Then the LORD answered me and said:
Write the vision; make it plain on tablets, so that a runner may read it.
For there is still a vision for the appointed time; it speaks of the end, and does not lie.
If it seems to tarry, wait for it; it will surely come, it will not delay.
– Habakkuk 2:2-3

Beloved of God,

November is a bridge month. Beginning with the feast of All Saints, it moves us through the final weeks of the church year to our Thanksgiving Day observance, and then deposits us in the arms of Advent—the season of hope, longing, and renewed expectation.  A richly embroidered worship life awaits our congregation this month…come & see! One of the most joyful occasions takes place on November 20th as new members join our fellowship and our mission; one—baby Luna—through the Sacrament of Baptism.  You can read about this and much more in the pages below.

Another important occasion comes on November 13th when the ReVision Task Force hosts an open forum on the draft Mission Plan.  The prophet Habakkuk learned the importance of a clear vision.  “MAKE IT PLAIN,” God told him; plain enough that a runner can grasp its meaning in the time it takes him to race on past.  I’m not sure our draft plan will pass that test, but I do hope it will lead us toward a bold and clear embrace of the gifts, skills, and resources we put to use for the sake of God’s reign.

God told Habakkuk to translate what he saw into words; words which spoke of endings. Our new Mission Plan calls us to do the reverse: to translate words on paper into action by bringing some long established capital goals to completion and ushering in new beginnings in several areas of our common ministry.  Look it over carefully when it arrives in the mail.  Pray about it.  Talk about it at home.  Then come on November 13th to join the conversation.

Stir up our hearts, O Lord, to prepare the way of your only son…

ADVENT OPPORTUNITY! As we look toward the season of Advent (November 27), I would like your help in identifying themes for building a four part worship series for the season.   Here’s the invitation:  Spend some focused time between now and November 13th thinking on the way(s) you long for God to “take on flesh,” to become incarnate, in this world.  Your reflection might be specific, or it might be general; it may encompass all humanity, or it may come from a very personal desire; it might reference the mission we’re about together or a personal call to be or do.  You are then invited to take the “fruit” of your reflection and to share it with me via email, letter, conversation, or phone call by November 13th.  My intention is that your input will serve as a catalyst for a sermon series this Advent.  Please take me seriously!  Let’s see where God might take us.

One final word. Chris and I have deeply appreciated the words, prayers, and other expressions of caring we’ve received from you in the wake of our sister in law Diane’s sudden death.  The way we care for each other in times like this speaks powerfully about how love becomes incarnate in our community life.  It’s a privilege to be part of such a congregation.

With gratitude,

Pastor Erik

 – Ray Makeever, Holy One, In You Alone. © 1993.

Beloved of God,

There are times in our lives when events or threads come together in such a way that we discern a shared meaning behind them.  (I say “we” because I know I’m not alone in this experience.)  At such times, elements that at first seemed separate become intertwined in a way which is beyond coincidence.  It was Swiss psychiatrist Carl Jung who first put a word to this experience: synchronicity.  One of the features of this felt experience is that it can be crystal clear and at the same time fiendishly difficult to put into words.  There is a sense that an array of events/connections/ideas—some conscious and some below the surface—are engaging each other in such a way that the sum is greater than the parts. For people of faith through the ages a much older word may often apply – “providence” – the guidance, care and wisdom for our lives provided by God.

Four personal experiences over recent weeks have gathered themselves into a critical mass within me:  our communal marking of the Season of Creation; UW Professor Paul Johnson’s address on global climate change at the Greening Your Congregation workshop; my attendance at PLU’s Water Conference; and my encounter with songwriter Ray Makeever and his eloquent hymn Holy One, In You Alone at Holden Village. 

As I write to you, four facts on global climate change stand out for me.  (1) Carbon dioxide concentrations in earth’s atmosphere today are higher than they’ve been in 50 million years.  Decisions that human beings and human governments make over the next decade will determine whether the global temperature 100 years from now is 4 degrees higher than currently, or 12 degrees higher.*  (2) Climate change on planet Earth during our era is taking place at a pace 10 times faster than at any other period in the history of the planet.  (3) As the global average temperature rises, raising the freezing level in winter and reducing mountain snowpack, the average water flow in the Columbia River is projected to be 43% less than current levels by the year 2030.  (4) Less than 0.08% of the earth’s water is available for human use, yet over the next decade, human use will increase by at least 40%. 

The facts are numbing—and depressing.  And there are plenty more.  On such a scale, what difference can one person possibly make?

