I Believe
Our choir is singing a beautiful piece which Lauren, our Director of Music, found for us for our Good Friday service. The poem was found scrawled on a wall in the Cologne concentration camp after it was liberated in World War II. 

It is a hauntingly beautiful poem and song which I believe, sets the tone for our worship as we contemplate the suffering of Jesus. 

Holy Week blessings to you, 
Pastor Kathryn

I Believe 
I believe in the sun, even when it’s not shining
I believe in love, even when I don’t feel it.
I believe in God, even when God is silent. ​

Palm/Passion Sunday This Sunday may seem to have two “personalities” for you. Many of us grew up with the Sunday before Holy Week being celebrated as simply Palm Sunday. We celebrated with God’s people the triumphant Jesus entering Jerusalem on a colt. The people spread cloaks and palms before him, as they would for a king! We sang our Hosannas as we also entered the sanctuary waving our palm branches! 

Well, over the years, the church recognized that many faithful members would attend Palm Sunday, then skip to Easter without attending either of the Holy Week services (Maundy Thursday and Good Friday). So that meant many members were missing the crucifixion of Jesus. They celebrated on Palm Sunday, then celebrated on Easter. But they missed the cross. They missed the death of Jesus on that cross. So the church decided to have this Sunday be Palm/Passion Sunday.

At Elim this year we open with a few of our members marching down Stanley Street with our palms (and really! they are Elim’s palms!) waving as we make our way into the sanctuary. We hear the Gospel of Jesus entering Jerusalem, with the people calling out their Hosannas! 

As we move further into worship, we hear the story of the Passion of Christ – which includes his death on the cross. We sing hymns which are interspersed throughout the Gospel readings. There is no sermon. We allow the Word of God and the hymns to move our hearts and minds as we reflect on Jesus’ suffering. We ourselves are making our way to the cross.

So we begin with our “Hosannas”, and end with the crucifixion – Jesus giving his life for the whole world.

After this Sunday, we enter Holy Week, thirsty for the completion of God’s astonishing work. I encourage you to attend our Maundy Thursday Zoom worship with Marin Lutheran and our Good Friday worship.

See you in worship,
Pastor Kathryn

​“For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not your own doing;
it is the gift of God . . . “ (Ephesians 2:8)
I’m preaching on Ephesians this Sunday. (Ephesians 2: 1 -10) 

I’m preaching on the grace of God. Lutherans speak so much about the grace of God because Luther felt it was the lens through which we view all our theology. 

I want to share the following words from The Rev. Frederick Buechner, a Presbyterian pastor, who I enjoy reading. It comes from his book Wishful Thinking.  Interesting fact: I bought my husband this book for our wedding. Romantic – I know!!  

“A good sleep is grace and so are good dreams. Most tears are grace. The smell of rain is grace. Somebody loving you is grace. Loving somebody is grace. Have you ever tried to love somebody? 
 
A crucial eccentricity of the Christian faith is the assertion that people are saved by grace. There's nothing you have to do. There's nothing you have to do. There's nothing you have to do. 
 
The grace of God means something like: "Here is your life. You might never have been, but you are because the party wouldn't have been complete without you. Here is the world. Beautiful and terrible things will happen. Don't be afraid. I am with you. Nothing can ever separate us. It's for you I created the universe. I love you." 
 
There's only one catch. Like any other gift, the gift of grace can be yours only if you'll reach out and take it. 
 
Maybe being able to reach out and take it is a gift too.” 

May God’s grace be with you, sisters and brothers in Christ. 
Pastor Kathryn

​In preparation for this Sunday’s sermon, I suggest you read: Exodus 20: 1 -17. It’s the 10 commandments.

Here’s what a Lutheran pastor and theologian wrote about the 10 commandments in the Christian Century:
 
“Our common misunderstanding of the commandments as a set of burdens overlooks something essential, namely that they are prefaced not by an order: ‘Here are your rules. You better obey them or else.’ But instead by a breathtaking announcement of freedom: ‘I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery.’ ”

They’re from a God who is madly in love with us – who loves and cares for us in the wilderness of our lives. A God who comes to us, gives us guidance so that we will not lose our way. A God who says to us:
 
“This is what you were made for. You were made to LIVE in this community of justice, in right relationship with me, Your God.

This is the way you shall love with your whole heart, with all your soul and with all your might. This is the way you will practice my love for the world. This is the way you will remain true to me.”
           
Of course – God knows, and WE KNOW – we won’t always remain true to God. We will get lost or disoriented in the wilderness and forget whose we are.
           
Thanks be to God that in Christ – we are FORGIVEN.
                       
And thanks be to God, that God never tires of calling us back home again.
           
