Who Carries Whom?

Who Carries Whom?

Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows; yet we esteemed him stricken, smitten by God, and afflicted. 

He was pierced for our transgressions; he was crushed for our iniquities

-Isaiah 53:6-7

Michelangelo’s “Pieta” (below) is one of the masterpieces of the Renaissance. This classic evokes our strong emotions from Christian and non-Christian audiences alike. One is instantly touched by Mary’s unimaginable and unenviable position in this situation. Her face reads resignation; repressed and delayed grief. Michelangelo created with incredible detail and love. Passers-by have noted his passion for centuries. Perhaps one is drawn to Jesus’ lifeless body. The figure who walked on water is completely limp and laid out. This depiction of Jesus highlights the upside down nature of His message. God himself is upheld by the virgin mother of God. Whether Mary, Michelangelo, you, or me, we all have moments where we feel like we must uphold God. 

The Christian church in North America is a missionary church. As a missionary church, we are called to explain who our God is and what He is doing to others who have very different expectations of God and life.  God seems so weak compared to our expectations of Empire. Self help seems to make life so hard. God can feel like a burden. We are often afraid or at a loss for words when defending God, our lives, and His church. The problem is compounded when we struggle to make sense of what God is doing in our own lives. God is so mysterious and so far off. The best we can manage is platitudes, some trust, and straight endurance. We carry the weight of God with us. The God who must be defended. The God who seems about as popular as a funeral at times. The God who seems to trap us in our sins and the sins of others. God who is at once at the heart of everything through the phrase, “In God we Trust,” yet who is unknown by many. Surely, God will crush us if we try to carry Him on our terms. 

Linguistically, the Hebrew word for glory is related to the word for weight. One’s glory is literally one’s weight. One’s weight is one’s reputation. While the phrase the “glory of God” might create pictures of angels, archangels, and all the company of heaven in our minds. The phrase “glory of God” might take our minds to the words of a favorite hymn or our hearts to a time when our hearts burned within us. Nevertheless, the glory of God is God’s reputation and God wants His reputation to be the cross. 

. On the cross God carries the sins of the word. On the cross God carries our weak, limp human bodies and our sly human nature. On the cross God carries the world. Isaiah writes,  “Surely He has borne our griefs and carried our sorrows.” God in Jesus dosen’t just carry these things, he lifts them up for all the world to see. Isaiah also writes, “He shall be high and lifted up, and He shall be glorified.” John uses these words to describe the crucifixion of Jesus. The bloody stake of the cross waves to us like a flag signifying that God has taken up our cause. He has taken our place. He has taken away the sins of the world and the consequences of sin chief of which is death. He lifts these things out of us and the world through the cross. He wants to be known for this. Therefore, despite the somber Lenten season, we can sing with joy these ancient words from the 6th century:

“Faithful cross, true sign of triumph,

be for all the noblest tree;

none in foliage, none in blossom,

none in fruit your equal be;

symbol of the world's redemption,

for the weight that hung on thee”

-LSB 454 v.4

A Sheep's Christmas

“My sheep hear my voice and I know them, and they follow me. I give them eternal life. And they will never perish, and no one will snatch them from my hand”- John 10:27-28

Dear Mount Calvary Lutheran Church,

One of the most endearing symbols of Christmas is the nativity scene. We see the silhouette in the neighbor’s yard. We see the giant figures outside the church. There are small pieces on the shelf. Which nativity character are you? Jesus is the star of this show. Joseph and Mary are vital. The wisemen seek Jesus through knowledge. They are learned scholars who decided on the babe of Bethlehem. The shepherd had an ecstatic religious experience. God pulled back the curtain of heaven and showed them the being all around them. Most of us don’t fit so nicely into these categories. Rather as we look eye level with the manger we see the animals huddled around Jesus. The scattered sheep stand by or lay down around the king of kings. Like loyal pets they contently keep an eye on Jesus. The biblical imagery floods our mind. What is Christmas like as a sheep?

We are comfortable calling Jesus the Good Shepherd. We are less content to think of ourselves as sheep. Sheep don’t have the best reputation. Whenever we discuss Jesus as the Good Shepherd, we seem to go out of our way to say how clumsy and vulnerable sheep are. That may or not be true of sheep. However, at Christmas the sheep are just along for the ride. 

I think this is how many of us feel as Christmas approaches. It is Christmas again. While Christmas is a nice time, our expectations of Christmas are low to mid. We don’t think this Christmas, Christmas 2023, will change our lives. We have our traditions we are happy to celebrate. But, this could hardly be a banner Christmas. Those Bethlehem bouvine type animals probably didn’t expect much on that winter day in the year 3 or 4 AD either. Part of being a follower is the excitement of never choosing life’s path. Yet, we can be sure it will be interesting. We ought to take time to open our hearts to the possibility that the Good Shepherd will lead us into just the grandest pasture this Christmas. 

