Community Lutheran Church

A Message from Pastor Greg

2011-10-31T23:26:00.000-07:00

“I thank my God in all my remembrance of you.” Philippians 1:1

As I think back over the years here at Community Lutheran Church I count myself blessed. These years with you have been wonderful, challenging, loving, and filled with unexpected joy. I will remember you with a deep sense of love and appreciation.

When I came here nearly 10 years ago CLC was a different church and Rancho Santa Margarita was a different community. Both have gone through significant changes. RSM became incorporated, a beautiful community center was built, I was privileged to be part of the 9/11 first anniversary remembrance at RSM lake, and I have been blessed to be part of the planning sessions of the New Year’s Eve Family Night celebration in Central Park. CLC had its changes also. We experienced changes in staff, the celebration of our 30th Anniversary in which all predecessor pastors were in attendance. We built a beautiful patio, and have experienced opportunities to serve others through Corazon, Adopt an Angel, and Habitat for Humanity, just to name a few. We have worshiped on Saturday night, we offered a family VBS in the summer and of course, the backpacking program which has continued for 27 years. There are so many things that we have experienced together for which I give thanks.

As I reflect back over the years spent here I can’t help but see the hand of God and recognize how God moves in unexpected ways. Martin Luther once described this as the “alien work” of God. He proposed that God works in ways and means that we would not recognize nor attribute to God. How true is that! Whether that may be seeking a new call (my situation) or wondering what kind of pastor will come here (your situation) God is present every step of the way. And not just present as a bystander but present actively, shaping, affecting, and guiding our lives. I know God is here now doing marvelous things that at the moment we may not recognize. Perhaps someday, as we look back at this moment, we will see God’s hand accomplishing his will through what Martin Luther described as an “alien work”.

I will miss you. I have felt and known your love and I am grateful for that. It is my prayer that the love of God that brought us and bound us together will continue to strengthen and encourage you in the days ahead. “I thank my God in all my remembrance of you.”

Pastor Greg

Pastor’s Message For April

2011-04-02T14:22:00.000-07:00

“Shift Happens” “All things are lawful, but not all things are helpful. All things are lawful, but not all things build up.” 1 Corinthians 10:23

Years ago I attended a conference in which was entitled “Shift happens”. The purpose of the conference was to engage us in how the world was shifting and that the church, the pleaders need to make the necessary adjustments. This conference preceded the Internet, cell phones, and personal computers. In the next five years all these things came to be. There was a dramatic shift in information technology and the way we do business. This same thing happened in the watch industry.

The Swiss made the best watches in the world and were committed to constant refinement of their expertise. It was the Swiss who came forward with the minute hand and the second hand. They led the world in discovering better ways to manufacture the gears, hearings, and mainsprings of watches. They even led the way in waterproofing techniques and self-winding models. By 1968, the Swiss made 65 percent of all watches sold in the world and laid claim to as much as 90 percent of the profits.

By 1980, however, they had laid off thousands of watchmakers and controlled less than 10 percent of the world market. Their profit domination dropped to less than 20 percent. Between 1979 and 1981, fifty thousand of the sixty-two thou-sand Swiss watchmakers lost their jobs. Why? The Swiss had refused to consider a new development—the Quartz movement—ironically, invented by a Swiss. Because it had no mainspring or knob, it was rejected. It was too much of a paradigm shift for them to embrace. Seiko, on the other hand, accepted it and, along with a few other companies, became a leader in the watch industry. Shift happens.

We live in a rapidly changing world. Sometimes it seems to be changing much too fast. Be that as it may, we must come to terms with the change. In the church, some 2000 years ago a significant change occurred. Jesus as Messiah ushered in a paradigm shift of sorts. He was the anointed one of God, the Messiah, but in a new way. He gave his life for us all and then was raised from the dead to show that he was indeed the Messiah. For many they could not adjust to the change. Today there seems to be more preoccupation of personal desires and less concern for community. Actions, displays of anger, regardless how violent, seem to be accepted as part of life. Commitments to community, to things outside of family are waning. The changes I see are not for the better but for the worst. If the Christian faith doesn’t change our lives, if it doesn’t usher in new concern for others, if it doesn’t counteract selfish desire then what good is it?

But it does do that. It does this by calling us to make a shift in how we do things. We can choose to be like the Swiss and keep doing things as before, celebrating our past successes and assuming they will lead us into the future. Or we, like Seiko and other watch companies, make the shift and engage the future in a new way, one that leads to new hope. Ask yourself if God is calling you to make the shift, to think in new ways, to look beyond personal desires and see a greater community. After all shift happens.

Pastor Greg

Let Us Sing Thanksgiving

2010-11-25T07:00:00.000-08:00

This past Sunday a Community Lutheran hosted a very special event, Let Us Sing Thanksgiving. The special service brought together many of the Rancho Santa Margarita community faiths and churches in a special celebration of Thanksgiving. The event was hosted and organized by the Interfaith Council of Rancho Santa Margarita. The participating congregations and faiths included:

First Church of Christ, Scientist

St. John's Episcopal

San Francisco Solano Catholic Church

Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

Sikh Faith

Baha'i Faith of RSM

Community Lutheran Church of RSM

The service offered prayerful thoughts from many religious leaders in our community and songs of gratitude from the many different congregations. There were special musical offerings from the following performers:

Allison Tyler and Jane Hutepea from the the First Church of Christ, Scientist

The Light of Unity Singers from the Baha'i Faith of RSM

The Live Oak Ward Choir accompanied by Michon Miller from the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints

The Community Lutheran Church Bell Choir

The San Francisco Solano Choir accompanied by Audrey Jacobsen from the San Francisco Solano Catholic Church

The evening ended with all of the evenings participants and attendees sharing in the community hymn of "Let There Be Peace on Earth". Following the service there were tasty desserts shared during the fellowship. It was a fantastic evening of faith, song and fellowship. It was also a wonderful reminder of how much all the different faiths in our community have to offer.

In the spirit of true community we are all stronger when we work together and worship together. Thank you to everyone who participated in the evening.

For All The Saints

2010-11-23T08:00:00.000-08:00

If you missed Pastor Greg's message from All Saints Day, here is a chance to revisit again.

