“Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. Each person should give what he has decided in his heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.”
- 2 Corinthians 9:6-7

Usually Pastor Tom provides the stewardship message in this newsletter and he does a very fine job of presenting the ideas of stewardship.  However, this month I have a special story to share.

A couple weeks ago, Pastor Bruce Rudolf was here sharing information about “Food for the Poor”.  Perhaps you have wondered why I invite certain guests to share about their ministries.  We are blessed to live in this time and in this place with more resources than any other time and place.  God calls us to see that everything we have is a gift from God and to share those resources with others.  However, the burden of deciding how to share and how to do the most for God’s Kingdom can be difficult.  By allowing guests to come and present information, some people will be touched by a presentation and feel compelled to give.  Other people may not be so moved, but find that there are other moments and other needs that touch their hearts. 

After church that Sunday, I received a call from Aletha Coleman.  Aletha has allowed me to share this story, but does not want it to be about her.  Rather, this story is about how one person was touched at one moment and made a decision.  It is a story of how each of us will have moments when we are moved to act and the idea that we should encourage one another in those moments.  Aletha called to tell me that she and Denis would be celebrating their 30^th wedding anniversary next month.  She had asked him for a diamond bracelet as a gift.  After hearing the message, Aletha was moved with the thoughts that we truly are blessed and chose that she and Denis would give a house to people in Haiti instead, giving up the diamond bracelet.  We can rejoice not so much in the fact that Aletha and Denis did this, but in the fact that God did this at Bethany and we are uplifted as God’s people.

There are similar stories for each natural disaster we have witnessed and each time we have helped a family, church, or other group.  When the tsunami hit in Tonga, we immediately received a large check with encouragement to share with people who we could help in that community.  When the earthquake hit in Haiti, we received another large check from a different person, with more encouragement to share how we could help there.  Time and again, I have witnessed cheerful giving and encouragement for all of us at Bethany, as we are stewards of all God has given to us.

I would like to also give thanks for one important group of people who are rarely noticed, but who also are fulfilling God’s call to be cheerful givers.  There are many people in our congregation who give their offerings weekly, monthly and quarterly – not to special events or moments, but to the ongoing work of Bethany Lutheran Church.  Many of you have continued or increased your giving during difficult economic times.  For this, we should all give thanks and be encouraged by these faithful and cheerful stewards.

May God bless you richly as you give from the riches that God has provided you.  I pray that all of us will be cheerful givers in whatever ways God leads and that we will encourage one another for all of the ministries of God’s Kingdom at Bethany.

God’s Peace,
Pastor Jon

“Remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy.”

The new LWML quarterly came out with an article about my dear friend Ruth Koch.  A few years ago Pastor David and Ruth came out to visit during a time when Pastor David was struggling with cancer.  About two years ago, David was taken to heaven, leaving behind many people who were touched by his compassionate ministry.  He article interweaves Ruth’s life with her transition after the loss of David.  One part of the article was very interesting to me.  Ruth gets a lot of things done and she is one person whom I would say is at least as busy as I am.  I was interested to see that she works to keep a Sabbath day of rest when she does not work.  She goes on to say that for pastors and for many others, it cannot be on Sunday, because naturally they work on that date.

We tend to think of the Sabbath in terms of going to church.  Ruth points out that for her the Sabbath is not just about going to church, but also about rest, prayer, listening to God and realizing that God really did give us 6 days for work and one for rest.  We then must order our lives to complete what is needed in those 6 days and take our time of rest.  God modeled this in the creation of the world.

This also prompted me to think about a problem we have here in the over-worked and over-achieving area we call Silicon Valley.  Many of you work 6 days a week at your jobs, with little time to take care of the business at home.  I have heard from so many of you who tell me that Sunday is your only day to take care of things at home.  While I wrestle with this reality, I have come to the conclusion that I cannot change the basic structure of the jobs in this area.  There are huge expectations on workers and simply so many hours in a week.  What to do?

