The Lutheran Review

Pentecost

By, Rev. Ronald Jansen
Pentecost tends to get lost in the shuffle of the busyness of May.  What with graduations, confirmations, Mother’s Day, opening of fishing season, if you are in the upper Midwest, Memorial Day, school letting out and summer vacations in the plans, how do we squeeze in the great day and events of Pentecost?

I’ve always lamented the tone of the Pentecost hymns.  While the theology is great, they tend not to reflect the “wild and wooly” events of the day.  Contemporary hymns don’t help much either.  I ran into a song for Pentecost that expected us to sing, “I’m falling in love with Jesus.”  No wonder someone was able to write a book called, “Why Men hate to go to Church.”

At the suggestion of my son Aaron, a music director at Peace in Christ, Walkersville, MD, I recruited people to read a portion of the Acts 2:1-21 in several languages.  In unison we read verses. 4-13 in Latin, Greek, German, French, Spanish and sign language, while the lector continued to read in English.

I had thought of using several small boxes containing stones or dice and shaking them at verses 7 & 8 during the lesson from Ezekiel 37, but decided not to over do it.

My most memorable Pentecost was last year when I was serving the vacancy at St. Clair, Mo.  When I arrived in the parking lot Sam came running out and asked if I had a flashlight.  Then he left without explaining.  When I entered the church I was told the power was out.  Members had been busy setting out every candle available.  Someone had brought in a small generator to power the organ.  Others came equipped with flashlights and opened cell phones.  I moved the chancel candles close to the center of the altar which provided enough light to read, barely.

We pretty much discarded the service in the bulletin and went to an impromptu hymn sing service.  During Holy Communion it was difficult to know when we were done because it was still so dark that I couldn’t see the back of the church.  Out of darkness the people of God kept filing forward to receive Jesus Body and Blood.

It was a memorable service. The lighted candles reminded us not only of the tongues like fire on Pentecost, but also the words from Psalm 139, “Even the darkness is not dark to you; the night is bright as the day, for darkness is as light with you.”     

Anniversary Forty Two

By. Rev. Ronald Jansen

Forty Two years ago and twenty four hours after I graduated from the seminary Becky and I were married at Redeemer Lutheran church in Desoto, Mo.  I thought that for number forty two a dash of Ogden Nash might do.

In the forward of his collection of poems on marriage, Marriage Lines, Nash writes, “After a third of a century of marriage I find myself still a student husband. I have done my reading, my research and my homework; I have tangled with trial and error, theory and practice.  Yet today I feel as far from my diploma as on that afternoon in June when I stood at the altar in a state of mingled triumph and trepidation.”

I Do, I Will , I Have

I know that marriage is a legal and religious alliance
    Entered into by a man who can’t sleep with the
     window shut and a woman who can’t sleep with the window open.

That is why marriage is so much more interesting
    than divorce,
Because it’s the only known example of the happy
    meeting of the immovable object and the irresistible force,
So I hope husbands and wives will continue to debate
    And combat over everything debatable and combatable,
    Because I believe a little incompatibility is the spice of life,
    Particularly if he has income and she is pattable.

A Word to Husbands
To keep your marriage brimming,
With love in the loving cup,
Whenever you’re wrong, admit it;
Whenever you’re right, shut up.

How Can Echo Answer what Echo Cannot Hear?

Whenever her talk is restricted
To topics inconsequential
She utters it face to face,
With clarity reverential.

Then why, when there’s something important to say,
Does she always say it going away?
She’ll remark, as she mounts the stairs to bed,
“Oh some FBI man called and said…”

Knowing her custom, knowing the wont of her,
I spend my life circling to get in front of her.

Fecundity

By Rev. Ronald Jansen

One of my favorite books is Annie Dillard’s A Pilgrim at Tinker’s Creek.  One chapter is named “Fecundity.”  The word means, “The ability to produce offspring; especially in large numbers.”  Genesis puts it simply, “Be fruitful and multiply.”

Oh that fruitfulness was so simple.  In one mind numbing example after another she writes of the force of life that causes plants and the animal world to overproduce in such numbers that the whole complicated process that we sometimes call “Nature” leaves her quoting the prophet Ezra at one point, “And when I heard this thing, I rent my garment and my mantle, and plucked off the hair of my head and of my beard, and sat down astonished.”  Now Ezra wasn’t astonished by the process in which life and death is produced in overwhelming abundance.  No, Ezra was appalled by the number of foreign wives the returning Jews had brought with them from exile.  Of course, fecundity had been at work among them also.

What brought all of this to mind, as if anyone really cares, are the two Rose of Sharon bushes in my side yard and the Cleomes in the front yard.  Both produce such a large number of seeds that their offspring blanket the area when the weather turns warm.  So with hoe and fingers I eradicate that miniature forest of Rose of Sharons.  I will allow one or two Cleomes to display their star burst blossoms.

My reaction is not to tear my clothes and pull out my hair.  I do have lots of clothes but not so much hair.  I react more like Asaph in Psalm 73, “But when I thought how to understand this, it seemed to me a wearisome task until I went into the sanctuary of God.”  Though it is great fun as well as frustrating to seek to understand the intricacies of God’s creation, in the end the Teacher in Ecclesiastes has the best advice, “There is nothing better for a person than that he should eat and drink and find enjoyment in his toil.  This also, I saw, is from the hand of God.”