“For All the Saints”
All Saints Sunday
November 7, 2010

There are events that occur in the life of a congregation which are significant. Unfortunately, when personal schedules are full, when economic ties are hard, and when distractions that life brings weigh heavy on our minds these significant events can be missed. Today is one of those significant moments in the life of a church. And yet due to the uncertainty that seems to be pervasive, with the concern over our future made ever more prominent by the recent political elections, a significant time such as this is easily lost.

Among the great celebrations of the church year such as Christmas, Easter, and Pentecost there is “All Saints Day”. I suspect, that if we are honest with ourselves this day doesn’t stand out as all that significant. It is not as though we place presents under a tree waiting for the saints of old to place gifts there for us. And yet, what this day stands for , the reason for its placement in the church year calendar is quite significant.

All Saints Day is a day of remembrance. It is a day in which we remember those who have died in the faith. And in a few minutes we will pay respect to those who are connected to this congregation who have joined the Church Triumphant in the last year.

All Saints Day is a day of remembrance. We remember that God has been there for so many over the years and in the same way God remains present for us today. This act of remembering brings a sense of hope. God is a God who is faithful. God is without variation or change. As God was yesterday so God is the same today.

All Saints Day is a significant day indeed. It is a day not to be taken lightly or without due consideration. For these reasons, and more, we take time to reflect on the meaning of this day and its significance for our lives.

It has been the nature of people to use life’s experiences to validate the truths upheld by people. For example: We hold the belief that it is true for people to be giving to others. That in giving one finds meaning to life and purpose for one’s life. As we give or withhold giving the belief is validated through experience. Thus experience becomes the criteria to know if what we believe is true or not true.

A common mistake we a Christians make is to use this same formula with regards to truths about faith and the relationship we have with God. There are truths about spiritual matters that cannot be proven through experience. To believe experience is a validating factor can lead to all kinds of error and misinterpretation concerning God and God’s activity in our lives.

For example. It is a common belief that when one becomes a Christian that one’s life will change for the better. That is to say, we will become more Christ-like. To prove this to be true we then turn to life’s experiences to find proof. We look for harmonious relationships, we look for people of patience and compassion, and we look for people who are obedient to God’s will and living consistent with that will.

What often happens is that we don’t see these factors present. We find people who still struggle with pain, anger, and temptation. We see lives that do not reflect any change for the better. What we find is an apparent absence of God’s presence. Looking for proof we find none. That experience then throws us for a loop. Based on life’s experiences and lack of validation we begin to question our beliefs. Instead of questioning our formula, that maybe it is wrong, we instead question our belief and wonder if it is wrong.

I remember a Sunday when a member left church feeling inspired, moved by the whole experience, thinking he had witnessed the presence of God. Before the day had ended another person from the church had verbally abused and intimidated his son in public. All the good feelings of worship were replace with confusion, anger, and questioning if God really does exist. My friend’s response to me was “maybe God doesn’t really change anyone.” When life’s experiences do not match what we think life should be as a Christian more ties than not we are ready to quit being a Christian. Seldom do we ask if our formula, our process to validate truth through experience is valid.

Not everything God does in our lives can be seen or felt. We cannot always point to some experience and say God was there. And in the same way point to some experience and say God wasn’t there. There isn’t always proof of God’s existence. God will at times be known through apparent contradictions, through acts of violence, and even through hatred and prejudice. Sometimes God is known and sometimes not. The point is we cannot use life’s experiences as proof for the existence of God or the absence of God.

There certainly are times when God’s presence is known. I have seen miracles of healing, miracles in nature. I have witnessed near comatose patients awaken at the reciting of the Lord’s Prayer. There are plenty of acts of courage of faith in the midst of persecution (i.e. Mother Theresa; Nelson Mandela, Martin Luther).

All Saints Day is a day in which in the midst of misery and death, facing debilitating illness or the loss of work, there is hope and life. It is a day that speaks of healing (physical, emotional, and spiritual).

All Saints Day is not a day in which we lift up what we do or can do. Instead, it is a day in which we lift up what God has done and continues to do. It is a day when we look in the face of lack of evidence and proclaim that God is at work in our lives. It is a day in which we celebrate the triumph of God’s love and mercy over human pride, and stubbornness.

All Saints Day is a great day in the life of the church! It reminds us that as God was present for others so too God is present for us. Regardless of what we feel, what we can measure, or even what we may see, God is here, for us, now! This is what we celebrate today on All Saints Sunday!

AMEN

The Path of Least Resistance

2010-11-22T08:00:00.000-08:00

If you weren't able to join us this weekend, here is Pastor Greg's message from this past weekend.

“The Path of Least Resistance”
Christ the King Sunday
Jeremiah 23:1-6
November 21, 2010

It has been said that a politician who someone who will stand for anything that will leave him sitting pretty. A politician is someone who works his gums before the election and gums up the works afterwards.

Today is Christ the King Sunday. In our society we are governed not by a king but by democratic rule, representative government. Yet we are here to celebrate Christ as King, a title that is a bit foreign to us, and one that is not part of our collective experience. So I would like to come at this from a different perspective.

We are all too painfully aware of the leadership of our government. We know there are those in public office who act with integrity and honesty. We also know that there are those who lack any kind of moral compass. After all our political leaders are human and being human they are prone to the same shortfalls you and I are prone too. Therefore there will be leaders who act according to the office they hold and there are leaders who take advantage of the office they hold. Whether a person’s title is congressman, senator, president, or king, there are certain expectations that must be met if that person will exercise the duties of the office well. Those who meet those expectations we recognize as good leaders. They are concerned for the welfare of the people. The lessons of today speak to this responsibility.

In Jeremiah’s day he had to deal with a king who was more concerned about his job security than he was about being faithful to the office he held. Instead of trusting God and seeking to do God’s will, he chose a path that led to severe resistance: resistance from Babylon, resistance from his people, and especially resistance from God. Had he sought out God’s will, which was the easier way, life would have been so different for him and Israel.

A friend of mine used to tell his kids there is the right way and the hard way to get things done. He was trying to teach them that sometimes when we seek to promote our welfare, when we cut corners, when we try to make people do what we want things become hard. If we were to do it the right way to begin with, if we would act responsibly, even if it seemed like a lot more work, in the long run it was easier. He wanted his sons to take the path of least resistance when it came to exercising their will. The same principle holds true for us.