Following as a sheep requires one to embrace uncertainty. However, we are never asked to trust one we do not know. Jesus is the Good Shepherd. His voice is clear on the cold morning. His protection is certain. He promises He will not lose one of His sheep. Wherever He leads we keep our eyes on Him and not on the forest or rocks around. He will keep us close to the manger. Perhaps vividly reflecting on Jesus’ day in and day out presence can transform our spirits and lift our hearts this Christmas season. 

Tradition and Change

“Jesus Christ isthe same yesterday and today and forever.”-Hebrews 13:6

Have you ever been disappointed by a little change? I don’t mean change in a general sense. I mean have you been disappointed by a small change. Perhaps, a little adjustment to a recipe at your favorite restaurant or a slight change in how your garden turns out. It's also amazing how a little change can go a long way too. For example, one simple adjustment when playing an instrument can make all the difference. One conversation can change a life. 

Change of course is rarely without controversy. Perhaps you remember a time when you were on the front lines leading for a change and had to overcome resistance to get there. Alternatively, perhaps you remember fighting against change only to be proved right in the long run after the dust had settled. As a pastor, one of the most common questions I get is, “does your church have a traditional or contemporary service?” The person asking the question wants me to agree with their belief. Their belief is closely tied to the idea of change. Things tend to change very quickly in our world, and this gives the impression that change is inevitable or that all change is good, or that even all changes are permanent. Conversely, it would be silly not to recognize the power of change or the need for change from time to time.

We have to understand that worship is first and foremost something outside of our human experience or expectations. Worship is the work of God among us. God gathers his people together, God speaks to his people through His Word, God feeds His people, and God sends them out to be His witness in the world. Worship is really God’s work. The church has decorated this work of God in different ways in different times and places. Theologians speak of enculturating worship into the local culture. Simply put, worship looks different in different cultures. One of our teachers at VLHS had a father who was a missionary in Papua New Guina. Rev. Meyer, the missionary, had to radically change the order of worship he grew up with in the United States for this new place. God was still gathering his people together, God was still speaking to his people through his word, God was still feeding his people, and God was still sending them out to be his witnesses in the world, but it looked and sounded different.

The expressions of worship most familiar to us come broadly from the experiences of Christians in western Europe and North America. These expressions of worship have been careful curated for centuries. There is a lot that could be said here. How did we get these expressions of worship such as, 4-part congregational signing for example? What should Christians think about “western civilization” and its now very public shortcomings? What does it mean for our worshiping tradition now that Christianity is a minority in some places in western Europe? I want to affirm the good that is in tradition. Tradition can be the best of the past and I think it is true of what is often called “traditional worship.” At the same time, every hymn in our hymnal was at one point new. There are always new expressions of the faith, and we cannot and should not choke off the arts in their creation of these new expressions. There are also many hymns written hundreds of years ago which did not make it in the hymnal. The hymnal creation process curates and selects our traditions. This reality shows how most new things do not last.

I want to leave you with an image of a river. Great rivers such as the Mississippi, the Amazon, and the Nile have lots and lots of small streams which feed into them. Each stream is powerful in its own right. Each stream has something to contribute to the great river. However, it can be hard to see the small stream in the big river. We at Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church stand squarely in the great river. We get the best of a variety of traditions on Sunday morning. This is part of what it means to be Lutheran. Luther did not throw out everything he inherited from the Catholic Church. Rather, if it did not conflict with the Bible, he took the best and added his own small additions. Generations since then have done the same. We remain open to the contributions current generations will make. These traditions beautifully express what God is doing to us in worship.

Pastor Kurt

Follow Jesus

Welcome to part two of our look at Mt. Calvary’s new mission motto: “meet Jesus, follow Jesus, service central Phoenix with Jesus.” Previously we heard about how in worship we meet Jesus. Specifically, in the Lord’s Supper we meet the risen body of Jesus himself. Like the disciples on that first Easter, we touch the Savior and our faith is engaged and strengthened in the midst of our fear and uncertainty. This month. we turn our attention to the phrase, “follow Jesus.”

