This morning's poem

My Trouble with Anesthesia

Or, On the Eve of Surgery

...I desire continuity which for me and by extension you, more likely my daughters is a sense that there is a succession of yearning, grace, elation, nearness, spirit, thralldom, memory. To desire is not to acquire however since in the middle of my life and I suspect more often than I accept there is a break, something stronger than a comma which happens to me not by me so while I live and move and have my being I will leave a swallow of coffee in my cup, a few dregs for another time...

Word for Today

From Second Corinthians chapter five:

"For our sake God made Christ to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God."

Dear friends in Christ,

Ash Wednesday comes to us this week, February 22nd. For those who are familiar, there is time given during the worship for you to come forward, kneel at the altar rail, and receive an ashen cross on your forehead. You will hear these words:

"Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return."

You may recognize the first picture. Mt. St. Helens, 1980. Powerful forces thrusted hot ash far into the sky.

The next picture shows a handful of that floury, powdery ash. Seemingly good for nothing. Artists from the Pacific Northwest have used ash like this to create curious and amazing works of art.

Next is a pencil sketch by someone with the name "Horseman". This is his interpretation of "Jesus wept."

Life comes from ash. According to Sadao Shoji and Tadashi Takehashi (professors at university in Japan), "Volcanic ash soils begin to form with rapid restoration of vegetation soon after ash deposition and create a productive and comfortable environment. They also have various important functions such as accumulation of large amounts of organic carbon and nitrogen, plentiful storage of water, water quality improvement, and preservation of paleoenvironment and archaeological artifacts."

Dear friends in Christ, we have a Lord who turns our explosive, corrosive, effusive ash into an artistic sketch of life. In so doing he comes near, so near in fact that he becomes our sin. And when that happens, we are freed to become the righteousness of God. Step into Ash Wednesday boldly and humbly. There is an ashen cross for you. Thanks be to God.

Adapted from the prayers of the Church for Ash Wednesday 2012 (Evangelical Lutheran Worship)

We remember all those who have returned to dust, with whom we are one in the body of Christ (especially those we name in our hearts now..). Remind us again that your death is for us the death of death, and give us faith to live with courage. Lord, in your mercy,

hear our prayer.

What shape is the sketch Christ makes with your ash?

Pastor James Aalgaard
St. Paul Lutheran Church

Word for Today

The Day of Transfiguration

From Psalm 50:

²Out of Zion, perfect in its beauty,

God shines forth in glory. 

From Second Corinthians 4:

⁶For it is the God who said, "Let light shine out of darkness," who has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.

From Mark, chapter 9:

And Jesus was transfigured before them,   ⁶Peter did not know what to say, for they were terrified.

Dear friends,  Jesus was transfigured. He glowed to lead us "lest too far we wander." This Sunday is one to celebrate the shining love of God through Jesus. Not explainable, but infectious! It's not too difficult to read the below lyrics with theology in mind.

Watch the Mills Brothers singing The Glow Worm here

Shine little glow-worm, glimmer, glimmer
Shine little glow-worm, glimmer, glimmer
Lead us lest too far we wander
Love's sweet voice is callin' yonder
Shine little glow-worm, glimmer, glimmer
Hey, there don't get dimmer, dimmer
Light the path below, above
And lead us on to love

Glow little glow-worm, fly of fire
Glow like an incandescent wire
Glow for the female of the species
Turn on the AC and the DC
This night could use a little brightnin'
Light up you little ol' bug of lightnin'
When you gotta glow, you gotta glow
Glow little glow-worm, glow

Glow little glow-worm, glow and glimmer
Swim through the sea of night, little swimmer
Thou aeronautical boll weevil
Illuminate yon woods primeval
See how the shadows deep and darken
You and your chick should get to sparkin'
I got a gal that I love so
Glow little glow-worm, glow

Glow little glow-worm, turn the key on
You are equipped with taillight neon
You got a cute vest-pocket *Mazda*
Which you can make both slow and faster
I don't know who you took the shine to
Or who you're out to make a sign to
I got a gal that I love so
Glow little glow-worm, glow
Glow little glow-worm, glow
Glow little glow-worm, glow
Glow little glow-worm, glow

Dear Jesus, illuminate yon woods primeval. Through our nights and days, you are the only source of lasting Light.

Pastor James Aalgaard
St. Paul Lutheran Church

Word for Today

From the Prayer of the Day for the sixth Sunday after Epiphany

Almighty and ever-living God, with mercy you look upon our weaknesses. Stretch out your wondrous hand... 

From 2 Kings chapter five

Naaman became angry and went away, saying, "I thought that for me he (Elisha the prophet) would surely come out, and stand and call on the name of the LORD his God, and would wave his hand over the spot, and cure the leprosy!

From Psalm 30

¹I will exalt you, O LORD, because you have lifted me up

From 1 Corinthians chapter nine

²⁶So I do not run aimlessly, nor do I box as though beating the air;

From Mark chapter one

Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him

Dear fellow boxers, we have good news today. It's quite uplifting, really. Paul was on to something when he said he doesn't box the air. Rather, like an athlete he tirelessly trains himself to be a peak performer, a peak preacher, a peak proclaimer of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

I suspect we all have the same level of determination. We are determined to do what we are determined to do. It's not a question of whether we have determination. It's a question of what we are determined to do! Naaman the gentile general (of an enemy people nonetheless!) thought he was all-that-and-a-bag-of-chips. He thought that Elisha himself, the healer and prophet, should come out and wave his hand over the sores, make it right as rain, so Naaman could be healed. He was boxing the air with his leprous hands. His leprosy afforded him a convenient way to make it about something else, something other than a necessary step of faith. Elisha did not wave his hand. Naaman went down into the water kicking and screaming like a toddler. Naaman came out of the water like a toddler sans the kicking and screaming. Ha Ha Ha Ha Ha. How awesome is that. The healing of leprosy was the means for the Spirit of God to touch Naaman's soul, and heal him there too.

Paul hints at something with which we all struggle. We beat the air trying to knock out a malady that doesn't even exist, because of Christ. Listen to how Christ touches a man with leprosy. The man was not focused on his leprosy.. he was focused on Christ. He came begging, saying to Jesus "If you want you can make me clean". Jesus, prompted by the determination of this man said absolutely "I want. Be clean!" And like a swimmer finishing his last lap Jesus   S  T  R  E  T  C  H  E  D. Touched. Healed.

What have you been boxing at? If you could do something else with your time, what would it be?

I have been boxing at the idea that accomplishing something is actually a let-down. I would rather expect that the Lord will always provide vision. Especially if I come begging.

Pastor James Aalgaard
St. Paul Lutheran Church