ps from psJesus starts this upcoming weekend’s Gospel with this line: “You are the salt of the earth.”
Now, living in Western New York, we have opinions about salt. We put salt on our roads. We put salt on our fries. We put it on our movie popcorn. Some of us probably put salt on things that already have enough salt. Salt is everywhere. And most of the time, we don’t think about it—until it’s missing.
Ever had fries with no salt? They’re not fries. They’re sadness. Ever have movie popcorn without salt? Said no one ever!! Ever tried hitting the roads in winter before they were salted? Terrifying.
That’s kind of Jesus’ point. Salt isn’t flashy. It doesn’t announce itself. But when it’s gone, everything is off. Flavorless. Flat. Even dangerous.
Jesus says to the people listening that day…and this day, that salt? – it’s YOU. Not someone else.Not just pastors. Not the church choir or band. Not the Council. You
You.
And then, as if that wasn’t enough pressure, Jesus keeps going: “You are the light of the world.”
Okay Jesus—salt and light? That feels like a lot for a cold winter’s day!
But they are both already in you. Part of you.
In Jesus’ time, salt wasn’t just seasoning. It preserved food. It kept things from spoiling. It slowed down decay. Which is interesting—because Jesus doesn’t say, “You are the sugar of the earth.” Or, “You are the sprinkles of the world.” You are not a sweet additive. You’re a preserving change agent.
Salt changes things. Salt preserves things. Light changes things. Light lessens darkness. And neither one exists for itself. Salt doesn’t say, “Look at me, I’m salt!” Light doesn’t say, “Wow, I’m so bright.” They exist for the sake of others.
Jesus is talking about a faith that actually does something. Not loud faith. Not perfect faith. Not Instagram-filler faith. Just… day-to-day, regular, everyday, useful faith.
This week, put your useful faith into action for change. You don’t have to change the whole world this week. Just show up where you already are. Add flavor where things feel bland. Bring light where things feel heavy. Live your faith in ways that actually help someone.
Because whether you realize it or not— You are already salt. You are already light. And God is using you—right now—more than you know.
I’m working remotely this week from Silver Bay YMCA and Conference Center in Silver Bay, NY. Got here Sunday before the 15″ of snow.
Some of you might know the camp on the north end of Lake George as the site of the Lutheran Week at Silver Bay which many in the Lutheran tribe have been gathering at over the summer for many years. Beautiful in the summer. Maybe even more beautiful in the winter.
Michelle came with me this year. We get our workout done in the morning. Then I work on Lenten planning, meetings with Pastor Kristen and staff, sermon planning, and time to write. Before dinner, we hit some cross country ski time and then add a night snow shoe with the head lamps. It’s a lot of added outdoor stuff. So I had to let go of a few things: like watching the stupid Patriots win, other random sports events, checking Facebook and keeping up to speed on the news cycle.
It’s not to run away from it. It’s to get a break from it. A break to rebuild.
The Spiritual Life Center here (a retreat center where pastors/church workers can come and stay for free for respite) has a great little library filled with books to read if you choose. This one caught my eye:
To be clear, I’m not planning on reading it (it has waaaaay too many words and not enough pictures and diagrams). I just love the title and picture. I especially love the depth and width of the roots.
In order for the leafs to get to the top of the tree, beautify the landscape, provide the oxygen and shade the surroundings, the roots must be healthy, wide and deep.
Coming to Silver Bay and working from here once a year builds up my roots. Shutting off social media to take a break builds my roots. Disengaging from the painful news cycle builds my roots. And yes, not letting my emotional stability be influenced by who wins a football game builds my roots. (Although, I’m sure if the Bills ever won the SB, that would build my roots too! What’d ya say God?)
In order for us to maintain/rebuild our spiritual and emotional health, we have to give time, space and energy to those roots. Jesus modeled it and encouraged it. In Matthew 5, Jesus reminded so many who were run down, cast off and root-less because of the culture, that they were blessed. He was trying to build their roots in the depth and width of his love.
I drove 5 hours in a snowstorm. You might not have to go that far though. It may be in the quiet of your home, God’s creation around you or even space at St. Paul’s. (Which ALL of you are welcome to sit in the sanctuary at St. Paul’s at any time, beyond Sundays, if you just need some space for the rebuild. And right now it also acts as cryotherapy being about 57 degrees! Bring a prayer shawl this week).
This week, may you give yourself time to “transform your inner life” by stepping away from the things that are breaking you down and allowing God to rebuild your roots!