It seems like Jesus is always inviting people to follow him. When Jesus approaches Peter, Matthew, or countless others he says, “follow me.” If you were to imagine and reflect on this conversation how do you hear Jesus’ words? Does Jesus sound stern? Tender? Cautious? Is there a sense of indifference or a sense or invitation? If I had to guess, Jesus must have said these words in the most matter of fact kind of way. The person he was speaking to would have been floored by Jesus’ request. Rabbis often had disciples, followers, who would learn from them. These followers would copy the entire way of life of the Rabbi. If the Rabbi happened to walk with a limp, the disciples would walk with a limp. If the Rabbi was a vegetarian, the disciples would become a vegetarian. Imitation of the Rabbi was the goal. A Rabbi would choose followers from the students in his Hebrew and Torah classes. These students were essentially elementary school age. It was an honor to be chosen. The student-disciple was almost guaranteed to become a Rabbi himself, or perhaps a scribe, or a government official. Becoming a disciple was a path to social mobility in Jesus' society. It was unheard of for a Rabbi to ask an adult man with a family, Peter, or a man with an established profession, Matthew to be his disciple. Jesus transforms and redefines discipleship. 

It has been said that becoming Jesus’ disciple is the easiest thing in the world and the hardest thing in the world. Becoming Jesus’ disciple is easy since Jesus doesn’t just take honors students as his disciples. There is always room in the crowd following Jesus. Jesus doesn’t chase away strangers who would approach him with their requests and acts of reverence. Jesus says, “my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” As it concerns difficulty, Christians are not called to transcend our humanity, we are called to the practices Jesus practiced. Jesus encourages us to practice charity, prayer, fasting, hospitality, and rest. The discipleship Jesus invited people too was also different in difficulty. Whereas traditional discipleship was a career pathway, Jesus warns that his disciples will have more trouble than most. 

Discipleship and growing in discipleship always involves other people. We not only follow Jesus but other people are in need of Jesus. The other person is the object our Jesus inspired practices. 

As the pastor of Mt. Calvary I consciously create opportunities for Christians to practice their discipleship. Bible study and worship give us more time with Jesus. Activities such as fellowship, Light Rail Relief, and care for others in the congregation are all opportunities to practice our Jesus practices. 

Join us this weekend in person or online for moments to practice our discipleship.

In Jesus’ Service,

Pastor Kurt Hellwig

425.420.6826.

Meeting Jesus

Dear Mount Calvary Lutheran Church,

Where do you see Jesus? Do you see Jesus? It's okay to hesitate in your response. We Lutherans rightly hesitate to explain everything about God as it seems almost arrogant to claim how God is working in our lives. Alternatively, perhaps we don't feel worthy or spiritual enough for Jesus to work in specific ways in our lives. Nevertheless, Jesus says, "I am with you always, to the end of the age."

The former Lutheran Hour speaker, Rev. Dr. Dale Meyer, once said that churches can sometimes feel like museums, and sermons more like history classes. We hear about Jesus in a similar way that someone might learn facts about George Washington or Abraham Lincoln. We appreciate Jesus' "contribution" to Western civilization, our personal values, and even our salvation, in the same way we admire Lincoln's leadership or Washington's integrity. While I love museums and am something of a history buff, religion, Christianity, and Jesus are not merely things of the past. The cross does not belong in a museum. Jesus is changing lives now. The best is yet to be written. Jesus' words, "I am with you always," aren't mere sentimentality. Jesus is alive, and He really is with you, whether you're lying in bed or walking on the street.

At their retreat in June, the Mt. Calvary council adopted the mission motto, "Meet Jesus, Follow Jesus, Serve Central Phoenix with Jesus." Come meet Jesus. This is a bold claim, as we are stating that we have personally met Jesus and know where to find Him. We are guaranteeing that others will meet Jesus if they come to church. Such a claim might seem quite bold, even arrogant. I once saw a billboard that read, "Pray to talk to Jesus, text and drive to meet him." The message was clear: do not text and drive. The implication was that you have to die to meet Jesus. To the contrary, we are saying that you can meet Him on Sunday mornings at Mt. Calvary.

Where? Our relationship with Jesus reaches its peak in the Sacrament of the Altar. Jesus says, in reference to the bread and wine, "This is my body, and this is my blood." We touch the Risen Jesus. Like "doubting" Thomas, we put our hands in the side of Jesus and exclaim, "My Lord and my God!" This is "our theology" of the real presence. It's simply realizing that our prayers, "Come Lord Jesus," have been answered. On Sunday mornings, we actually meet Jesus. When the pastor brings communion, he brings nothing less than Jesus. We could go on. Jesus says His words are life now and always. We hear from Jesus every Sunday. He is speaking to you. Jesus has authorized words of forgiveness to be spoken in His name. We hear these words on Sunday too. Jesus is fully human. When we meet another human, we encounter them in their humanity through the humanity of Jesus. All parties in any face-to-face human encounter share Jesus. They have Jesus in common in a world of division. This leads us to follow Jesus and serve with Jesus.

Blessings for the week ahead,

Rev. Kurt Hellwig