When we are pushed against our will do we not resist? When we are asked to put our desires last, and when it feels as if the forces of life (political process, institutional will) bear down upon us do we not resist? Of course we do. And isn’t it equally true that when we act with responsibility, placing our desires second, when we talked to others with respect, acknowledge their ideas, doesn’t life seem to go easier?

When a person with power exercises power for selfish ambition resistance will occur. When leaders turn from concern of others and focus concern upon themselves, their people will become hard, resisting change. When we are self-protecting, self promoting, showing little concern for the welfare of others, seldom do things go smoothly.

What you may not realize is the title “king” in Hebrew literally means shepherd. That is to say, to be king is someone who cares for the sheep and not himself. To be king (shepherd) is to be someone who seeks the welfare and protection of the sheep (not the shepherd). The king seeks to protect his people and doesn’t seek t promote himself. He serves rather than being served. By doing so we are more likely to respond without resistance. You might say, to truly be king is to take the path of least resistance.

Assuming the role of king (i.e. shepherd) Jesus offers acceptance instead of conditions, in place of holding past failures against us he offers us forgiveness, and in place of promoting himself he gave himself up to be killed on a cross. All of these were done in order that we would be protected, loved, and cared for.

What we celebrate today is a trust that God recognizes that we are important and that God stops at nothing to protect us, not even giving up his son to die. He is the one true king. When it comes to loving us and working in out lives Jesus has taken the path of least resistance.

There is nothing magic about the mud of our lives. We resist force and respond to love. Thank God that Jesus, for our sake, took the path of least resistance,

AMEN

New Members Joining Our Congregation

2010-11-21T13:09:00.000-08:00

Our family continues to grow at Community Lutheran Church with three new families joining us today. Please welcome the following families to our congregation:

Rob and Venessa Chase and their family Courtney, Emma and Colton
David and Kirsten Fick and Zachary (and a soon to arrive little boy!)
Richard and Mel Simonsen

Welcome to our congregation, we all excited to have you as part of the Community Lutheran family.

What Defines Your Life?

2010-11-21T11:46:00.000-08:00

Yesterday's blog posting referred to the Sermon below. This is a truly inspirational sermon that causes one to stop an reflect on who you are and who you want to be. I encourage you all to take a moment to read Pastor's message and share your thoughts on how you define yourself.

What Defines Your Life?
Sundays in Pentecost
Luke 21:19
November 14, 2010

If you can start the day without caffeine, if you can be cheerful, ignoring aches and pains, if you can resist complaining and boring people with your troubles, if you can understand when loved ones are too busy to give you time, if you can take criticism and blame without resentment, if you can face the world without lies and deceit, if you can relax without the aid of liquor or sleeping pills, if you can do all these things, then you are probably the family dog!

For the rest of us life is not so simple. With all we see in the headlines and on the evening news, from the war in Afghanistan to the political, vile comments on the news, from Wall Street to the streets of Orange County there is enough to make the even most optimistic person think twice about the future.

It is amazing how life has changed in the last 9 years following the events on September 11, 2001. Before that day we often looked to sports figures, Hollywood actors, perhaps CEOs of large companies as our heroes. Now we pay great respect and homage to our police force, firefighters, and those who serve in our military. Sometimes tragic events, even miraculous events can redefine the way we conduct our life. I want to focus on what it is that defines who we are, on that which defines our life.

The last verse in the Gospel lesson reads, “By your endurance you will gain your souls.” The literal word is not souls but life. For whatever reason, the translator took liberty with the text and interpreted it for us by replacing life with souls. I prefer the original word, albeit, it could be misleading. I hope to clarify it for you and explain what I believe Jesus meant when he said, “By your endurance you will gain your life.”

What defines your life?

If I were to ask you to describe your life how would it look? Would you describe it by the work you do? Perhaps you would describe it by the relationships you keep? Or maybe, you would describe your life through the success and failures you have experienced. Some may describe their life in numeric terms, as in age. Each of us has a set of criteria of how we define our life. That definition reveals a great deal of what we believe and how we see life in general. As Christians, I believe the criterion by which we define our life is different than that for those who are non-Christian.

Life is more than the sum total of the years we have lived. It is more than the work we do. And it is more than the relationships we keep. These are all part of what defines us. Yet, I think the Lord is telling us something more. I believe he is telling us that the basic foundation, the substance upon which our life is built is different than what we typically assume defines ones life.

What defines your life?

Life is that entity that is given and is continually given by God. Therefore, it is not limited by time and space. Life instead is defined by what God does and what God intends it to be. The vision of life that we hold needs to be greater than the sum of its parts. In other words, our life is more than the school we attend, the friends we have, the job we hold, of the wealth we have accumulated. Our life is defined by God’s activity and promise.

So when Jesus said, “By your endurance you will gain your life” he wasn’t referring to just eternal life. The endurance is learning to live out our life as defined by God’s vision of what defines our life. Gaining life is known through this vision and seeing all we experience from this perspective.

What I mean by that is by what lens do we look at life? Do you allow the voices of others to influence what is true or false? Has the media and the political pundits created a vision of what life holds and has that vision caused you to feel or perceive life in a particular way? Whose voices do you hear, which have become predominant in your decision-making?

As believers in Christ, it is crucial that we allow the promise of God to be, that which most influences our interpretation of life. God’s promises are life giving. We are promised undying and unrestricted love and acceptance. We are ask to respond in kind to God by loving God with our whole heart, mind, and strength. And we are to act towards others in kind, that is to say, to love others as we have been loved. Looking at the realities of life, of our situations and circumstances through the lens of faith helps us to discern God’s presence and by that presence, act differently. As we see life differently our actions follow. As we discern God’s presence we are better able to recognize God at work in our world. As we see what’s going on, as we hold on to the belief that God is present we begin to craft ways of living that proclaim God’s presence. What we see begins to help us endure through the difficult times and we gain our life.

To define one’s life on the promise and vision of God is to build one’s life on a foundation that is lasting, eternal. That which defines our life remains. The vision that is cast extends as far as God’s will and purpose extend. It connects what we do and who we are to the next generation. Our life becomes defined by something greater than our job title, or the place we live, or even the number of years we have gained. Our life is defined by the greater purpose of God as it lives through each of us.

