Grace Lutheran Church & Preschool

Covina. California

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Extraordinary Time

Greetings Grace Family,

The summer solstice falls on June 21 this year and the longest day of the year marks the beginning of summer. It may feel like summer will never arrive based on a very long fall and winter and a spring that was not very springy. But, summer will come with or without hotter weather. The flipping of the calendar from May to June and the change of season has me thinking about the seasons of the church.

The day of Pentecost, which just happened on May 28, marks the end of six months of seasonal changes in the church calendar. I would not say it is fast paced but there are six seasons that begin at the end of what is called “Ordinary Time” in Church parlance. This year it spans from June 1 until November 29, or about six months of the year.

I have always found it odd that it is called ‘Ordinary Time’ for a variety of reasons. More on that later. Once we are through the longest season of the Church year, Advent begins. It is followed by, of course, Christmas. Then comes Epiphany and the time after Epiphany followed by Lent, the Three Day (otherwise known as the Triduum) and Easter which lasts 50 days.

There is a rhythm to the various seasons and the order in which the come, coinciding with the birth, death and resurrection of Jesus. Advent is the time of anticipation for the birth of the Savior of the world (Christmas). We ponder what the Incarnation means for us and the world as we discover with the Wise Men who the child born in Bethlehem is and will become (Epiphany). Lent has both a sense of anticipation and sel-reflection in light of the death of the One Who Came to Save Us. Easter is the time for halleluiahs and rejoicing with the heavens at the defeat of sin and death, God’s grace manifest in an empty tomb. The 50 days coincide with the amount of time it is believed that Jesus spent on earth after His resurrection and completing His earthly life with His ascension.

The seasons, to a large degree, and their respective themes mirror the rhythm of our lives though not necessarily in the same order. The dash between the date of our birth and the date of our death is representative of a life filled with happy times, sad times, times of reflection and anticipation, what we call ‘seasons of life’. For a more detailed list of those seasons read Ecclesiastes 3:1-8. We also experience what can be called ‘ordinary times’ when things are well, pretty ordinary. Perhaps that is what those who labeled the seasons of the Church had in mind when they named the time after Pentecost as ordinary?

The main reason why I find the very mundane label for our longest season is I do not see anything ordinary about the mystical body of Christ otherwise known as the Church. For almost 2,000 years the Church (not the buildings but the people of God) have borne witness to the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus in ways that are anything but ordinary. If you know the story from the Gospels you know that at Jesus’ ascension he instructed His followers to go, not to a specific location, but to take His love and the Gospel to the ends of the earth. Since that time billions have come to believe in Jesus. I would call that extraordinary.

And that is really what ‘Ordinary Time’ is all about. It is about being the witnesses. It is about the going. It is about the work of the Church, not just what we do on Sunday but what we do out in the world as individuals and as the Body of Christ. We need time for the various seasons of anticipation, discovery, contemplation, rejoicing and lament that are a part of the seasons of the Church. We have six months of mostly time for self, but there should be an equal amount of time spent being the selfless witnesses we are called to be. It is an amazing balance and mix that is divinely designed to help us maximize our witness.

Perhaps it should be called ‘Extraordinary Time.”

Yours in Christ,
Pr. Steve

Easter, Renewal, and Growth

Greeting Grace Family,

Spring has finally arrived! A little later than usual this year after what seemed like a very long and frigid winter, Southern California frigid that is. The flowers in my garden at home are blooming and as I survey the land as I move about I notice everything is green and colorful, obvious signs of growth that signal it’s spring. It is a time of renewal and growth after the darkness and chill of winter.

I imagine that mirrors the emotions that the followers of Jesus felt during His time with them post resurrection. Easter continues long after we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection day and our lectionary provides us with stories from the Gospels about the things our resurrected Lord did prior to His ascension. I’ve always been fascinated by those stories from a human point of view and how mind blowing it must have been for those who actually saw Jesus and what it meant to them.

I’m sure everyone knew that Jesus had been crucified as I imagine word spread pretty quickly among the people of that day considering His fame. That must have been unbelievable for those who believed He was the Messiah. I would guess that the news of His death brought an all consuming sense of darkness and a chill that struck them to the bone. A dark winter of emotions, if you will. It must have felt like a hopelessness that would never end.

Then, Jesus appears to the women at the tomb, and then shows up on the road to Emmaus, then pops in on the Disciples in a locked room. Surprising? More like shocking! But, in a good way, a very good way. Imagine the absolute and immediate sense of jubilation that would have filled their hearts. Once those feelings of pure emotions subsided the question, “What does this mean?” had to pop into their minds. The answer to that question remains open ended to this day 2000 years after Jesus resurrection.

