Sermon for Sunday, August 6, 2017 – “Feeding and Seeing”

Ninth Sunday after Pentecost
August 6, 2017
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
Decorah, Iowa
Rev. Amy Zalk Larson

Click here to read scripture passages for the day.

Beloved of God, grace to you and peace in the name of Jesus. Amen.

There’s a whole lot of food and feeding going on in this story. But I think there’s something else happening here, too.

In addition to feeding a huge crowd, Jesus helps others and all of us to see the world in a new way. Through- out this story, Jesus’ perspective is in sharp contrast with those around him. His perspective changes everything – for the people then, and for us today.

The disciples see the situation as an overwhelming problem that they don’t want to touch. They look at the huge crowd and see just a bunch of hungry, needy people. They look at the desolate surroundings, the darkness closing in, and they start to panic. They say to Jesus, “Send the crowds away so they may go buy food for themselves.” They want Jesus to get rid of the problem and have the people fend for themselves.

Instead, Jesus says, “They need not go away, you give them something to eat.” The disciples protest, “We have nothing, [just] five loaves and two fish.” The disciples focus on what they lack, on how limited their resources appear in the face of so much need.

This is all understandable, especially given the other realities the disciples see on the horizon. They’ve got bigger problems. They can’t be focused on the needs of this crowd. They need to conserve their resources to face the threat posed by King Herod.

King Herod has just beheaded John the Baptist, Jesus’ friend and relative – the one sent to prepare the way for Jesus. John’s message to “repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near” is a direct challenge to people like Herod, people working for the oppressive Roman empire rather than for God’s kingdom. Herod and his wife see John as a threat to their power, a threat that needs to be eliminated. Herod’s wife demands John’s head on a platter and Herod gives it to her.

This is probably pretty eye-opening for Jesus’ disciples. Up until this point they may not have realized how directly the message of John and Jesus is a challenge to the powers that be. Now, following Jesus looks to be a lot more dangerous.

The disciples probably feel they need time with Jesus to figure out what this all means for the movement and how to respond to Herod. Instead, Jesus is healing the sick and telling them to feed a huge crowd.

Jesus is likely grieving too. When he hears the news that John has been beheaded he tries to retreat to a quiet place, probably to grieve and to pray. Yet the crowds follow him. When Jesus sees the crowds, we’re told, he has compassion for them and cures the sick among them. His grief doesn’t shut him off from the crowd; instead he seeks to alleviate others’ pain.

Jesus doesn’t see a problem to be fixed like the disciples do. He certainly doesn’t try to eliminate the problem the way Herod does. Jesus sees the people and has compassion on them.

Jesus views the people as God views them – as beloved of God. If they are sick, they should be healed. If they are hungry, they should be fed.

Jesus also sees possibility where the disciples only see scarcity. When he learns that the disciples have just five loaves and two fish, he doesn’t get concerned. He asks them to bring what little they have. He prays, blesses the bread, and gives it back to the disciples for them to feed the crowds.

Jesus looks at the crowd with compassion. He sees possibilities rather than scarcity. That perspective changes everything for the disciples and the crowd.

It also changes everything for us today. We know that we so often approach things the way the disciples did. We get overwhelmed by the many hurting, hungry people in our world today. We wonder if we have enough to give in the face of all the need. We worry about the political climate. We want quick fixes to challenges. We want problems to go away without taxing us too much. At times, we’re even tempted to forcefully remove people and problems just so we don’t have to deal with them anymore.

The good news is that Jesus also sees us with compassion and a sense of possibility. Jesus does not worry about all the shortcomings within us. He looks at us and sees, yes, our sinfulness but also that we have been created good. He sees the gifts God has given us to feed and care for others.

Jesus doesn’t give up on us. He continues to challenge us through his word saying, “There is no need for them to go away. You give them something to eat.” He calls us to give what we have and to trust God to work through us and our offerings, however insufficient they may feel.

Jesus also feeds and forgives us. When we are fed and forgiven at Christ’s table, we are set free. We are set free from a fixation on ourselves and all that we lack. Our vision is expanded to see others with compassion and to see the ways that we can make a difference. Our perspective is changed.

Jesus sees the possibility within each of us and works to bring it forth in us by feeding us, challenging us, and forgiving us. We have all that we need to view the world differently and offer ourselves to feed others.

Let’s take a moment for silent prayer.

