Jesus spat on the ground and made mud with the saliva and spread the mud on the eyes of the man born blind, saying to him, “Go, wash in the pool of Siloam” (which means Sent).  Then we went and washed and came back able to see.

John 9:6-7

Beloved of God,

Our Lenten journey this month has us spend considerable time in the Gospel of John.  For four weeks running our gospel readings will explore stories of encounters between Jesus and various characters—Jesus and Nicodemus (March 5); Jesus and the Samaritan woman (March 12); Jesus and the man born blind (March 19); and Jesus and Mary, Martha, and Lazarus (March 26).  Each encounter gives us insight into who Jesus is and how God’s work in him brings new hope and possibilities to our skeptical, weary world.  Each story speaks to the process of transformation that attends our lives in Christ.  Together these stories have served as the church’s “core curriculum” for centuries for those preparing for baptism at Easter.

As the time for my Pastoral Renewal Sabbatical draws near – (it begins March 27) – I’ve been thinking a good deal about what I hope will transpire for me and within me during these four months away. There are many ways to think about that question.  One way is through the lens of the quote above: I want to be able to SEE.  It’s not that I feel I completely lack vision; it’s that I know from past experience how stepping away from the challenges and obligations of pastoral ministry will enable me to see things with a fresh perspective.  The word sabbatical has its roots in the biblical concept of Sabbath (“to rest” or “to cease), and this sabbatical will provide me with the opportunity to rest, disengage, restore, celebrate, travel, reflect, and—yes—SEE my life as a pastor, a husband, a father, a human being, from new vantage points. The goal is to return to ministry among you refreshed and renewed in body, mind, and spirit.

Traveling can be a great route toward self-understanding, and my sabbatical will include a significant amount of traveling.  But before that phase begins I will spend the first two weeks of sabbatical, including Holy Week and Easter, with two monastic communities in Oregon, and in the realm of nature.  During this time Chris, Kai, and Naomi will continue to participate in congregational life at Peace.  Following those two weeks, the three of them will join me as we visit National Parks in Utah and the Grand Canyon.  Then, the first week of May, we will leave for Germany and adjacent countries.  Planned destinations include: Munich and environs; Prague and Budapest (Rick Steves Tour); Luther historical sites (including Pentecost Sunday at the Castle Church in Wittenberg); museums and concert venues; time in Berlin with the Boeckh family as well as visits to WW2 sites including the Bonhoeffer House and the Holocaust Museum; hiking in the Swiss Alps and the Italian Dolomites; and visits to new as well as previously visited locations in Italy.  Each of these places has attracted our interest for different  reasons.  Some, such as the Lutheran historical sites, are obvious.  Others, less so.  The connections we will make and the “seeing” it will afford each one of us will be priceless, and we owe the Peace congregation a debt of gratitude for your robust support of this venture!  Thank you ever so much.  Chris’s mom, Nancy, will continue at home while we are away, participating in the life of Peace and supported by a cadre of Peace friends and neighbors who will make certain she has what she needs in our absence.  We are deeply grateful for all of you who will provide accompaniment to Nancy while we are gone.

My final service before departing will be March 26.  I hope you will join the Peace community in worship that day so you can be part of the “launching” of this venture.  None of it could have happened without your support.

With you, on the Way,

Pastor Erik

According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building on it.  Each builder must choose with care how to build on it.  For no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid, that foundation is Jesus Christ. 

–  St. Paul, 1 Corinthians 3:10-11

Beloved of God,

When you’re framing up a house, before you lift a stick of lumber you check the foundation to make certain its walls are plumb, level and square.  If the foundation is out of PLUMB it means the walls are leaning, and the weight of the force pressing down could cause them to collapse.  If the foundation is not LEVEL neither will the floors be, and everything that’s added on top will contribute to the home’s instability.  If the foundation is out of SQUARE then everything on top of it will be out of square; and problems originating with the foundation will be translated through the entire structure to the roof.  In other words, if a home’s foundation isn’t plumb, level, and square, everything built on it will be put at risk, everything built on it will be in danger of failing.

Back in the day when I was framing houses in Minnesota, our crew once arrived at the job site to discover that the foundation, instead of measuring up square as it should, measured like a parallelogram!  There was nothing we could do to build that house from that foundation and have it end up square.  The only option was starting over from the ground up.  So our foreman called the cement contractor, and, after a few choice words were exchanged, the cement contractor sent a backhoe to pull the walls down and pull the footings up and start the building process all over again.

The testimony of the New Testament is that there is only one solid foundation on which the mission of the church can be built.  In the words of the Samuel Stone’s great hymn text: “The church’s one foundation is Jesus Christ her Lord.”

Everyone who hears these words of mine and acts on them will be like a wise man who built his house on rock…and everyone who hears these words of mine and does not act on them will be like a foolish man who built his house on sand.  –  Jesus, Matthew 7: 24, 26

In some ways, our annual meeting each year is an opportunity to evaluate whether the structure we’ve been building upon befits the church’s one foundation.  I came away from this year’s annual meeting convinced that we are not only on the right track—we are poised to engage our collective calling with creativity and renewed energy!  As we continue to emerge from the pandemic, I am excited to see how the energy and experience of our new council can help us recalibrate our mission moving forward.  There is much to look forward to in 2023!

Jesus was a craftsman who worked with wood and stone.  He knew how to put a building up right.  He transferred those skills into his work with people.  Jesus doesn’t expect us to build upon his foundation with skills we alone can muster.  Instead, he invites us to become apprenticed to him and sends us the Holy Spirit, so we can learn all we need to know to build a home—a community, a mission, a way of life—that will endure.

When the life we share is founded on the cornerstone of Jesus Christ instead of the shifting sands of the priorities and practices the world offers, our lives remain secure no matter what circumstances we face.  The house that faith builds is a fit habitation and a firm launching platform for our mission.

With you on the Way,

Pastor Erik