One reason it remains open ended is because like pretty much everything God does in our world is far beyond our full comprehension. Another reason for that is that in some ways it’s different for each of us and there’s really no limit to what it can mean to us. I spoke about this in a recent sermon about Holy Communion. The bread and wine represent the entirety of the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus. The power in that is unlimited and goes so far beyond just a reminder of the forgiveness of our sin. If you want to hear more go to our YouTube channel and listen to the sermon from April 23 if you weren’t in worship that day or watching the livestream.

How is this related to spring? I’m glad you asked. The life, death and resurrection of Jesus is for us an endless source of renewal and growth, which is how I understand spring. We will all experience dark periods, periods of uncertainty, during our lives but will always have Jesus’ resurrection to remind us that we always have hope in this life and in the life to come. Happy Easter!

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Steve

Christ is Risen!

Christ is Risen! Is there a phrase that has impacted humanity more than those three remarkable words? In my opinion the answer is, no! my dear Siblings. Easter is upon us and that phrase will resound in churches around the world on Easter Sunday and the 40 days that follow in our post Easter season. And we will respond to that proclamation with our affirming, “He is risen indeed!” I do not know about you, but it is my favorite time of the year.

Easter is the most joyous season in the Church year. I love the way our Church calendar ebbs and flows with seasons of anticipation, self-reflection, revelation, mourning, and ordinary time. It really does mirror the actual seasons of our own life, reflecting the ups and downs, highs and lows that periodically intrude upon our ordinary time. Of course, life does not exactly mirror that order of the seasons of the Church, but it does speak to a reality of what life is like on this side of heaven. Being somewhat of a realist I appreciate that we do not have to hide behind a façade of everything is always just peachy because we are Christians.

That would certainly be disingenuous and not reflective at all of the scriptures as they testify to a life of faith in the One True God. I still get a kick out of the reactions and emotions of those of you who regularly participate in our weekly Bible study when you hear a story you have never heard that reflects a reality different than the Sunday School stories that most are familiar with. Of course, we love to hear the stories of how God rescued His people or acted in miraculous fashion to bless His people. It can be quite shocking to hear about the not so warm and fuzzy moments when the realities of a broken world shatter the bubble of the idyllic world we talk about in Sunday School. As the saying goes, “Stuff happens” even to the most faithful people. You Bible study folks know what I’m talking about.

No matter what season we find ourselves in personally or in the Church calendar we always have, “Christ is Risen!” and all it represents. The empty tomb represents the fulfilment of the promises of God to always be with us and the depths of His love. I could get all theological with you all, but the theological aspects of the resurrection are not what makes Easter my favorite season. Truly it is the hope that Mary and the other women discovered when the looked into that cave and saw only the burial clothes that had adorned Jesus at His burial. Sure, it took a while for them to understand, but from that day forward they knew without a shadow of a doubt that everything Jesus taught them and revealed about God  the Father and the Holy Spirit were absolutely true.

Their lives were never the same after that! The joy of that first Easter morning remained a permanent fixture each and every day for the remainder of their earthly lives. As they experienced the ups and downs, the challenges and triumphs, every high and low and the ordinary times they knew that despite Jesus no longer physically being present that He is Risen! Despite His death He lives and He will live forever in our hearts, in our lives and not just in thought, but because of the gift of the Holy Spirit we are united with Him forever. For me it is the full realization of Emmanuel, God with us. That is something I rejoice in every day and why I love the Easter season and that joyful proclamation. Christ is risen! On Easter Sunday and the other 364 days of the year.

Yours in Christ,
Pastor Steve

A Lenten Practice

Dear Siblings in Christ,

Having just begun the season of Lent it’s probably a good time for a newsletter article about that very season. It has been my tradition, after all. Where I to ask, “What is Lent all about?” I am guessing I would get a variety of answers, but the most common would probably be, “It’s the time when we give something up for the duration of Lent” or “The time when we are supposed to repent, or return, to God.” Neither answer would be incorrect, but it is much more layered than that.

The 40 days coincided with the 40 days Jesus spent in the desert after His baptism which ended with His temptation by Satan. Historically, starting in the 4th century Lent was a season of preparation for those who were to be baptized on Easter Sunday, the day when most were baptized centuries ago. Those preparing for baptism were called Catechumens and they wore sackcloth and ashes as a sign of penitence. Our nature as sinners would have been deeply imprinted on the Catechumens during the 40 days until the morning of Easter when our sin is washed away in the waters of baptism. Theoretically this would have been a euphoric event that would lead to a life of piety, or Christ centered living, in thanks for the gift of Grace.