Lord, help me find the space, make the time and create room by letting go, so that you can rebuild my roots. Amen
ps from psI’ve never been much of a fisherman. And I don’t go often, But when I do fish, it takes time, usually something good happens but it’s different every time.
This might surprise some frequent flyer readers to hear, but I’m fairly impatient. If I don’t have a “fish on” in the first 15 minutes, I usually start questioning where I’m fishing, the depth, the conditions, the lure or worm. Most times, I move the boat, cast in a different area or move up or down the river to try something different. In the midst of the frustrations, it’s important to remind myself that, no matter the results, I’m still relaxing, hanging with friends/family and connecting to creation. No matter how many 4″ sunfish I hook, it’s always great to feel yourself land one and reel it in. Then you toss them back in the water and wish them luck with the rest of their day.
“Come follow me and I will teach you to fish for people.” – Jesus, to the first disciples in Matthew 4.
These were real fisherman Jesus was inviting! Toss a big net sort of guys that could bring in a big haul. And now they were going to fish for people?? That was a big ask. Probably a scary step. I wonder if there experiences with people were also time consuming, with good things occasionally happening and different all the time?
Well I guess I don’t have to wonder, because it’s written all through the gospels and the book of Acts. Fishing for people was hard, needed patience, hard work to see the good times sometimes and brought all kinds of different responses.
Did I say was or is??!!
It was then and is now. We read story and story in Scriptures of having to feed the hungry, deal with abuse of power, stand with those who were broken, speak up for those cast aside and even kick off the dust when people didn’t listen.
Same as today. And maybe needed even more than ever before.
I hope this week whether you are a fisherman, lawyer, teacher, retired, in school, drive for Uber, or anyone else just minding your own business, I hope you’ll fish in this world. For people. With the same love, grace, forgiveness and direction that Jesus used on his lure for you. His love for you.
It may not be fast or easy. It may need multiple interactions and spots on the river. It may need patience and direction from God. But the people in your sea…your lake…your river… are worth it. Worth the love. Worth the grace. Worth the compassion.
And as you fish, may you sense that bite when it all comes together through the Holy Spirit and hear “fish on!”!
Lord, help me to be patient and continue fishing. Amen
I finally did it. I finally broke down and got golf lessons.
Now listen—this was not easy for me. Because in my head, I was already… pretty good. I mean, I’d been golfing for years. I’ve been operating “successfully” under the “swing hard in case you make contact” mantra.
So I show up to the lesson, and the coach says, “Alright Steve, just take a normal swing.” I swing twice.
He goes, “Okay… let’s stop right there.” What?? Only two swings has exposed a potential problem??
And then he shows me the replay. And I’m telling you—I could not believe what I was seeing. In my mind? Smooth. Controlled. Powerful. On the screen? It looked like I was trying to fight off a swarm of bees.
My grip was off. My stance was off. I learned about something called ‘swing plane’. And the whole time I’m saying, “No way. That can’t be right.” But there it was. I couldn’t deny it—because I saw it.
Here’s the thing: Once I saw it, I couldn’t unsee it and I had a decision to make. I could say, “Nah, I’m good,” and keep swinging the same broken swing…
Or I could say, “Alright. Now that I see it—what am I going to do about it?”
That question—that moment—is exactly what’s happening to the disciples in John 1:29–42.
When Jesus walks by, John the Baptist tells his disciples: There he is! He’s the one! They see him. And once they see him, they can’t unsee him. The relationship is started. And their swing changes!!
Jesus calls them to follow and says: Come and see. He gives them a new swing, a more powerful swing, a more loving swing.
A couple thoughts I’m wondering about from this story in John: 1. If Jesus videoed our swing, what would he show us? In our discipleship game, what parts and pieces of our daily swing needed to be tweaked, changed or start from scratch? And do we have the courage to make those important adjustments? 2. As we see others’ daily swings, how can we reflect a potential different way to them? How can we model Jesus teaching and invite others into it with the same loving way that our Coach does for us: with grace, forgiveness and direction?
Maybe swing hard in case you make contact isn’t always the best way? Maybe “come and see” might be better.
There’s 103 things we are all “preparing” as we move through December toward Christmas.
But is “Ourselves” even on the list?
At St. Paul’s this Advent, Pastor Kristen designed “Advent In A Bag” to help people prepare themselves for the good and great news of Jesus’ love coming into the world once again. Each week in December, I’ll share one of her activities for you to experience and enjoy to make sure that preparing YOU becomes more of a priority in this wonderful season.