Sermon for Sunday, July 23, 2017 – “Permission to Ignore the Weeds”

Seventh Sunday after Pentecost
July 23, 2017
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
Decorah, Iowa
Rev. Amy Zalk Larson

Click here to read scripture passages for the day.

Beloved of God, grace to you and peace in the name of Jesus. Amen.

This passage raises several questions and concerns for me, but there’s one thing I really appreciate about it. It justifies my approach to gardening! The servants want to purge all the weeds but the master tells them to let the weeds and the wheat grow together because if they try to gather the weeds, they’ll uproot the good stuff too.

So, when I let the weeds grow up in my flower beds I’m not neglecting my duties as a homeowner – I’m taking scripture seriously! The home we bought in 2012 is surrounded by so many beautiful flower beds.

Beds that, this summer especially, have been totally overtaken by weeds. When we first moved in, I tried to keep up with the weeds but I ended up doing just what the master in this parable warns about. I pulled out the good stuff with the weeds.

We moved into our house in the fall and I wasn’t sure about all that we had in the beds. In the spring, as plants came up, I couldn’t tell what was weed and what was flower. I tried to do a video call with my mother-in-law in Georgia hoping I could show her what was there and get her opinion of whether to pull or leave. Not surprisingly, gardening via Face Time doesn’t work so well. There are any number of other places I could have gone for help after that, but I had limited time and wanted to get the weeding done that day. I ended up pulling a bunch of daisy plants that looked to me like grass. I created big empty patches that are a perfect breeding ground for weeds. I was too zealous and it backfired.

Gardening isn’t the only time I’m tempted to overzealous weeding. I can easily get self-righteous and judgmental, especially when it comes to other Christians. When I hear about priests abusing children,

Christians using scripture as a weapon against others, or pastors teaching that if you just believe enough then life will go well and you’ll have lots of money, I just want to uproot all that. I’ve seen too much damage caused by this kind of stuff. There are times I just want to get out a huge shovel and a massive weed whacker and purge Christianity of all that.

Yet, my trip to Ireland reminded me that it can be hard to tell what is a noxious weed and what is a fruitful plant. For instance, before our trip I learned about Irish monasteries that were devastated by Viking raiders. I was under the impression that the Vikings had only been a destructive force in Ireland. But as we traveled around the country, we heard about the ways the Vikings also positively impacted the island. Their early settlements were influential in the growth of key Irish cities like Dublin and Cork. The “barbaric” Vikings were certainly no worse than the Christians from England who ruled Ireland as a colony for 800 years. We heard so much about the brutally oppressive tactics the English used to control the Irish. Yet of course, they also made positive impacts.

It’s not always so easy to tell what chokes life and what leads to its flourishing. And, when we try to attack the weeds, we often end up exhibiting the same tendencies we deplore in others.

Perhaps it would be better to take the approach that Irish monastics used when facing some very weed-like actions and attitudes. In the 5^th and 6^th centuries, Ireland was extremely violent – raiding, slavery and warfare were central aspects of life. Religious practice included the sacrifice of humans to the gods. Yet in a very short time, St. Patrick and other early Christians had a profound effect on Irish culture. They did this not by attacking the weeds of violence, but instead by nurturing good wheat – by creating peaceful, fruitful monasteries that impacted the whole society.

When we think of monasteries, we often think about people seeking separation from the world. That was the focus of the desert fathers and mothers in Egypt who founded monasteries to escape the corruption of the Roman Empire. But Irish monasteries were different; they weren’t places just for monks and nuns. They were settlements that included craftspeople, artists, farmers, families, and children. The focus was not on separation and purity but on creating peaceful, Christian communities that offered a compelling alternative to violence. Rather than trying to uproot the weeds or create a weed-free zone, the Irish monastics focused on nurturing good wheat. This was a fruitful approach. After 30-40 years of Irish monasticism, Christianity was flourishing, human sacrifice was eliminated, and slavery was almost completely abolished. The whole field of Ireland had been transformed.

I think our Gospel reading today invites us to take a similar approach to the fields around and within us today. If we take this reading in isolation, it can sound like there are two kinds of people – wheat and weeds. The Son of Man sows the wheat; the evil one sows the weeds. At the end of time the weeds are separated and burned. It all seems so fixed. It sounds like we are either wheat or weed from the time we’re planted to the end of time.

Yet when we read this passage in conversation with the rest of scripture and Christian tradition, we see that we aren’t just one thing or the other – we are each a field of wheat and weeds growing together. Each person and each society is a field of both.

