it on our own. Only God can save us.   In today’s psalm, David is acknowledging his sinfulness and pleading for God’s forgiveness.  This psalm moves us to think about our own sinfulness. We might say, “Well, I haven’t committed adultery and I haven’t killed anybody!” But that’s not really the point, is it? We are sinful, even from the very beginning, as the psalm points out so poetically, “…born guilty, a sinner when my mother conceived me.” We’ve all fallen short both through acts of commission and acts of omission. But, the Good News is that we’re not just left in our state of sin without hope. We know that God does, indeed, forgive us, cleanse us, save us. But, first we must recognize that we are hopeless sinners and need saving. Even after the adultery and murder, David didn’t seem to realize how much he needed forgiveness until Nathan confronted him. Like David, we must recognize that we need saving and then ask. David beseeches God to “..not cast me away from your presence, and …not take your holy spirit from me.” We all need God’s presence in our lives, His Holy Spirit, His saving grace, and He gives it to us freely. Hallelujah! 

Dave and Sharon Johnson

For reflection:

--Think of a time over the past week when you did something, or said something, that was hurtful or destructive.  What was the impact of your behavior?  Did you rationalize your behavior, or regret it later?  What does it feel like, to turn it over to God and seek forgiveness and renewal?

--What does it mean for you to be marked with ashes?

--Take time to reflect: in what ways am I “less than” what God intends me to be?  In what ways is God calling me into a deeper, more faithful relationship...and what should I do to respond?

As you read and reflect on the thoughts for the day, you are also invited to post a comment and join the conversation.  May you see the face of Christ this day.

The Journey Is About To Begin

Daily devotionals will be posted beginning this week, on Ash Wednesday.  The first theme is "Seeing the Face of Christ in Ourselves."  The following week's theme (weeks run from Wednesday to Wednesday) will be "Seeing the Face of Christ in our Families."  These topics will also be reflected in the midweek services, which you are urged to attend.  On Ash Wednesday, services are at noon and again at 7:30pm; there will be imposition of ashes, and Holy Communion at both worship opportunities.
Then, weekly starting Wednesday, February 29 through Wednesday, March 28, you are urged to attend midweek supper and worship.   Soup and bread will be available beginning at 6:30pm, and conversation and contemplation will begin at 7:30pm.  I hope to "meet you" online and at the services on Wednesday evenings.
God's peace, Pastor Katie

"Matters of the Spirit" is a new communication vehicle for Christ The King Lutheran Church.  Throughout the season of Lent, a paragraph will be posted each day, to invite your reflection, prayer, and response.  We will be "Seeing the Face of Christ" throughout the season--in ourselves, in our families, in worship, in congregational life, in our workplaces, in our world, and through the events of Holy Week.

Members and friends are encouraged to visit the website daily--and when the spirit moves them, to post a comment and start a conversation!  There will be thought questions offered each morning to get you started.

Welcome to the journey--may you find meaning and blessing through "Matters of theSpirit."