A new couple shared with me last week that in their old church they had an evening service that was tailored to our hurried up life style.  The service was very informal, focused on the message from the prior Sunday, and allowed people to ask questions, listen to some music, relax with a cup of coffee, and unwind from the pressures of the week.  I was very interested to hear that for this couple, an evening service during the week was much easier to attend than Sunday morning.  Pastor Tom and I will be discussing this and I would love to hear from you if you are interested.  My biggest need would be to have a couple of musicians who could help.  In other words, a guitarist or two or three would be wonderful, because they could play, lead some singing and not have to perform every week. 

I am actively looking for ways to nurture the faith of people who know Jesus and witness to others who do not yet believe.  Pastor Tom is busy on this as well.  I pray that you will life up these concerns and needs in prayer that we might be guided to find real solutions to the needs and opportunities for Sabbath rest.

God’s Peace,
Pastor Jon

A First for Bethany

On March 31, Ed Stinson retired, becoming the first called worker to ever retire at Bethany.  We give thanks for the nearly 10 years Ed was able to serve prior to retiring.  There are a number of things to share with you about this event.

A Great Situation for all: Concordia Retirement Plan is a very good plan and provides well for workers.  Because of Ed’s many years of service, he was able to take an early retirement and still receive all of the benefits he would have received if he had retired later in life.  Additionally, Concordia allows the worker to be re-employed for a lower number of hours and continue their ministry.  This results in a happier employee, a cost savings to the church, and continued blessings through the worker who is active in ministry.  In Ed’s case, this means he will continue all of his most important ministry activities and still have more time for other pursuits outside of Bethany.

A Celebration: On Sunday, May 16, we will have a special lunch honoring Ed for his years of service to the Lord through the Lutheran Church.  The lunch will be held immediately following worship, so please mark you calendar and plan to join us.  The lunch is free and, considering that it has taken 60 years for there to be a retirement of a called worker at Bethany, you will want to enjoy this event.

Join us at Ed's Retirement Lunch!  Click here to RSVP today!

Big Thanks: As I explained to Pastor Tom, most of Ed’s work cannot be seen by the average member of the congregation.  However, I receive calls and notes almost weekly from people who are grateful that Ed is making calls on the elderly and sick in our congregation.  His compassion and care have been exceptional and I am grateful for his service to Jesus and to this community.  I am thankful that Ed will continue this ministry and has not “fully” retired.

Retirement is a funny word.  Do we ever really retire from our Kingdom work for Jesus? Called church workers are people who have dedicated their professional AND the rest of their life to serving Jesus in the church.  Yet, like everyone else, they know that all of us have a life calling to serve Jesus in all that we do.  So, Ed is retiring in his professional life and with regard to his compensation, but he continues to serve with us in the body of Christ.  That is why I have to place the word “fully” in quotes when it stands next to the word retired.  None of us are ever retired when it comes to serving Jesus.

Ed and I saw this first hand when Elmer Blank was called to heaven.  With every breath Elmer took, he gave thanks to God and witnessed to his faith.  He witnessed to Ed and me, even as we served him and his family.  So, let’s celebrate this retirement for Ed, with a clear and joy-filled understanding that all of us serve the Lord until the end, or as Paul says in Acts 20:24 “however, I consider my life worth nothing to me, if only I may finish the race and complete the task the Lord has given me – the task of testifying to the gospel of God’s grace.”

Congratulations, Ed! May the rest of the race be as fulfilling as the years that have already been run!

Pastor Jon

“Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plan in your own eye? How can you say to your brother, ‘Let me take the speck out of your eye,’ when all the time there is a plank in your own eye? You hypocrite, first take the plank out of your own eye, and then you will see clearly to remove the speck from your brother’s eye.” Matthew 7: 3-5

 
Recently in some personal study time I noticed one thing and thought of a new idea that seems to make more sense.  This passage is preceded by these words in verse 1 and 2: “Do not judge or you too will be judged.  For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you.” For some reason, it finally occurred to me that the plank and the speck are really the exact same sin or problem.