Over the centuries it lost the connection with baptism and evolved in various religious traditions that resulted in many different Lenten practices. The most common practice now is to deny oneself of something we enjoy. Whatever the tradition, Lent has always been about recognizing our inclination toward self and independence, otherwise known as sin, in order to lead us back to greater awareness of God and our need of His grace so that we may become better witnesses to that grace. In some traditions, like the Catholic Church, it is almost a mandate to participate in some Lenten practice. As Lutherans we always have the freedom to participate or not. Either way won’t change God’s love for us. So, why bother?

Why not? Are we not afflicted by sin? Does sin have a negative affect on us and our relationship with God? How much time throughout the year do we spend building or maintaining our relationship with God? The answers? Yes. Yes. Probably not as much as we could. The first two answers are obvious. The third is not as black and white. The reality is we need to spend a great deal of our time functioning in the earthly kingdom just to survive. Work, paying bills, running errands, and socializing and our daily routines consume most of our waking hours. Then there is the down time recharging our mental and emotional batteries after the all of those things. When we are overwhelmed by busyness the things that we give up are typically the spiritual practices that are ironically the most life giving. As an example, after a busy week Sunday comes and going to worship seems like the easiest thing to skip in order to get some down time. Has that ever happened to you?

Sleeping in on a Sunday or skipping worship to relax are not necessarily a bad thing. That is not what I’m saying. I am just trying to make the point that because we are people of the earthly kingdom way more than we are people of the Kingdom of God we make choices that are more powerfully influenced by the worldly stuff. A Lenten discipline is the ‘break’ we need from the worldly life for an extended period of time that returns us to the life giving grace of God. Too often Lent is perceived as a time of absence when it really is a return to the abundance of grace. Perspective matters.

If you have never taken on a Lenten practice perhaps now is the time. Do you find yourself overwhelmed by the hamster wheel of life? How about some quite time with our Heavenly Father? Intentional daily prayer may just be what you need. Do you feel distant or detached from God? Try daily devotional time or a service project like volunteering for a non-profit. Spend 30 minutes listening to Christian music. Here’s a radical idea, spend 30 minutes in silence meditating. God speaks to us when we are listening far more powerfully than when we are talking or busy with life. Are you feeling shortchanged by the scarcity of life? Spend ten minutes a day writing down the things you are thankful for. You might find that you are far more blessed than you realize.

These are just a few suggestions. There are endless possibilities beyond giving up sweets or soda for 40 days. A good Lenten practice simply needs to be something that focuses your mind, body, and soul on God daily as opposed to whenever you have time or when it’s convenient to your busy schedule. You don’t have to, but why wouldn’t you want to? Lent is an invitation to spend a little less time in the earthly kingdom and a little more time in God’s Kingdom. For me that is something we can all benefit from.

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Steve

Love and Grief

Dear Siblings in Christ,

It is February. What comes to mind when you think about the second month of the year? There’s the Valentine’s holiday, a big day for romance, florists and chocolate sales. For those of you in the public sector President’s Day is a welcome three day weekend. February is also Black History month. And this year the season of Lent starts with Ash Wednesday on the 22nd. For the shortest month on the calendar there sure is a lot going on.

Those are all things that are worthy of celebration or things to look forward to. February also has a number of significant dates that make this month a mix of celebration and lingering grief for me. My son was born in February and I have been blessed with an amazing son for what will be 26 years. But, it is the first week of the month that brings to memory two of the most difficult days of the year. The 8th marks the 9th anniversary of my first wife, Tracy’s death and the 5th marks the 4th anniversary of my Mother’s death. The 5th also happens to be Tracy’s birthday.

Those of you who have experienced the death of a family member know what those anniversary dates are like. They loom large and serve as reminders of the most difficult days of your life. And over the course of the first couple years of those anniversary dates the feelings of grief were very much a gut punch. The feelings of grief have not gone away, they never will, but they do become more normalized as the years pass and thus less debilitating. At least they did for me.

Why am I sharing these most personal of memories and feelings? That is a good question. Well, I suppose it is because February is the month we celebrate love on the 14th. Yes, I know, it is a holiday that traditionally celebrates romantic love, but that seems to be a bit limited for me. Shouldn’t there be a day we celebrate all expressions of love? Couldn’t that be true for Valentine’s Day? At least for the sake of this article I think it can and should. After all love is the most powerful force in the world. Some have said love is what makes the world go round. I tend to agree with that.

One of the things I have experienced with grief is that in time as the deep, deep sadness wanes gratitude for love, even love that has been lost, grows and grows. Love and grief are inseparable, so that does make some sense to me. Grief would not be so painful if love were not so meaningful. My Mother told me that years ago. She was very smart, one of the many things I loved about her. I miss my Mother and Tracy each and every day, but I would never chose to love less to avoid grief.