We could get fixated on all the weeds and get discouraged about the world and ourselves. We could spend time wondering whether we’re wheat or weed and what others are. We could get angry that God allows there to be weeds and evil in our world.

Instead, this Gospel passage encourages us to trust that God will deal with the weeds in us and in all creation. It reminds us to seek the growth of good wheat in our own lives and in the larger world. It calls us to turn towards the master gardener who plants good seeds and tends to them.

Rather than getting out the shovels and attacking problematic things, we’re called to focus on bearing the good fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. We’re called to look to God to work the fields of our lives and our communities so that good growth happens.

So the next time I look at my weed-filled garden, I’m going to try to just enjoy the Day Lilies that are thriving despite all the ryegrass. I may try to weed them, but maybe I should nurture the growth of some good ground-cover.

How is God calling you to redirect your attention and bear good fruit in this week?

Let’s take a moment for silent prayer and reflection.

Sermon for Sunday, July 16, 2017 – “Gratitude”

Sixth Sunday after Pentecost
July 16, 2017
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
Decorah, Iowa
Rev. Tom Buresh

First Reading: 1 Kings 3:3-14; Psalm 111; Second Reading: Ephesians 5:15-20; Gospel: John 6: 51-58

Always and for everything – give thanks.  I’m sure we all have some trouble in really believing that verse from Ephesians.  We all have had tough times in our lives when we ask, “Why me God” or Why that person God?”  It just seems that if certain things didn’t happen in our lives in the past that things would be much easier for us now.  Well, today is now and now is the part of our life we should be living; that is, we should not be living in the past.  But yet, there are times the past can help…  Well, let me continue.

This morning I would like to introduce you to someone who fortunately came into my life years ago.  Because of that introduction, although it certainly took a few years to accept him, I am much more grateful for all the things that have happened in my life.  So, let me introduce to you my friend, “Gratitude”.

Gratitude was not always a part of my life, you know.  In my very young years I just enjoyed all the things my family and friends gave me but then as I became old enough to start understanding, my Mom took an active part in my first introduction to “gratitude”.  She would ask me after church, “Did you thank your uncle John for the gum he gave you after church this morning?”   Did you thank your uncle Richard for taking you with him to the softball game last night”  I would respond that I didn’t need to for they could tell how happy I was to get the gum and how excited I was to go to the ballgame.  But of course I said “thank you” anyway to make Mom happy.

After that I started to understand why gratitude showed up every time we ate; “Come Lord Jesus, be our guest, let these gift to us be Blessed!” and every time I went to bed, “Blessed Savior dear, be always near, keep me from evil harm and fear.”  And of course we couldn’t have Christmas gifts opened or a birthday party without gratitude being there.  “Make for sure you thank aunt Libbie for the gift”, my mother would remind me. 

But even after all that, I still didn’t understand the importance of having such a guest with me in “ALL” things.

Well, the years flew by and soon I was packing up to go to college.  Finally, I thought, I can be on my own and do and say (or not say) what I wanted to.  But yet, as I packed I heard “Gratitude” say, “ Don’t forget to pack that Bible that your grandma gave you for Christmas a couple of years ago”.  So, I did and off I went.

It was a tough start to a new life as I grew up on a farm and was the only kid in my grade in country school until grade 5.  Even though I was always the top student in my class all those years.  Anyway, I met Connie after my freshman year and we got married my senior year.  I got a job teaching math by Fort Dodge and we moved to a small town and life was good.

Then one Monday evening while I watched my Vikings play football, Connie seemed to think something was important enough for me to stop watching.  Well, I guess she was right, for as we drove to the local hospital and then a few hours later saw that little baby boy in my wife’s arms I knew how grateful I was for, well for about everything.  And then tears of joy came two years later when Connie got her sweet little girl and then in two years, another little girl.  Yes, gratitude was there and we loved it!

Then one morning as I was about to leave for work, the phone rang.  It was my mother and I could tell she was upset.  My uncle Kenny had fallen off a ladder as he was cleaning the leaves out of the rain gutters and hit his head on a picnic table.  I knew his house was just one story and he couldn’t have been but 8-10 feet up so even though I was concerned, I felt OK as I left for work.  The next morning my mother called again; this time in tears.  My uncle Kenny had died.