“See” you in worship – you beloved children of God,
Pastor Kathryn

Be Open “Return to the Lord, your God, who is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.” (Joel 2:13) 

As we begin our Lenten journey together, I encourage you to be open during Lent. Be open to: 

• Where God is leading you in prayer,
• Those obstacles which may prevent you from prayer.
• What you can learn from your experiences when you bring those experiences to God in prayer, and
• God’s grace and mercy and forgiveness for you.

God is addressing us in all moments of our lives. Most of the time, we just aren’t paying attention:  we aren’t open or aware. 

In my devotion time this morning, I read this simple sentence from Saint Therese of Lisieux, a Roman Catholic sister who lived in the late 19th century. It is from St. Therese of Lisieux: Her Last Conversations. 
“Everything is grace.” 
“Everything is grace.” 

Sisters and brothers in Christ, may we all be open to our holy God this Lenten season. May we all be aware that everything is grace: God’s grace is infused into every moment of our ordinary lives! 

God’s peace, 
Pastor Kathryn

​“Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and John, and led them up a high mountain apart, by themselves.
And he was transfigured before them.
Then a cloud overshadowed them, and from the cloud there came a voice,
‘This is my Child, the Beloved; to this one you shall listen!’
Suddenly when they looked around, they saw no one with them anymore, but only Jesus.” (Mark 9: 2, 7 – 8)
 
I keep a journal, and so I know that a year ago today I climbed up a volcano in Guatemala. Yes! A volcano. It’s called Vulcan Pacaya.

It took us a long time to climb that volcano. It was an arduous hike. There were people with us from all over the world. Thomas, Hannah and I spoke quite a bit with a father and son from France. We shared stories about our lives.

After two hours, we were on top of the volcano. We looked across at another volcano which was active. The red-hot lava was pouring every 45 seconds or so down the side of the mountain. It was beautiful, terrifying, and awesome. I asked our guide if he ever worried that it would blow when he was taking a group of hikers up the volcano. He said, “Yes. I worry all the time. This is dangerous. I worry about my wife and my children. Pero, este es mi vida. This is my life.”

This Sunday, we will attend worship together and hear these words from the Gospel of Mark about the Transfiguration. Our Confirmands will bring us the sermon in the form of a Skit. In our Children’s Message, Eire and Johann will hide the Alleluia banner. We won’t be saying or singing “Alleluia” during the season of Lent, which begins this Wednesday with Ash Wednesday.

Sisters and brothers in Christ, may God put a blessing upon us as we contemplate the Transfiguration. May our hearts and minds be open to all the ways we listen to Jesus.

See you in worship,
Pastor Kathryn

“Those who wait for the Lord shall renew their strength, 
They shall mount up with wings like eagles, 
They shall run and not be weary, 
They shall walk and not faint.” Isaiah 40: 31

We’ll hear these words from the prophet Isaiah this Sunday in worship. It’s one of my favorite verses! The prophet is encouraging the Israelites who had witnessed their temple being destroyed in Jerusalem, and some of them were taken as captives to Babylon. They were doubting whether God still had compassion for them, or whether God had any power to release them from their bondage. They were a people in despair and discouraged. The prophet was trying to boost their spirits by reminding them who God is, and that they will be redeemed. 

And then we’ll sing “On Eagle’s Wings” which is taken from Psalm 91: 

“And he will raise you up on eagle’s wings, 
Bear you on the breath of dawn, 
Make you to shine like the sun, 
And hold you in the palm of his hand.”
Sisters and brothers in Christ, take heart! God is with us! Our strength will be renewed. 

See you in worship, 
Pastor Kathryn

I watched a video about the future of our church with our Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton yesterday. It was quite hopeful and inspiring. At the end, Bp. Elizabeth looked directly into the camera and said: “Thank you leaders of our congregations. Thank you for your service during your exhaustion – during this challenging time.” 

I found myself tearing up a bit. Since I’ve joined you as your Interim Pastor, we’ve experienced an ongoing global pandemic, we’ve experienced a pandemic of racial inequity and divisive rhetoric in our country, we’ve had beloved members experience health problems, and we’ve buried some members. I know for certain that I would know more of you if we hadn’t been living with COVID! 

It’s been challenging for all of us, to be sure. Our Leadership Team, and our staff have been working hard to serve all of us at Elim. They have been creative, and they have been tireless in their service. So have our worship producers, our food pantry volunteers, and the leaders of our Women’s and Men’s groups, as well as those who have picked up the phone or dropped off goodies to someone whom they haven’t seen in a while. Thank you to all of you who have done your part in serving Christ at Elim during this challenging time.

We’ve also celebrated a Baptism two weeks ago, and have another for twins coming up in a week. And yesterday I spoke with a family who want their three children to be baptized. At every Baptism, we promise to teach that child about God’s love. 

We have work to do, church. May God continue to empower us to follow in the way of Jesus – the way of love, of justice and of healing in the world which is in desperate need – now more than ever. 

See you in worship, 
Pr. Kathryn

P.S. I’m preaching about demons this week. Don’t miss it! ​