Parades and Prices Paid

Today is Memorial Day.

Americans are charged with taking the time this day to remember the men and women of our armed forces who have died in pursuit of the American ideal of freedom.

It is a solemn day. 

It is a day of patriotic remembrance and pride.  We remember that many men and women have paid the ultimate price so that we may have the freedoms we daily take for granted.  We participate in and attend parades and ceremonies of remembrance which honor these people and celebrate the values for which these brave Americans have fought and died. 

I live in a lake community in a section of a very large town.  Our town, Parsippany, begins its Memorial Day celebration at Veteran’s Park with a Memorial Day Ceremony of Remembrance.  My community also holds a parade and ceremony on the Saturday before Memorial Day.   At each, members of our armed forces speak to the courage and valor of those who have died, pleading with us not to forget these fallen champions of freedom.

The news has frequently reported in recent years that we are losing those who fought in World War II at an increasing rate.  Their stories, and the stories of their comrades who fell on the battlefield, are being sought, so that we will remember, and never forget the price of freedom.

As I watched several of the older members of my community who have served in our armed forces this weekend, I was, and will continue to be, humbled by the way they have served our country, both during their active duty and their continued lifetime of service to their community.

“Freedom isn’t free.”  We know this today as well as the citizens of the 1940’s or the 1770's.

Don’t skip the ceremony.  Take your children and teach them what price has been paid for them.

Your freedom to worship as you choose, was purchased with the blood of thousands of men and women who believed in the ideal of freedom enough to march behind a United States flag and stare tyranny in the face.

Your salvation was purchased with the blood of the innocent Son of God.

Grasp the gift purchased for you.

Come and worship.
Sundays, 9:30 am
www.elcaAndy.org

Choices

Choices.

Life is full of them.

This past Saturday, you had the choice to buy into the hype that the world was ending, even though the Bible has clearly told us that “no one, not even the Son, knows the hour… Only the Father knows”  (Matthew 24:36/Mark 13:32) or to go about your life with whatever you had planned.

Every day we make choices that affect how we move forward in our lives.  Those choices also affect our relationship with God and with others.

We are created with the gift of free-will.  We are free to make choices that separate us from God or bring us closer in relationship to Him.  God has a plan for us, but gives us the choice to accept that plan or try our own way.

Even when our choices are less than ideal, we are still given more choices to move back into a right relationship with God. 

June is frequently the season of Confirmations/Affirmation of Baptism celebrations.  Four young people will stand before our congregation in June to affirm the choice made for them at their baptism... they will CHOOSE to be a child of God.

God continually gives us options that can lead us back to Him.

The door to God is never closed.

Because of Jesus.

Come and worship with us.  Sundays at 9:30 am.

www.elcaAndy.org

Will I See You in Church Tomorrow?

Ok, so there’s so much going on today, who can sit still?

It’s Armed Forces Day…remember and thank all those who serve.

The Preakness race is on tonight.  Got a favorite horse?  Are we likely to be headed toward a Triple Crown, or will the excitement be dashed tonight?   I don’t bet the races, I just get excited to see history made.

Or, we’ll all be either raptured or left behind around dinner time so I wonder who will be left to watch the race, or even jockey the horses.

Hmmmm…I wonder if I’ll see you in church tomorrow.

Good grief.

Are we to believe this so-called prophet predicting our demise for this evening?  I won’t even mention his name so that the search engines don’t give him one more byte of credibility.

But, you know he’s right in one thing.  Christ will come again.  I just don’t think that it’s going to be tonight.

Why not?  Because:

“if the head of the house had known at what hour the thief was coming, he would not have allowed his home to be broken into.  You too, be ready for the Son of Man is coming at an hour that you do not expect.”  Luke 12:39-40

 “you yourselves know full well that the day of the Lord will come just like a thief in the night.”  1 Thess. 5:2

“This generation is a wicked generation; it seeks for a sign, and yet no sign will be given it but the sign of Jonah (a call to repentance).”     Luke 11:29  

We will not be told of the date for our judgment.  But we ARE to be ready...

We are to live EVERY DAY as if it would be our last chance to right wrongs, love one another, and choose Jesus for our savior…

Thank you to the men and women who serve in our Armed Forces.  I’m praying for your safety and a swift reunion with the people you love.