From a psychological point of view, this is explained as a concept called projection.  When I am dealing with a problem, anxiety or fear in my life, it is easy to project my feelings onto other people.  Likewise, most of us project onto others our behavior patterns, ideals, and cultural norms, without ever thinking about it.  So, Jesus is noting that when we see this “speck” in the eye of another person, and we try to point out and solve the “flaw or error” in their life, we might just want to look at our own life and consider what is prompting our need to fix someone else.  We may find that the plank in our life is helping us see a similar speck in the life of someone else.

Have you ever stopped to notice or consider your motivation when you are really upset with someone? Have you ever considered how your own background, family of origin, or set of expectations could be coloring your needs in the relationship? Is it possible that an error or problem in your life seems evident in the life of someone else, because you are stuck looking at your own problem? Often our judgment of others is more about our own view of life than about a real problem in the life of the other person.

As followers of Jesus, we have many quotes for Jesus indicating that we should “love our neighbor”, put the needs of others first, and even sacrifice for others.  I find that when I am doing these things, it is much harder to notice “specks” in the eyes of others.  It is much harder to see their flaws as things that I must fix, but I see them as people to be loved.  When I am not seeing the flaws, when I am loving without condition, I have the opportunity to share the love of Jesus who died for us when we were yet sinners.

I suppose we could say that Jesus, who never had a plank in his eye, took that plank and died on it so that all of the specks of the world would be gone.  So, we can fix our eyes on the ONE plank that allows us to see a dying Savior, who is raised again for our sins.  Following him, we can share the love and mercy that God provides for all people who are struggling with all kinds of life difficulties.

God’s Peace,
Pastor Jon

March 2010

The following Bible passage comes from a book called The Message by Eugene Peterson.  The Message is a modern rendering of the Bible.  This passage comes from the first Chapter of John:

“He came to his own people, but they didn’t want him.  But whoever did want him, who believed he was who he claimed and would do what he said, He made to be their true selves, their child-of-God selves…The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood.  We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son.  Generous inside and out, true from start to finish.”

I have been reading a book called The Jesus I Never Knew by Phillip Yancey.  Yancey describes the incarnation of Jesus in a way that is very helpful for me because of a similar experience I had in my youth.  When I was young, we had a number of fish tanks and three aquariums, filled mostly with guppies and other small freshwater fish.  I can remember spending many hours taking care of the fish tanks and bowls.  I had to keep the chemistry in the tank just right.  I had to feed the fish enough to live, but not so much that the food would be floating around, fouling the water.  Most of all, I had to change the water every couple of weeks, which required siphoning out most of the water, without catching a fish in the suction!

As much as I loved my fish and wanted them to be able to understand that I meant them no harm, whenever I opened the lid of the aquarium, they would scurry away and hide as best they could.  Behind rocks, in the seaweed, behind the filter - they would swim away and feel hidden from whatever was opening the lid.  Even when I fed them, it took a while for the fish to come near the surface and then only for a moment.  It was clear to me that the fish did not understand me or my intentions.  If I ever wanted to be able to communicate to the fish my nature and how much I cared, I would have to become a fish, which was impossible.

However, if it was possible, would I want to be in that aquarium? Would I want to eat fish food, and swim in the water that was constantly getting dirtier? Would I be able to stay away from that interesting tube, which oops, sucked another fish into a bucket and had to be moved back to the tank in a net? Of course not! I had no desire to be a fish.

For Jesus to have become a human baby took much more sacrifice than it would for me to be a fish.  Jesus gave up the perfect love, peace, and joy of heaven to be in our sin-filled world.  Jesus became vulnerable to physical and emotional harm as a human being.  Jesus put up with all of the foul and nasty effects of a world that was becoming more and more dirty in many ways.  And he came for one purpose . . . to save all of us from this world and give back to us the perfect creation.

On Good Friday, we witness the ultimate sacrifice and purpose of Jesus’ incarnation.  He not only becomes one of us, but he dies for us.  We did not understand his behaviors or statements.  Some of us did not even want him as a person.  Yet, he endured all of this so that we could have what he was willing to leave for a period of time.  On Easter morning, we witness the miracle of the resurrection, see the One who came into our neighborhood, breaking the finality of death, and granting to us the promise of everlasting life in the presence of God. 

Happy Easter,
Pastor Jon

February 2010