Seeking to continue to define our selves through relationship with God calls for endurance. To endure is to come to a new awareness of self, of our relationship to one another, and especially to God. In other words, we gain our life.

What defines your life?

AMEN

What Define's Your Life?

2010-11-20T22:39:00.000-08:00

This past week, Pastor Greg's message asked a very simple question, how do you define yourself? If asked, how would you describe who you are? What is most important to you aboutwho you are? Some folk's define themselves through their jobs, social activities, families, etc. How would you define yourself?

It is a great question and one we all try to answer. It is something you might be able to answer differently everyday. Or maybe it is more simpler than that. For each of us the answer to this question will mean something different. How we define ourselves can be story of who we are or the story of who we aspire to be.

How can our church and community help you answer this question? How does your relationship with God help you answer this question?

How do you define yourself?

Career Networking Group

2010-07-29T23:20:00.000-07:00

Are you unemployed and looking for a job opportunity? Are you employed and looking for a new job? Do you simply want to expand your professional network? If you answered yes to any of these questions, Community Lutheran Church will be offering a new group for you to consider.

Congregation member Dave Porcelli will be hosting small group networking meetings for people in search of employment and those looking to extend their network. Dave has worked in the world of Executive Search and has helped people at all levels of work build successful networks that have helped them find new work and develop profitable business relationships.

These networking meetings will be informal meetings where people will work to help each other in identifying new career opportunities. The meetings will be held on the first and third Monday of the month at 7:00 pm at the church. The meetings are open to our congregation members, friends, family and neighbors. Please share this invitation with others who might benefit from this group.

What can you hope to gain from attending these meetings?
o Build a network of people who can help share new opportunities with you
o Assistance in developing and honing your resume, 30 second elevator pitch and "individual sell sheet"A chance to meet people who might be able to help you meet your objectives
o Learn the most powerful five words in networking

If you are currently employed and know of a job opening in your company, please pass along the position information so we can share them with the group. We can all make a difference in helping our community grow and prosper together.
For more information on the meetings, please contact Dave Porcelli at david@salesblender.com or (714) 306-5263, or Mary Stohlman at
(949) 858-0307

Pastor’s Message - “KOINONIA”

2010-07-29T23:18:00.000-07:00

"Koinonia”: A Greek word that occurs 20 times in the Bible. Koinonia’s primary meaning is “fellowship, sharing in common, communion.” The first occurrence of koinonia is Acts 2:42, “They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer.” Christian fellowship is a key aspect of the Christian life. Believers
in Christ are to come together in love, faith, and encouragement. That is the essence of koinonia.

When I attended California Lutheran University (back then a college) I was first introduced to “koinonia” groups. The purpose of these was to create opportunities of fellowship (community) within the college setting. It worked well too. I found the “koinonia” group to be supportive, welcoming, and a great place to go when I was overwhelmed with all the newness of college life and schedule.

By the time you read this 37 people will be up in the Emigrant Wilderness backpacking. The theme for this year is “koinonia”. The wilderness, along with being in a small group we all “family”, will provide the context to experience koinonia. This shared experience of backpacking, coupled with learning how to live together as a community, as a family, will become a time to grow together, to learn both individually and as part of family, and through this experience come to know God’s presence as they develop fellowship (have koinonia) together.

Paul wrote in his letter to the Philippians, “If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose.”

Koinonia is being in agreement with one another, being united in purpose, and serving alongside each other. Our koinonia with each other is based on our common koinonia with Jesus Christ.

A powerful example of what koinonia should look like can be found in a study of the phrase “one another” in the Bible. Scripture commands us to be devoted to one another (Romans 12:10), honor one another (Romans 12:10), live in harmony with one another (Romans 12:16; 1 Peter 3:8), accept one another (Romans 15:7), serve one another in love (Galatians 5:13), be kind and compassionate to one another (Ephesians 4:32), admonish one another (Colossians 3:16), encourage one another (1 Thessalonians 5:11; Hebrews 3:13), spur one another on toward love and good deeds (Hebrews 10:24), offer hospitality (1 Peter 4:9), and love one another (1 Peter 1:22; 1 John 3:11; 3:23; 4:7; 4:11-12). That is what true biblical koinonia should
look like.

May we here at Community Lutheran Church learn and continue to live in koinonia. Amen.

Pastor Greg

Promise U. - MAD Camp 2010

2010-07-19T21:25:00.000-07:00

This past weekend the children of our congregation put on a special performance during the service. The performance of "Promise U." by Kathie Hill was the culmination of their week long MAD Camp. If you don't know what MAD Camp is (and I didn’t before I joined our church), it is a Music and Drama Camp. Children from the ages 7 to 13 spend a week putting together a performance for that Sunday’s service. The performance had a spiritual message and special learning for everyone.

At “Promise U.” the children learned about (and taught everyone about) some of the famous followers of Christ from the past 2000 years. From Martin Luther, to the Apostle Paul to Harriet Tubman the lessons of their spirituality were shared in a performance filled with great acting and song. As the students of “Promise U.” shared their message they helped their friend “Stan the Man” learn a lesson that made him stronger. “Valerie Dictorian”, “Marvelous Marty”, “Dee Caffeinated”, “Do, Re, Mi, Fa, So, La Ti, Do” and all the other students of “Promise U.” brought a special message to our service and a delivered wonderful performance.

“Promise U.” was a wonderful reminder for all of us of the special magic our children bring to our church. This year’s cast included: Matthew Stroud, Juliet Mooney, Jason Leland, Holly Anderson, Amanda Smith, Ashley Vaskovich, Hannah Aquirre, Jillian Hadley, Maiken Sorenson, Amanda Vaskovich, Jake Wood, Kennedy Wood, and Kyle Wood. Thank you to everyone for a wonderful performance and to Julie Draper for bringing it all together for all of us to enjoy.

“Knots and All”

2010-07-08T06:00:00.000-07:00

If you missed this past Sunday's service, here was pastor's message for the day.

“Knots and All”

Sunday after Pentecost - July 4, 2010
Psalm 66:1-18

Experience is said to be a good teacher. Some swear by it (nothing beats experience). And, in some ways, that’s true. Experience does teach many lessons in life. But experience also falls short, at least in one area. Experience cannot guarantee that we will draw the correct conclusion. Lessons are taught, to be sure. But not always do we learn what we are supposed to learn. Case in point:

Years ago I was asked to perform a funeral for a young girl whose father had killed her and him. Based on that experience the mother came up with a conclusion that God allowed her daughter to die. That somehow, for some reason she (the mother) was being punished.