My home brewer hubby is cooking up a new batch of golden delight this afternoon.  It will be ready to drink and share with friends in a couple of weeks.

The choir is singing a really cool song at the 10:45 am service at church tomorrow.   Come, listen and enjoy.  Better yet, bring a friend.

I’ll see you in church tomorrow.

www.elcaAndy.org

Join us for worship tomorrow at 8:30 and 10:45 am.

Summer Worship Schedule begins May 29 with ONE service at 9:30 am

We are ALL saints... AND sinners

Many people wonder if Lutherans worship saints.

Martin Luther professed us all saints AND sinners. 

Saints…honor them, yes, somewhat; worship them, no.

For example, today (May 18) is the day we remember Erik, King of Sweden, who died a martyr in 1160. 

Erik Jedvardsson was king of Sweden from 1150 until his death in 1160.  During that time he is credited with crusades and attempts to bring peace and Christianity to Finland and the Nordic lands under Swedish control.   He was also credited with striving to establish fair laws and courts.

He is reported to have been slain upon leaving worship on the day after the Ascension celebration.  Even though he had been warned of the Danish army’s approach, he continued his worship until having finished the feast (Communion), planning to continue the rest of worship later.

He is considered the Patron Saint of Sweden.

In practice, most Lutherans wouldn’t know one “saint” from another.  Most “saint days” fall mid-week and are often not remembered in Sunday worship either.  The ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church inAmerica) does list in its worship planning resources those “saints” who we do honor for their efforts toward of the spread of Christianity or their service to humanity or God’s creation.  The practical remembrance of these “saint days” is left to individual congregations to recognize if they choose.  So you can guess what frequently happens.

On the one hand, I like to learn new things, in particular something historical in significance.  So I would probably enjoy learning more about the saints that we honor and should seek to remember.

On the other hand, elevating one person over another doesn’t sit well in my gut.  Would God approve of King Erik more than he approves of me?  Luther says we are justified by faith, not by works.  Only God can judge my faith.

I think what is important here is to remember that we honor these “saints” for the examples that they set, not so much because they were people any better than you or me.

What do you think?  Would you like to see more information about the “saints” of the Christian Church, recognized by the ELCA, in our worship bulletins?

Would you like to see more blog posts detailing the people whom our church recognizes for their contributions to the Church (capital C)?

I wonder how this blog will be reviewed in heaven by Luther and King Erik…

www.elcaAndy.org
Join us for worship this Sunday at 8:30 am or 10:45 am.
Join us for worship at 9:30 am as we begin our Summer schedule on May 29 with ONE Sunday worship service.

Jesus is a gate

Picket or wrought iron?  How about human flesh and bone…?

Yesterday was commonly called “Good Shepherd Sunday” for the reference to the Gospel lesson of the day.    In this Gospel lesson (John 10:1-10), Jesus says in verse 7, “I am the gate.”

We’ve often seen pictures of Jesus carrying lambs or walking with a shepherd’s staff, but, as Pastor Fred noted on Sunday, “it would be interesting and I doubt we’ll ever see Jesus pictured as a gate.”

In his sermon, Pastor Fred explained that this phrase would have created a different image for the people of Jesus’ day than for us.  Instead of a gate swinging open and shut, envision the shepherd lying across the doorway between large stone walls that would encompass the sheep pen.    In this way, Jesus tells us that He will be that shepherd guarding the opening in the wall, sleeping across the threshold,  the gatekeeper through whom everyone and everything would have to pass by in order to get to the sheep.

We can take comfort in this image of Jesus as “the gate.”  No one will be able to get past Him into the fold to harm us.  Not one of us will be able to stray away from the fold without His knowledge.

Stubborn, nudging and stinky sheep that we are, we may push through the gate and go astray; but Good Shepherd that Jesus is, He will know where we have gone and will find us and guide us back to His protection.  We will follow Jesus because we know His voice.  The familiarity and love of the Good Shepherd will comfort us and call us back to the safety of His care.  “The stranger, they will not follow,”  John 10:5

Thank you God for giving us such a devoted shepherd that He would lie across the threshold to keep away the bad guys and keep us safely within the fold…always on watch.  

He stretched out upon a cross to be a gatekeeper to death.  What better shepherd could we want?