Love is a gift from God. I believe that is what makes it the most powerful force in the world and the greatest gift God has ever given us. Love is also limitless. God has given us the capacity to fully love without limit. Imagine if we only had so much love to give and we had to divide amongst a spouse, children, parents, siblings, family and friends. I cannot imagine that when I consider how many people that I love and who love me. Talk about counting one’s blessings!

As eternally grateful I am for the relationships I have and have had, I am most grateful for the love of God. Human love is imperfect and is somewhat conditional. God’s love is perfect and unconditional. It is truly selfless and demands nothing in return. God knows my every thought, everything I’ve ever done, my failures and imperfections and none of it matters or changes God’s love for me. That is something I celebrate and rejoice in every day of my life. I will remember those I loved on the on the 5th, the 8th, the one I love now on the 14th, and my son on the 23rd and thank God for making it possible.

Yours in Christ,Pastor Steve 

Blessed, Every Day

Happy New Year Grace Family,

We have flipped the last page on our 2022 calendars, and as we do that some will reflect on the previous 12 months. I know I did. And as Lindi and I open Christmas cards sent by family and friends many of those envelopes contain recap letters of the year that was, proof that I am not alone in my reflecting. We love to hear about the good things, the ‘blessings’, our friends and families experienced during the year and empathize with those whose year included some dark moments. It would be great if all we ever read about were the blessings!

But that, unfortunately is not a realistic expectation for life. For any of us. The trails are a byproduct of a broken world occupied by sinful people. Bad stuff will happen, and we will all face various trials each and every year. As a result we tend to judge, or assess our year as a good year, or a bad year based on the seriousness of the trail or the frequency of the various trials we experienced. The scale of ‘good year’ or ‘bad year’ tip one way or the other for each of us. How would you say the scale tipped in 2022 for you?

I often hear from folks who had a particularly tough year, “I hope this next year is better than last year.” A very natural hope, right? From those whose year was considered ‘good’ the thought is, “I hope this next year is as good as last year!” A very natural desire. Once we get to the end of the year we often assess, take a deep breath and try to put the year behind us and gear up for a new year. A new year can often feel like a fresh start, even some excitement for what life has in store for us over the next 12 months. Unlike reflecting on the previous year, this is something I really do not do anymore.

There are a variety of reasons for this perspective. The main reason is I have learned that I do not have any control over most of the future events in my life, obviously. It probably took me longer to figure this out that it should have. So, there is no point in trying to predict the future. What comes will come for the most part. Worry or anxiety really does not do me any good and keeps me from being present in the moment and it will not change the future.

In years past I did much more compartmentalizing at the end of each year. Once the year was over putting it all in the past and closing the book on the year that was. Then opening up the new book ready to fill the pages with hopes and dreams for the next 12 months. It was, in a way, a coping mechanism to help me deal with life’s challenges and to give me a sense of control, a false sense, but a sense, nonetheless. What I lacked and what led to this dynamic was my faith was not super functional, at least compared to the depth of my faith as it functions now.

I have spoken often of that point in my life when my faith blossomed many years ago at a Cursillo retreat and my relationship with God changed like a light switch being flipped. Life prior to that was mostly filled with negative thoughts and perspectives as I let the trials we all face dictate my attitude and perspective. What I failed to realize was, or understand was I was truly blessed, every day, all the time, because I did not have the kind of relationship with God that I have today. Now, because I have been far more intentional about building that relationship since that fateful retreat I know and believe that God loves me and is always with me in good times and bad times and everything in between. That is the greatest good that exists in this often times, challenging life. The scales did not suddenly tip more in favor of the good things. Metaphorically I placed on the good side of the scale the infinite weight of grace so that nothing that gets placed on the bad side can ever tip the scales over to the bad side.

The hope, peace, joy, and love that coincide with the four weeks of Advent are not just churchy words devoid of purpose. They are promises given by Jesus and the fruit of grace available to all who have faith. I spent many years of my life unaware of the blessing that a life of grace provides. Those years would have probably been judged as not so great by me and I never really expected anything to change just because December came to an end.

When I began embracing and living a life of grace I stopped compartmentalizing my life I stopped putting life in the good or bad box based on circumstances and instead put those good things and the bad things in the blessed box because God is in the center of it all. My hope for 2023 has very little to do with how my life will unfold over the next 12 months. Rather, my hope is for you all, especially those who have a hard time relating to my current perspective, that you do not just know about grace but that you truly live a life of grace.

Yours in Christ,

Pastor Steve