On my drive to work, all day long and on my drive home, all I could feel was anger and all I could think about was why, why, why?  And then, when I got home that afternoon and Connie met me at the door with a hug, but someone else was there to greet me as well.  Of all people to be there at a time like this, there was Gratitude.  “Your timing is pretty bad to come at a time like this.  Just go away and come back some other time –  when we are in the mood to celebrate something.

But, it didn’t take long to understand why he was there.  For Connie and I started to talk about uncle Kenny and how grateful we were that he had been a part of our lives.   The beginning of my senior year he was still a bachelor and I stayed with him for six weeks as I did my student teaching in a nearby town.

It was shortly after, when he was around 50 he met a special lady in his life.  We were so excited for him.  He had me get tickets of a concert at CY Stevens in Ames for the four of us.  After we said our goodbye’s in the parking lot he started to drive away but then stopped and backed up.  He said he forgot to pay me for their tickets and handed me some money.  When I got in our car I could see he had given me twice the amount of the tickets.  He knew a young college student could use a little extra money.

I sang at their wedding and he sang at ours.  They had a little girl to go with his new three stepchildren and the stories went on and on.  Then, it really hit me, I really began to know and unconditionally love my friend, Gratitude.

Oh, we may still have a little spat or disagreement once in a while, but if we do, he reminds me quite quickly to take that bible that my grandma gave me years ago and turn to the book of Ephesians chapter 5 and read the word of God that is so true in any place or any time of your life.

Sermon for Sunday, July 9, 2017

Fifth Sunday after Pentecost July 9, 2017
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
Decorah, Iowa
Rev. Marion Pruitt-Jefferson

First Reading: Zechariah 9:9-12; Psalm 145: 8-14; Second Reading: Romans 7:15-25a; Gospel: Matthew 11: 16-19; 25-30

Beloved of God, Grace and Peace to you from Jesus, our hope and our salvation.

These are some pretty familiar texts we’ve just heard, and it wouldn’t surprise me if some of you may be wondering when we’re going to break out Handel’s Messiah. “Come Unto Me all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest.” “My Yoke is Easy and my Burden is Light” and that sparkling soprano aria “Rejoice, Rejoice, Rejoice Greatly O Daughter of Zion” Unfortunately, we won’t be able to indulge in those stirring musical renditions of Jesus’ words, but we can spend a few moments pondering their meaning for us today.

To those who are suffering and who have given up hope, Zechariah says REJOICE! He’s addressing the people of Israel who were held captive in Babylon. Now they have been released and allowed to return to Jerusalem. But return to what???? Their temple is destroyed, the city is in ruins, the economy has ground to a standstill, the people are hungry and poor and they are languishing in despair. They have longed for a return to the ways things used to be– when mighty kings ruled over them and all of Israel’s enemies were subdued. That has not come to pass.

Enter Zechariah who announces a new hope. A new vision for the future. Zechariah tells of a messianic King whose dominion will be a radical reversal of the established order. This Sovereign will not rule with the power of military strength, but with righteousness and humility. This king will not be one who sits in the safety of a far off palace, removed from the people. He will be a ruler who comes into their midst – who does no shy away from entering into their suffering and despair. This king does will stand in domination over the people, but will draw near to them…. will stand beside them. And identify himself with their pain. (I’m reminded of Pope Francis, who has shunned the lavishness of the palace to live simply in a guest house. Who goes to the places where people are suffering, homeless shelters, hospitals, refugee camps.)

In describing the King’s arrival Zechariah does say that this promised ruler will come Triumphant and Victorious, which at first seems to call to mind great military victories. But the deeper meaning of these Hebrew words has nothing to do with battle. They are words of faith: Triumphant meaning Righteous and Victorious meaning Saved. This King will not stride into town on a mighty war horse flashing his sword. Instead, he shows up riding a donkey – and a baby donkey at that. This King comes in lowliness and humility, riding an animal hardly fit for a child, much less a king.

The first thing this new king will do is to enact a program of disarmament and demilitarization. Gone are the chariot, the war horse, the battle bow. This ruler will be the King of Peace – who commands peace to ALL nations – to farthest reaches of the sea. Resources previously spent on military build-up, on weaponry and armies, now will be available to enact those programs which build-up all the people and make for peace and prosperity. Feeding the hungry, caring for the sick, tending to the widow, housing the orphan, welcoming the stranger, rebuilding the temple, restoring the granaries, the fields and the orchards, renewing the whole economy so that all have a share in its abundance.