What do you think of this image of Jesus as “the gate?”

www.elcaAndy.org
Come worship with us: 8:30 & 10:45 am Sunday
One service 9:30 am beginning Memorial Day weekend

Unknowingly Walking with Jesus

I love the Gospel story from this past Sunday.   Luke 24: 13-35

Two disciples are walking on the road to Emmaus, leaving Jerusalem after all that had happened since the Passover.  How incredulous!  Mary and the other women had reported back to the disciples that Jesus was alive and yet they are leaving Jerusalem, refusing to believe these women disciples!

But the story gets better.  Jesus comes upon these disciples and walks and talks with them, but their eyes are not opened to know him.  Jesus purposely does not reveal Himself to the disciples but instead allows them to confess their unbelief by telling Him of all that had happened but how they did not understand that Jesus had conquered death.

After arriving at the disciples’ destination, Jesus joins them in a meal where he blesses the bread, breaks it, and shares it with them.  It is at THIS point, in the breaking of the bread,  that their eyes are opened and Jesus is revealed to them.  Jesus then vanishes from their midst.

Now they recognize how their “hearts burned within” them while He walked and talked with them.

Now, when it is getting dark, the disciples run the seven miles back to Jerusalem to tell the other disciples that it is indeed true, what the women have told them.

“Oh foolish men and slow of heart to believe…” Luke 24:25

So often I am also like these disciples, the path I follow taking me away from where I probably should be going. 

How often my heart aches over something I read or see? Yet, do I look there for Jesus?

In so many ways we often flounder around seeking what is right there before us. If we would only open our eyes.

I love this story because it comforts me to know that even when I am blind to Jesus, He is still there walking right beside me.

Jesus does not withhold His love for me because I’m caught up in the trappings of my own little world.

He is revealed to me every Sunday, in Holy Communion.  "Do this in remembrance of me."

Join us for worship every Sunday.
Memorial Day through Labor Day, ONE service @ 9:30 am
September - May, 8:30 & 10:45 am
www.elcaAndy.org
 

Nickel by dime by quarter by dollar - Thank YOU!

Nickel by dime by quarter by dollar.  Everything was priced to sell and boy did we sell it! 

Thank you to everyone who donated to or shopped at our Yard Sale to benefit our Youth Group.  Your donations/purchases will help send our Youth and their chaperones to the 2012ELCA National Youth Gathering in New Orleans next summer.  As those who attended the 2009 event will tell you, it is a life-changing event. 

Memories are made that will last a life-time.  Worship experiences will be had that will likely be unrivaled in their lives.  Servant experiences will leave impressions that will never be forgotten.

This Yard Sale was the first big step in the fund-raising and bonding process that makes for a fun trip together.  The kids were terrific.  They were responsible for making the “financial transactions” of each sale.  They learned a lot about salesmanship in the process.   They learned about working together.  They learned more about each other and began cementing friendships that will grow and flourish as they work toward their goal.  Adults helped by helping shoppers, moving and displaying merchandise, condensing tables, and moving stuff “forward and out”  (out of our Friendship Hall, down the hall, into the narthex and finally into the parking lot) as there was room and things were sold.  People who don’t have kids in the Youth program showed up to help, they love and believe in our kids that much.

Because of you, our kids are $2500 on their way to New Orleans.

Thank you, thank you,  thank you.

www.elcaAndy.org
Come worship with us on Sunday, 8:30 & 10:45 am

Yard Sale Bargains Galore - but How Much for Your Soul?

Priced to sell!  Bargains galore!

While these are the sales pitches for tomorrow’s Yard Sale to benefit our Youth Group, they hardly seem fitting words for a church, or are they?

While you might find a lawn spreader for $5 or a Nordic Trac Eliptical for $100 or a candle for only 25 cents (bargains all), what would you pay for the redemption of your soul?

Jesus paid the ultimate price for your salvation.  He suffered  betrayal,  humiliation, torture and a brutal death to ransom our souls from Satan.  You, however, need only to ask forgiveness and believe in Him to be saved. 

Now THAT’s a bargain.

Come check out the thousands of bargains we offer at our Yard Sale tomorrow and help send our Youth to the 2012 ELCA National YouthGathering in New Orleans.