Throughout our Season of Creation we have sought to connect our faith life with the fate of Earth and all its inhabitants; to take God’s enfleshment in Jesus seriously enough to see how this whole garden planet has, from the beginning, been the sacred sphere for God’s unfolding plan of healing and restoration.  God’s deep incarnation in Christ leads us to deep affirmations of our purpose and mission as stewards of this world.  As we commit ourselves purposefully to this task by joining with congregations and faith communities around the world in the Green Faith movement, we will move from hand-wringing paralysis to crucial and purposeful action.  There’s the “we” again.  It’s about community, and the power of common minds and wills bent on making changes—personal, local, and global— that will leave this pale blue dot of a planet, this unparalleled gift from the Creator, habitable for future generations. 

This mission is daunting; and humbling, too; a road we can only travel together.  Information is an important ally.  Good science is essential.  That’s where efforts like the CLIMATE REALITY PROJECT come in.  But information is not by itself enough. A deeper process of conversion is called for.  And that’s where Ray Makeever’s poignant and powerful song Holy One, In You Alone comes in. 

When I encountered Ray at Holden during the Theological Symposium last month, I found myself recalling the impact of his music on my life and ministry over the course of 30+ years.  At the closing Eucharist service, Ray on his guitar, with wife Linda and daughter Sophie on their violins, introduced us to his hymn HOLY ONE, IN YOU ALONE.  I can’t speak for anyone else, but the effect the song had on me was immediate and has endured.  I am so struck by the simple, reflective melody, the way it moves and rests within its own rhythm, the hymn’s humble frame, and the sense both of relinquishment and hope it embodies.  Here—take in the words:

It’s that final verse which speaks in a particular way to the call we share as earthkeepers, and to the hope we share in the presence of the risen Christ!  This month, as we participate in the CROP WALK, as we write letters to Congress in Bread for the World’s Offering of Letters campaign; as we launch our Confirmation program and our Journey of Faith process; as we remember once more the young German monk who had the gumption to confront the powers-that-be and so begin a reforming movement that shook the world, we do it all with hopeful expectation.  For the risen Christ is with us still.

Hubris and bravado, which seem in some quarters to be in plenteous supply, will get us nowhere.  Ideological skirmishes will accomplish nothing.  Denying the realities that we face as our climate changes is worth about as much as sticking our heads in the sand.  Maybe even less. Leaders who can’t or won’t see the bigger picture won’t get my time, my dime, or my vote.  People like us who have stood at the cross and seen the empty tomb know better and we expect better.  We, with “hopeful hands,” put our trust in the one who says I AM THE RESURRECTION AND THE LIFE.  We make no claims for ourselves or for our project—but we stake everything on our belief that the Word who became flesh, the one we call Immanuel, is with us still, and still cares about this world and everyone and everything in it.

The words of Ray’s song Holy One, In You Alone have settled in a place deeply within me, a providential response to some harsh challenges these recent weeks have brought.  When we sing this song on October 2nd, perhaps you’ll agree.  I hope so.   But more than that, I hope you will join me in committing our congregation to a Green movement that calls us further on this journey of renewal “In You (God) Alone.”

Your companion on the Way,

Pastor Erik

*Figures are in Fahrenheit.

Beloved of God,

September has arrived—and what a full September it promises to be!  Our RE/vision process is in full swing with smaller focus groups meeting in earnest (look for a progress report before the month is out).  Our worship life shifts into a new gear beginning September 11thas we mark the beginning of the program year by observing the four week long Season of Creation (note the invitations that come with that season elsewhere in this edition).  Unique and important seminars on the stewardship of creation are on the calendar this month (details below) as is the 25th Anniversary AIDS Walk and the marking of PLU Sunday.  

John Gulhaugen, who served faithfully and admirably as Peace’s choir director for the past eleven years, tendered his resignation over the summer and Chris Kindem has been appointed as Interim Choir Director; a search team for a new Director of Music is being formed under the leadership of Council Vice President Dustin Smith.  We will miss John, and his partner James, as they move on to new ventures.  On October 16th we’ll take the opportunity to recognize and thank John for his contributions to our worship and community life.  Stay tuned for more on that as the month unfolds.

Combined with the start of the school year, the long litany of new activities, responsibilities, and commitments can leave me feeling, at times, breathless.  Where to find the balance?  That’s a question we all struggle with.  This month, perhaps especially, I mean to take the advice Mary Oliver offers in her poem The Trees: to think “quietly and deeply” of our firmly rooted forest kin who have found a way to remain amply rooted and flexible (rather than rigid), as they lift their branches toward their Creator, “holding on to the old, holy ways.”

God tend your roots and branches! 

Pastor Erik