The promise of a righteous, just and merciful sovereign is a powerful word of hope for people whose lives are marked by suffering and despair. It is a hope that we, too are called to share in, and to strive towards.

In the prophet’s words, we recognize this hoped for King to be Jesus – the King of Peace, the King of righteousness, the king of Love. That is why each year on Palm Sunday we hear Zechariah’s prophecy: “Lo! Your King comes to you, humble and riding on a donkey.” In Jesus’ life the true nature of God’s coming kingdom is revealed – a kingdom where the hungry are fed, the poor are lifted up, and the rich and powerful are sent away empty. Under God’s gracious rule, the powers of this world are subjugated to the power of love and compassion. Things are no longer as they’ve always been – but as they should be. In Jesus’ death and resurrection we see that not even the power of death can hold sway against the power of God’s endless life.

Like the Israelites of old, we too still await the fulfillment of the promised kingdom. We long to see a world in which our leaders rule with integrity and justice, and with compassion towards those who lives are marked by the heavy burdens of poverty; those who are wearied by the daily struggle to provide for their families – the ones who have more month than money and can’t escape the continual burden having to decide between food or medication, rent or heat. We long for a world where the heavy burden of racism and prejudice is lifted from the shoulders of those who suffered violence, and have been excluded from the usual educational and economic systems that can lead to a better life. We long for a day when everyone will have access to medical care. Where no one will be burdened with the worry about losing their care coverage, or about facing bankruptcy because of their medical bills. We long for a world where no one will be labeled as an alien, or live daily in fear of officials arriving at the door to take children from parents of parents from children. We long for a world where the more than 20 million displaced people will be welcomed into new homes, into places of safety and refuge. This is not a Democratic vision, or a Republican vision….this is God’s dream for us and for all people. And we who have been claimed as citizens of this new kingdom, who in Holy Baptism have died and risen to new life in Christ, are called to claim this vision as our own. To live as prisoners of Hope, and to carry this hope, in word and deed, to all those whose lives are filled with suffering and despair.

This morning Jesus invites us today to Come to Him – to share in God’s dream, God’s vision for all humanity, and all creation. Jesus says: Come to me and listen to my Word. Hear again the promises of God. Come to me…..see me in the faces of your neighbors, in the faces of those who are carrying heavy burdens, who long to experience justice, mercy and compassion. Come to me and be fed at my table. Eat this bread and wine which are my life for you. Jesus invites us to come to him, to be renewed in hope and joy, and then to go out to all the places of pain and suffering in our world, bearing that hope to all longing to hear the good news of God’s kingdom.

A Primer on Krumkake
by Doris Barnaal

 Krumkake, a thin, cone-shaped cookie baked on a decorative iron, has an interesting history. It is one of seven kinds of traditional Christmas cookies in Norway. Today, the most popular varieties in both Norway and America are fattigman, sandbakkels), Berlinerkranser, goro and rosetteter, pepperkaker, and sirupsnipper, as well as krumkake. Most share the same basic ingredients: flour, butter, eggs, sugar, and often spices or almonds.

 Krumkake is pronounced (kroom-kah-keh). One cookie is krumkake. Adding an “er” at the end makes it plural (kroom-kah-k-er).  Krum is (curved,) kake (cake), with the literal translation “curved cake. While still hot, each cookie is quickly rolled around a wooden cone. When cooled, it retains a cone shape. In Norway, cookies are often called cakes. (Another Norwegian word for cookie is bakkel as in sandbakkel.)

Krumkake irons date back to the 1700s. The first generation of krumkake irons were made by blacksmiths who used different designs and often inscribed their own initials in the pattern. They had long handles for holding them over open cooking fires and weigh about 10 pounds.

The second generation of krumkake irons originated in the late 1800s when wood stoves became popular. The iron was now placed in the round burner holes of the stove. The handles of the irons were shortened and a ball joint allowed an easy flip of the iron to heat the other side. Versions of this iron are still in use on modern stoves, although we now we enjoy the convenience of third generation electric irons. Much like a waffle iron, these come in two models – one designed to bake a single krumkake at a time as well as a double iron that allows two krumkaker to be baked at the same time.

Other notes:

• Krumkaker may be filled with whipped cream and fruit such as strawberries or raspberries.  This must be spooned in just before serving to keep the cookies crisp.
• Krumkaker are also made in Sweden.
• Examples of the two older types of krumkake irons may be seen in the food exhibit on the first floor of Vesterheim Museum in Decorah.