Too often people draw conclusions about God from experience. Who is to say that the lessons learned are accurate? When experience is the only measuring stick – the stick varies greatly. You and I can have the same experience and yet draw a different conclusion based on that experience. You may conclude that God is a merciful God and I may conclude that God is an angry, vengeful God.

I am not saying that experience is wrong or even not to be valued. Nor am I saying we cannot or should not learn from experience. What I am saying is that there is more to God than what we experience. And our experience isn’t that accurate of a measuring stick.

I believe experience gets in the way most often when we use it to measure God’s presence and will. When we experience troublesome times, we often question God’s presence. We may even doubt God’s presence or will for our lives. When experience is opposite of what we have come to believe all too often the result is that we begin to doubt our faith in God. Never do we look at how we draw our conclusions. To know only hate, judgment, or abuse we begin to wonder if God is gracious at all.

When such things run rampant we question if God is present anywhere? Such questioning can lead to confusion, doubt, even despair. These are times when experience becomes misleading. We draw the wrong conclusion. We learn the wrong spiritual truths (i.e. forgetting we live in a broken world). We cannot see how God works in and through such brokenness.

I have a friend who is a master weaver. Her skills and talent are at the highest level and her work is extraordinary. I was given an opportunity to view her loom and to watch her weave. The thread she used was filled with knots (blemishes, if you will). When I asked her about the knots she told me they are there on purpose. She likes to use such thread for its texture and varied effect.

As I watched I looked closely at the knots. Thread by thread the weaving came together. The knots,so obvious at first, slowly helped bring the weaving together. Its texture, its look, and its overall design, was magnificent, knots and all.

The knots in the thread reminded me of life’s experiences. They represent all the difficult times we face. They reminded me of things done and things left undone. For some of us, the knots are larger and tighter than they are for others. It becomes easy for us to focus on them. Sometimes, it’s all we can see (the knots). The conclusion we draw is that God seems absent in other lives, that they do not ive in accord with God’s will, or to believe in God is a foolish thing and a sign of weakness. After all, look at the size of those knots!

What experience doesn’t tell us is hidden behind the knots is a master weaver. The weaver doesn’t remove the knots, but keeps them, in full view, using them to create a beautiful weaving we call our life. With an open heart, study of God’s Word, and remaining in the community of faith we are more likely to draw the correct conclusion to our experience, and that God remains in our lives, knots and all!

It is not the absence of the knots that determines God’s presence. Instead, it is God’s promise to be here that determines God’s presence. God’s promise, known through history as being faithful, a promise kept whether we see it or not, is experienced, just not always as we might assume. Not knowing this, we could draw the wrong conclusion. By remaining in community with the church, through continued study of God’s Word, and thrusting more in what we believe than what we see we, will discover this truth about God.

One who had learned that God is present knots and all wrote the Psalm. He discovered that God’s activity, regardless of experience, was known both in judgment and grace:

Come and see what God has done:
he is awesome in his deeds among mortals.
For you, O God, have tested us;
you have tried us as silver is tried.
But truly God has listened;
he has given heed to the words of my prayer.

This saving activity does not deny that sin exists (the knots). Nor does it dismiss them as if they simply go away. The sin in our lives (the knots) is visible for all to see. It remains with us and is part of the thread we call life. God knows them and names them (judgment). God also forgives and removes their power to destroy us (grace). Each of us (knots and all) is woven into one tapestry (Body of Christ). It varies in texture and form. And it is made beautiful by the master weaver and not by us (the knotty thread).

So when we experience life in ways that seem inconsistent with the Gospel, when we see one another act in ways we don’t think fit the Christian life, and when our knots appear so large we cannot see anything else, we need to remember who is doing the weaving.

We do not excuse sin. But neither do we use it as a measurement of worth or proof of God’s presence or absence. Our worth is founded on God’s love, love that accepts us, knots and all!

AMEN

“Overcoming History”

2010-07-07T19:48:00.000-07:00

If you were unable to share Sunday June 27th with us, you missed a great sermon from Pastor Greg. i thought the message was wonderful and it was easy to evoke an understanding of the Gospel lesson when you applied it to how you interact with people in your life. Here is the text of the sermon, we hope it allows you to stay close to our congregation and the message of Christian good news.

“Overcoming History”

Sundays after Pentecost- June 27, 2010
Luke 9:51-56

It is an obvious fact that each of us has a history with people. This history does include conflict. Our conflict includes family, neighbors, co-workers, friends, etc. These conflicts have a history. That is, they are long term and they are deep; they are conflicts in which we have deep feelings of anger and resentment; and they are conflicts which cause us to explode over little incidents,exploding much more than you know is appropriate for such a little incident. This is often described
as “pushing one’s button”.

For example, a sibling, while growing up teased you about your coordination every week. So when,as an adult, whenever teased about being coordinated the teasing brings back all those early childhood feelings and you overreact and explode. Your button has been pushed! The littlest incident results in a major explosion. This same principle holds true between religions, races, and governments. The list goes on.

The gospel lesson for today is a story about little incident that explodes because of a deep-seated conflict. It is a little known story about James and John. It is not one of the great classic stories from the Bible. In fact, it occurs only once, in the Gospel of Luke. It is the kind of story that is easily forgotten.

The story goes like this. Jesus was up north in Galilee, and he was getting ready to go down south to Jerusalem, and he had to pass through the land of Samaria. And the Jews and Samaritans, as you know the Jews and Samaritans didn’t like each other very much. It didn’t take much for them to set off against one another. I mean, they didn’t talk with each other or walk with each other; they didn’t intermingle or intermarry. And when a Jew was on a pilgrimage to come from northern Israel
down to southern Israel, he had to pass through Samaria. The Samaritans and Jews often harassed each other. These kinds of events tend to be remembered.

Well, Jesus was getting ready to go down south, and he was going to go through Samaria, and he sent his disciples there in front of him, to make preparations. And he sent two of his disciples, James and John, into Samaria.