COME AND SHOP --- RAIN or SHINE! 
TOMORROW - Sat., May 7,  8:00 am until 3:00 pm
St. Andrew Lutheran Church
335 Reynolds Ave., Parsippany, NJ  07054
(973) 887-6713
Click here for directions
Or check out our website: www.elcaAndy.org

How a Yard Sale will Keep a Memory Alive

This Saturday, May 7 from 8:00 am until 3:00 pm, the Youth of Saint Andrew will be hustling about helping you make a fantastic purchase from our Yard Sale.  There are thousands, and I mean literally thousands, of items to choose from.    Come and shop.... RAIN or SHINE!!!

The proceeds from this Yard Sale will help to offset the costs of sending these Youth (and their chaperones) to the 2012 ELCA National Youth Gathering in New Orleans next year.   The goal is to raise as much of the estimated cost of $1500 for each person as possible.  Your purchase at our Yard Sale will help us on the fund-raising  journey to make that happen.


Three years ago when our Youth attended this gathering, they took a special banner with them to remind them of the one person missing from their group whose smile is very much missed among them.

In 2006, our congregation lost a member of our Youth to acute myeloid leukemia.  She was 16.  She was good friends with all the kids from St. Andrew who attended the 2009 Gathering.  So in her honor they brought a banner displaying her face and the message that she would be transformed along with them.  The kids tied the banner to the Super Dome railing, along with hundreds of other banners from churches around the country. It helped them to remember that she was with them in spirit.  Stani would have LOVED sharing the experience of the National Youth Gathering.

Next summer, this next bunch of kids plan to take this banner with them again.  Among the group will be Stani’s sister. 

So your purchase at this Saturday’s Yard Sale will not only help a bunch of Youth to have the experience of a lifetime, you will help keep a memory alive… the memory of a very special sixteen year old girl whose smile would light up any room and whose personality you could not help but enjoy. 

Jesus lived in Stani.  Now she lives with him.

Come SHOP!
May 7, from 8:00 am until 3:00 pm
St. Andrew Lutheran Church
335 Reynolds Ave.
Parsippany, NJ  07054
(973) 887-6713
Directions click here

One Man's Junk will send a Youth to New Orleans

In just a few days, thousands (and I do literally mean thousands) of items of one person’s junk will become another person’s treasure.
 Rain or shine.

Yes, it’s a yard sale.

But not just ANY yard sale.  This is the every 3 years St. Andrew Youth Group Yard Sale.

On Saturday, May 7 from 8 am until 3 pm, you can peruse thousands of items that are in need of recycling…. From one person’s home to another.

How fitting that so briefly following Easter, new life will be given to items that one person felt were junk.  Another person will find that less than shiny bauble and with a little elbow grease make new what once was old. 

Less stuff in landfills.  Fewer dollars spent from budgets that are already tight.  Less $ on the credit card this month. 

You kid has outgrown that stroller?  Well maybe a new mom-to-be who is struggling to make ends meet in this less than stellar economy would like to take it around the block a few more times.

Personally, I find holding a Yard Sale to usually be more pain than it’s worth.  But THIS Yard Sale is an exception.

First of all, I get to clean out my house of some of those items no longer being used by my family.

Second, the proceeds from this sale will benefit the Youth of St. Andrew, which includes my son at this time.  In July 2012, several of our Youth Group will travel to New Orleans for the ELCA National Youth Gathering.   My daughter went a few years ago.  It is one of those life experiences that shapes the hearts and minds of a young person for his/her entire life.  She will never forget the experience and the things she learned there.

Third, this activity is a bonding event for our Youth.  Working together to begin to earn some dough, they begin to really get to know each other.  They begin to feel a common purpose and common goal.

Fourth, this activity brings the faces of our Youth into the fore of the minds of the members of our congregation.  Their upcoming trip will be front and center in the activities of the church for the next year. 

Fifth, by working this activity, our Youth take responsibility for their own commitment to get themselves and their chaperones to New Orleans with as little financial pain to their parents as possible.

And lastly,  the work they do to get there will make the event that much more sweet when they worship together with 35,000 other Lutheran Youth in the Super Dome in New Orleans and when they head out to work together on any one of the hundreds of service projects that these youth will undertake.

So come find a new treasure! 

Help send a Youth to New Orleans for the experience of a lifetime!

Whatever your motivation, COME SHOP!

May 7 @ St. Andrew, 8 am - 3 pm
www.elcaAndy.org  for directions