Here’s one for the second week of Advent:
We have joy because God is with us.Light three hope, peace, and joy candles. Begin by recognizing that God joins you here. Say, Welcome Creator, Jesus, Spirit. Amen.What was the most fun thing you did today and what was the hardest thing you did today?READ: Luke 1:39-48 If Mary had visited Elizabeth during our modern times, Elizabeth might have picked her up at the airport. Elizabeth would have been waiting with flowers or balloons, watching for her cousin, Mary, to appear.And when Elizabeth saw Mary walking towards her, pulling her roll- ing suitcase behind her, Elizabeth’s whole pregnant body would have shivered with joy. And baby John inside her would have bounced around, knowing that something exciting was happening.Mary would have picked up her speed, laughing and jogging to meet her beloved Elizabeth, and they would have hugged and kissed each other. They would have probably been noisy, shouting with happiness. Anyone else at the airport would have seen and heard their contagious joy.It feels good to watch other people reunite after a long time apart. The joy grows between them, and it inspires onlookers to feel joy too. We can relate when we see this because we know what it feels like to be with someone we care about and who cares about us. It is like electricity passing between us when we are with someone we love. Maybe you have felt that feeling after a week away at camp, or after months of not seeing your grandparents, or when you return to school after a long summer away.Some people would call that electric feeling of love between people “the Holy Spirit.” When Mary and Elizabeth met each other that day, the Holy Spirit was there, too. And when God is present with us through the Holy Spirit, we are filled with joy! These are some of the feelings people have when they are around someone they love and trust:Warmth – Comfort – Excitement – Safety – Wholeness – Support – EncouragementElizabeth and Mary show us that when we are with people we love, God is there, too!REFLECTION OR DISCUSSION QUESTIONS• Have you ever felt “butterflies in your stomach” when you were excited to see someone? What does your body feel like when you are with someone you love? What feelings would you add to the list above?• How does our love for each other bring us joy? • How does our love for each other remind us God is with usDear God, thank you for your electric love and joy-filled laughter we feel when we are with people we love. When our bodies buzz with excitement, may we remember you are always with us. Amen.
There’s 103 things we are all “preparing” as we move through December toward Christmas.
But is “Ourselves” even on the list?
At St. Paul’s this Advent, Pastor Kristen designed “Advent In A Bag” to help people prepare themselves for the good and great news of Jesus’ love coming into the world once again. Each week in December, I’ll share one of her activities for you to experience and enjoy to make sure that preparing YOU becomes more of a priority in this wonderful season.
Here’s one for the second week of Advent:
We have peace because God is with us.
Light two candles to represent hope & peace. God is with you always, but begin by acknowledging God’s presence. Say, I (we) gather here in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen.
Share/Contemplate a high & a low of your day. How do you feel when plans change? Do you enjoy it or feel stressed?
There was a man named Joseph who was going to marry a girl named Mary. After marriage, Joseph hoped they would have children together. Joseph was not planning on being a father be- fore they were married, and when he heard Mary was going to have a baby, he was afraid. Maybe Joseph did not understand there are many ways to be a family. He was not at peace with this new plan. In fact, he started thinking about ways he could change the plan.
Have you ever had a big change of plans? Did you feel at peace? Did you feel nervous? God knew that Joseph was feeling nervous.
An angel of the Lord appeared to Joseph in a dream and said, “do not be afraid” to embrace this new plan. The angel told Joseph to marry Mary, to name their baby “Jesus,” and that Jesus would save God’s people. This message must have given Joseph peace about the new plan because when he woke up, he married Mary and committed himself to be a father.
The writer of Matthew tells the reader this plan would fulfill a prophecy from the Hebrew Scriptures: “…and they shall name him Emmanuel,” which means, “God is with us.”
This does not mean Joseph and Mary called Jesus “Emmanuel” around the house. Instead, it means every time Joseph and Mary thought about their son, they would remember God was present in their son and God wanted to be present with the whole world. Even though our plans change and unexpected things happen, God is always with us. Like Joseph, we can find peace knowing we are not alone when plans change.
REFLECTION OR DISCUSSION QUESTIONS
When has your family had a change of plans? How did you feel? What makes you feel peaceful?
Prayer: Practice Breath Prayer Take a deep breath in. Take a deep breath out.
Do you remember what Emmanuel means? It means God with us! No matter where we are, what we do, or how we feel, God is al- ways with us—just like our breath!
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