As you may remember from other Bible stories, these two brothers were called the “sons of thunder,” who had thunderous personalities, thunderous tempers, and thunderous prejudices. Jesus sent down the “sons of thunder” to Samaria. James and John went to this small Samaritan village. They came to a little town in the road where prejudices run deep and real. And they went into that town and text says that they were not sufficiently “welcomed”, and that set the two hotheads off. Just a little thing; they were not properly welcomed, and that set the two of them off. It didn’t take much to set James and John off; it didn’t take much to make them mad. They came up to Jesus who had just entered the village and said: “Do you want us to call down the fires of hell and burn these people up? Let’s burn up those Samaritans, just like Elijah called on the fires of heaven to burn up those 400 priests of Baal.

A little of an over-reaction, we would say? Just because they hadn’t been properly welcomed? Little incident? Big explosion? And the Bible says: “Jesus rebuked them;” James and John, that is. He strongly corrected them for their explosion of rage and feelings against the Samaritans. And Jesus said: “That is not my Spirit, for the Son of Man came not to destroy, but to save other people.” (Other ancient manuscripts)

William Barclay, the great English theologian, said that this passage in the Bible, although not well known, teaches tolerance like no other passage in the Bible. This passage is the best passage in the Bible that teaches tolerance.

This quick anger over little incidents happens all the time, like a person who pushes your button.You have this long-term conflict; the littlest thing happens; and you go into a slow burn or a fast rage? If we are honest, there are a whole bunch of us who have long-term conflicts, and when reminded of them the littlest incident can set us off.

Does anyone here not have that happen? The littlest incident sets you off, and you know its not the little incident, but the thousand of similar little incidents which have happened before and this latest incident is merely the trigger? And when the person does the littlest thing to offend, the anger explodes over nothing.

Do you really like those feelings that are so easily triggered? Are those feelings, the ones so easily triggered, God pleasing? Are those easily triggered feelings inside; are they the Spirit of Christ? And so we listen to the word of God that says: “Create in me a clean heart O God, and put a new and a right spirit within me. Restore to me the joy of loving.”

There is a story about Abraham Lincoln who many people think was the finest and most spiritual of all our presidents. During the Civil War, Abraham Lincoln was being criticized for not being harsh enough and severe enough on the soldiers of the South; and one time, after a battle, a general from the North came up to him and said: Why didn’t you destroy your enemy? And President Lincoln answered with those famous words: “Do I not destroy my enemy by making him my friend?” The word of God had touched Abraham Lincoln’s heart and we hear that in the words; “Do I not destroy
my enemy by making him my friend?” That’s what Jesus wants of us: to destroy our enemy by making him my friend.

I know that the feelings of anger and resentment run deep in many of your hearts today, and mine. There are some of you who have deep feelings of anger inside of you, where you wouldn’t mind if such and such a person were punished immeasurably or had a string of bad luck happen to them. And Jesus says: “That is not my Spirit. Let me heal your heart.”

AMEN

Thoughts from Pastor Greg

2010-06-09T14:33:00.001-07:00

I want to share some thoughts I have been having about discovery and how it relates to the perception and identity of God.

The discovery of truth is a complex enterprise, a process that unfolds in surprising ways. This couldn’t be more true regarding how it relates to our perception about who God is and who God is not.

Throughout history the perception of people regarding the nature of God has evolved congruent with our evolvement of science and social history.

For example, in ancient times the thought about illness was assumed to be directly related to actions against God or actions revealing a lack of faith, commonly referred to as sin. We read in the Bible that when a person sins it is often accompanied with illness. And as long as a person is ill that becomes a sign that he/she has not been forgiven. As we became aware of germs and viruses as being the cause to disease this new discovery then challenges the prevailing view that sin was the cause of disease. The view of God then is challenged. God as a healer of illness, the forgiver of sin, and the holder of sins against those who do not repent comes under question, at least in the arena of illness. The church had to change its view of God in light of this new scientific revelation. Which leads to this question: How much does, or should our culture influence our view of God and how much should our view of God impact our culture? It seems to me that these cannot be separated any more than answering the age old question of which came first, the chicken or the egg.

Certainly God speaks to and addresses our culture, challenging our views of what is true and what is false. But then when new evidence comes to light, i.e. virus and germs causing disease, how do we reconcile its influence with how we perceive and interpret who God is? I would love to hear your thoughts. Pastor Greg

"What Does This Mean?"

2010-06-05T14:41:00.000-07:00

If you were unable to share Pentecost Sunday with us, you missed a great sermon from Pastor Greg. Here is the text of the sermon, we hope it allows you to stay close to our congregation and the message of Christian good news.

"What Does This Mean?"
Pentecost Sunday - May 23, 2010
Acts 2:1-21

When Martin Luther wrote a small pamphlet entitled “The Small Catechism”, after each section or topic Martin Luther wrote the question, “What does this mean?” When studying The 10 Commandments, The Lord’s Prayer, the Sacraments of Holy Baptism and Holy Communion, he wanted people to see that what we believe does connect with where we live. To do this, after each part he asks, “What does this mean?” It was important to make sense of the doctrines of faith. It was important to make a connection
to what God teaches and what we experience in daily life.

When I was in seminary, one of my favorite teachers asked the same question. He taught, that we should make sense of what the Bible teaches. He believed it was important to see the connection between God’s Word and daily life. If we do not make the connection, if it does not make sense to our lives, then the information is just useless trivia, not helpful in any way. I see the same question being asked here in our
lesson for today.

If a story about people from all over the world were able to hear the gospel story in their respective foreign language, try imagining a church full of prophets. Not only did the disciples speak and everyone hear in their own native language, but they were also given the gift of prophecy. This was an incredible moment in the life of the church.

Peter begins by retrieving Joel's message from ancient times and makes a few alterations so it will be appropriate for the current occasion. He is not correcting or misquoting Joel as much as he is adapting the prophet's words for use in a new circumstance. Joel's original testimony about God has accumulated new meaning in light of God's deeds through Jesus Christ and his sending of the Spirit. In other words,
Joel offers a resource by which Peter can answer his audience's question, “What does this mean?” This is something that the church has sought to do throughout history and it is something we need to continue to do – adapt God’s Word for use in a world of changing, and sometimes new, circumstances.

Peter does not quote the prophet's message exactly. He subtly reshapes it to make it more fitting to the current occasion. Peter makes three significant changes. First, he changes the opening clause from "After these things" to "In the last days." Peter sees himself announcing that the times have changed. Peter was aware how circumstances had changed and he correctly interpreted the Scripture to address the changes that confronted him. Sometimes the church today is slow to learn this lesson. We all too often try to place our circumstances, all of our new information into the worldview of ancient Israel. If Peter teaches anything is to adapt the Word to face and meet the times we are in now!

Next, Peter inserts the word “my” before "slaves." While Joel referred to "slaves" as an explicit class in his culture, Peter broadens the identification of this group. Now they become, not a social class but God's slaves.

Slaves most likely would be more accurately translated servants. The word is the same for both in Greek. Peter is now reminding all believers that in virtue of our calling we are servants of God furthering God’s will in our world.

And finally, he adds an additional "and they shall prophesy". Peter emphasizes why God's Spirit is bestowed on "all flesh," given to young and old, to women and men. It is given so that they will prophesy. The gift of the Holy Spirit in Acts is a gift of prophecy.

Peter does not speak of prophecy as predicting the future. Instead, prophecy is truth telling. It is naming the places and ways where God intervenes in the world. It is a component of proclaiming the word of God and identifying God's salvation at work. In other words it answers the question “What does this mean?”
Corresponding with the three revisions the message allows Peter to accomplish three things. First, Peter interprets the times. He helps them to understand what Pentecost means. The gift of God's Spirit indicates that something new in human history has begun and that the times have changed. A large role of the church today, you and me, is to interpret the times we live in, to make sense of it by and through the use of the Bible.

Next, Peter is able to interpret the community created by the Spirit. Again Peter helps them to understand what Pentecost means. The Spirit has come to mark the church, every member, as belonging to God and as God's agent in the world. They are God's slaves (servants). The same holds true for us today. We too have been marked with Christ, we have received the Holy Spirit, and as Peter says, we have become God’s agents in the world, slaves if you will, furthering that will in the places we find
ourselves.

Last, Peter is able to interpret the work of the Spirit-filled community. So Pentecost means that God is at work here, equipping people to communicate about God. The Spirit prompts them to engage in prophecy that makes the community of faith a community of prophets, a community of truth-tellers.

If we are a community of faith, and we are, then it stands to reason that we too are a community of prophets? Before I get much further I believe we need to make sure we are all on the same page when it comes to what prophecy means and how we are prophets.

Peter is at pains to show that the events of the day point beyond themselves to reveal that Jesus is Lord and Messiah, and that God's salvation is at hand. This is what prophets do; they show how events connect to God and God's purpose. Peter makes sense of the crowd's experience. He offers a theological basis for what the crowd is experiencing.

This is what the church does. This is what we are called to do. We are to make sense of what is happening in our lives from what God has revealed in Scripture. It nudges us, we who have been gifted with the Holy Spirit to make sense of our time, to look at the Biblical story and help others to answer, “what does this mean?”

Amen

Welcome New Members

2010-06-05T14:12:00.000-07:00

The membership or our church is what makes us special. Our congregation is our community, friends and family. When our community grows it instills new life into our family and brings new friends into our world. Recently we have welcomed a number of new families and friends into our congregation and we are excited to see our church growing.

If you haven’t already met the many new folks who have joined our community please seek them out and introduce yourself and make a new friend. We are pleased to welcome the following new members:

• Lesley Elliott
• Keith and Leaf Hadley and their children Robby, Jillian and William
• Bill and Deborah Mecklenburg
• John Wielenga
• Ron and Ellen Hutton
• Kathy Joyce
• Lloyd and Karen Laudorn and their children Ava and Soren
• Adrian and Autumn Leroux and their children Emma and Caden
• Nate and Christianne Lopez and their children Boston and Bella Rae
• Vanessa Stroud and her children Matt, Mike and Sophia
• Russell and Susie Thompson
• Kristine Williams
• Penny Williams
• David and Lisa Porcelli and their daughter Siena

Please share our church with your friends and family, we are always open to welcoming new members into our congregation.

Getting Involved at CLC

2010-05-01T21:19:00.000-07:00

This past weekend the many ministries of our church turned out between services to share their summer time plans and to invite more members of the congregation to get involved. During the Taste of CLC, the members of the congregation visited the different displays and tables to learn more about the many ministries of our church and to enjoy the many goodies each group was sharing.

If you were there, you enjoyed the chance to learn more about the various groups and their summer time plans. If you missed the event, please visit the CLC website (www.clcrsm.org) for more information about the programs for this summer. Here is just a small taste from this past weekend and for the summer to come:

• Getting ready for their summer hike, the backpacking group cooked up breakfast burritos to ensure those who might go backpacking that they would be well fed.
• Our Vacation Bible School set sail toward their August “High Seas Adventure.”
• Tickets went on sales for the Parish Life baseball outing to see the Angels. Tickets are still available!
• If you are reading this you probably know what our Outreach committee is working on.
• Fair Trade Coffee was for sale and it wasn’t the first Sunday of the month.
• The summer softball season is just a month away and our team is looking to draft new talent for the coming season.
• The quilting and prayer shawl groups are continuing the efforts for Lutheran Relief and are looking for more participants.
• The Men’s, Women’s and Youth groups all have full calendars of events throughout the summer.
• Summer time is project time at the church and the property committee is in need of industrious individuals.

Corazon, Young at Heart, Sunday School, Stephen Ministry and so many other groups were involved. They are all getting ready for a fun summer to come. The spirit of our church truly comes to life in the energy we bring to our many ministries and groups. Come join us and participate in the many programs that bring our congregation together!

Easter Festivities

2010-04-20T00:08:00.000-07:00

He is risen. Our congregation came together on Easter Sunday to celebrate the risen spirit of our Lord. We were blessed with a beautiful day and so many members of our congregation joined in the celebration. Pastor Greg shared his message, From Unbelief to Belief (if you missed the sermon, you can enjoy it in the posting below). The addition of a special brass group enhanced the musical offerings as the CLC community came together for a wonderful morning.

Between services, the youth group served a scrumptious pancake breakfast. Our finest young cooks brought our congregation together for a delicious breakfast and a chance to enjoy the special morning with friends and family. Following a filling breakfast the congregation headed to the children's play area for the annual Easter Egg Hunt. With their families around them the children collected Easter Eggs and returned them for a special bag of Easter treats.

It was a day of celebration and friendship throughout our congregation. It was easy to see the Christian spirit in the eyes of the children and the joyfulness of our congregation. He is risen indeed!

From Unbelief to Belief

2010-04-19T22:58:00.000-07:00

If you were not able to celebrate Easter Sunday service with us, you missed a truly wonderful sermon from Pastor Greg. Here is the text of the sermon, we hope it allows you to stay close to our congregation and the message of Christian good news.

“From Unbelief to Belief”
Easter Sunday, April 4, 2010
Luke 24:5

Unbelief does not necessarily mean that people believe nothing. Rather, it means that they believe something else. People say "I don't believe it" because there is something else that they believe more strongly.

To move from belief in one thing, that which is the stronger belief, to something new, in this case a belief in Jesus Christ as resurrected, gives witness to God’s presence and the experience of that resurrection! It is Easter being lived out in and through us. What Peter experienced, what the women on that fateful morn so long ago experienced, I contend that each one of us experiences also. Some make the journey more easily than others but a journey made by all.

I want to share with you a poem I learned in seminary, a poem I have shared with the Bible study adult class when we talked of the Holy trinity and of Jesus’ death on the cross. It is a simple poem yet very profound, albeit, its profundity is often missed at first hearing. My poem:

“I had a dog and his name was Rover. When he died he was dead all over.”

Don’t laugh. This is very serious. Each of us has bought into this poem’s truth. As did the women at the tomb, and as did Peter. Let me explain.

The story begins with the obvious: Jesus died, and his followers assumed that he remains dead. The women come to the tomb because that is where they saw the body of Jesus placed after his crucifixion. They bring spices along to anoint the body of Jesus, to show proper respect for the dead. The discovery of the empty tomb does not lead to an easy change of perspective. It brings confusion, not clarity. Bodies that are dead presumably remain dead (Like my dog Rover who was dead all over). The most one can do is to treat them with respect.

We too, assume that death is death, and that our proper response should be to enshrine the dead. We all experience life and lean to accept the limits that life brings: NO one lives forever, some choices bring consequences that cannot be reversed, and not everything will go as planned. Sometimes we just have to accept things as they are, after all, it is what it is.

The women receive a word that runs counter to what they know to be true: "Why do you look for the living among the dead? He is not here, but has risen". One might be tempted to linger over the description of these angelic messengers, but they are not the point. The focus is on the message, not the messengers. What is most striking is that the women encounter the resurrection through this message. They are told that Jesus has risen, but they do not see the risen Jesus. What they have is a word, a message, one that is beyond their wildest imagination and one that flies in the face of all they have come to know and believe. It can be difficult to move from unbelief (believing in something else more strongly) to belief (something radically new).

This brings the Easter experience uncomfortably close, because this is precisely what we have—the word of resurrection. One would think God would work differently. It would seem so much easier to have the women come to the tomb and watch Jesus walk out into the light of a new day. And it would seem much easier for Jesus simply to appear in dazzling glory to us, who gather on an Easter morning generations later. And this is precisely where our situation is like that of the women on the first Easter: We are all given a message of resurrection, which flies in the face of what we know to be true. The only logical response to such a message is unbelief. We are asked each and every day, but especially on this day, to move from unbelief to belief, from believing in one thing and move to believe in something else.

Experience teaches that death wins. The Easter message says that Jesus lives. When such contradictory claims collide, it only makes sense to continue affirming what we already know. This is what Luke reported. The women bring the message of resurrection to the others, and they respond as thinking people regularly respond: they thought that the message was "an idle tale, and they did not believe them".

Yet here is where the Easter message begins its work, by challenging our certainties.
Experience teaches that death wins and that even the strongest succumb to it. Experience teaches that life is what you make it, so get what you can while you can because it will be over soon enough. And the Easter message says, "Really? How can you be so sure?" Death is real, but it is not final. In Jesus, life gets the last word.

The Easter message calls us from our old belief in death to a new belief in life. The claim that the tomb could not hold Jesus, and the idea that the one who died by crucifixion has now risen is so outrageous that it might make one wonder whether it might—just might—be true. But death was death. Yet the message was so outrageous that Peter had to go and take a look for himself. He had to wonder, "What if it is true?"

We who have gathered for worship on Easter Sunday follow in the footsteps of Peter. We have heard the rumor that Jesus is alive and come to hear again for ourselves: "What if it is true? What if death is real, but not final? What if Jesus is not merely past but present? What if Jesus were to meet me here? What would life be then?"

The Easter reading stops with Peter's amazement, but the Easter story continues far beyond, as God continues to challenge the certainty of death with the promise of life.

This is more than just about Jesus rising from the dead. The Easter story confronts all those things in life that we hold to be true simply because it is what we know and have seen (Rover is dead all over). Easter challenges our beliefs, those things we hold on to more than the Easter story. It challenges them reminding us that as Jesus was raised from the dead, going against all things we hold to be true (what we believe in so strongly) and invites us to believe in a new thing. Where God is all things are made new.

Life reigns and the power of the resurrection happen in all our lives. God, through the living resurrected Jesus is doing a new thing do you not perceive it?

"Why do you seek the living among the dead?" God wonders. "Through the living Jesus I give you the gift of life. Why would you think that I would offer you anything less?"

AMEN

Meet Our Pastor

2010-04-18T21:00:00.000-07:00

Hello, my name is Gregory Uthus and I am the pastor here at Community Lutheran Church. Community Lutheran (CLC) is the fourth church I have had the privilege to serve. My previous churches are Joy Lutheran Church in Parker, Colorado, Concordia Lutheran Church in Concordia, Kansas, Trinity Lutheran Church in Kirkwood, Missouri, and finally here at Community Lutheran Church.

I received a B.A. Degree in art from California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, California. I also have earned a Master of Divinity degree from Wartburg Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa. I have been a parish pastor since September 1, 1979.

It has been my privilege to serve Community Lutheran Church since February 1, 2002. We are a church of warm and welcoming people, seeking ways to be faithful to the calling God has laid upon our hearts. We invite you to participate in the ministry of Community Lutheran Church, that together we may help further God’s will and purpose in our lives.