A Bit of Paradise

By Rev. Ronald Jansen
Margaret Silf writes in the forward of Vigen Guroian’s book of meditations on gardening Inheriting Paradise, “The garden that erupts into leaf and blossom is the same garden that harbours the weeds and the pests, the same garden that we work until our backs ache and our bodies sweat.”  I might also add that gardening depletes ones funds. 

I’ve been gardening the last few days, both here at home and in front of Sarah’s house.
Our backyard slopes up hill from south to north even as it moves from sunny to mostly shady in the same direction.  Sarah’s front yard is shaded by two enormous maple trees.
So I’ve mostly worked in the shade this week, which makes the work mostly enjoyable. 

The goal of all this labor is to create a bit of Paradise here on earth.  Christ earned us paradise in eternity, but for those of us who garden, we seek to recreate a bit of it here.  I think we are drawn to it because we are of the earth.

There are few things more satisfying than digging in the earth.  Personally, when it comes to planting I shun most tools and even gloves.  Once the soil is broken up with a shovel, I like the feel of digging in the earth with my bare hands.  Like the woman who in pain brings forth children and yet desires her husband, so we who taken from the ground return to the ground though our backs ache and sweat pours down our face.

Although I may not think of it when I’m digging and planting upon reflection gardens not only bring Paradise to mind, but the trees can be seen as both the source of our downfall in Eden and of the debt of sin paid in the cross of Calvary.  Ultimately the hope of our life in Christ’ resurrection took place in a garden.  In Christ it can be said of us, “Their life shall be like a watered garden.” (Jeremiah 31:12)     

Happy Birthday DAD!

My father the great writer of The Lutheran Review turned 68 on Sunday! 

Happy Birthday DAD!!!

Teardrop, Blood drop, Hershey’s Kiss

By Rev. Ronald Jansen

Last week I was walking through the St. Lucas cemetery with grandchildren, Abby and Lucas.  (No, Lucas is not named after the cemetery.  This would be a great place for Sarah to insert a photo.)  "Someday, I will post a pic." 

While on the walk, Abby pointed out a tombstone in the shape of an apple.  However, it was another stone that caught my attention for the first time.  It was shaped like a teardrop, or was it a blood drop since it was made of red granite? Then a third possibly came to mind. It looked like a Hershey’s Kiss.

Later I went back to take a closer look.  A reference to Ephesians 1:3-8 was inscribed under the name of the deceased.  That text from St. Paul’s letter to the Ephesians put it all together.

The tombstone was in the shape of a tear.  Louise was a dearly loved person when she died at age 75.  Teardrops are natural when we lose someone near and dear to us.  However, the red granite signaled that it was intended to remind us of a drop of blood.  In Ephesians 1:7 we read, “In him (Christ) we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, which he lavished upon us.”

Because of Jesus’ blood drops Louise was “blessed in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places.”  Well, since I’m diabetic and certain foods are Verboten, what could be better than the prospect of a whole bin full of Hershey’s Kisses waiting me in the heavenly places?  I appreciate God lavishly forgiving my trespasses, but the grace of rich melted chocolate over ice cream sounds pretty heavenly too.

Maybe Louise not only loved Christ, but loved chocolate too.  Heaven and chocolate will sooth a lot of teardrops.

By the Font

By Rev. Ronald Jansen
I begin each Sunday morning service standing by the baptism font.  Each service begins with a reminder of our baptism as the invocation is spoken, “In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.  Of course, it was in the Name of our Triune God that we were baptized.

Our reference to a font is based on the Roman word for fountain, fons.  Thus is truth our Baptism Font is a fountain which becomes a source of abundant salvation.

Isaiah 12:2 reads, “Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid; for the Lord God is my strength and my song, and has become my salvation.  With joy you will draw water from the wells of salvation.”

We are all familiar with the moment in the life of Helen Keller when she discovered the connection between the motions her teacher was making and water flowing over her hand.  Miss Keller said of that incident, “Someone was drawing water and my teacher placed my hand under the spout.  As the cool stream gushed over one hand she spelled into the other the word water.  Suddenly, I knew that w-a-t-e-r meant the wonderful cool something that was flowing over my hand.  That living word awakened my soul, gave it light, hope, joy, set it free.”

If we read Helen’s words in the light of our baptism, then we have an exciting “eye opening” experience of what happened to us when the living word was connected with the water and we received abundant salvation.

Matthias, Called up from the Minors

By Rev. Ronald Jansen
I don’t suppose its fitting to say that the person who replaced Judas as the 12th disciple was called up from the minors.  However, baseball is on my mind so I will risk pushing the image a little further. When Judas went down to the injurious sins of greed, betrayal of Jesus and unrepented remorse, Matthias was tapped to fill out the roster and bring the team of disciples up to full strength.

This all occurred after the disciples returned to Jerusalem following Jesus Ascension.  They devoted themselves, prayer.  A number of women were present including Mary, Jesus mother and his brothers were there too.  In fact there were about 120 persons present when Peter brought up the need to “Let another take his (Judas) office.” 

Peter set out the qualifications for the one who would be called.  He must have been with them continually from the time when John was baptizing until Jesus’ ascension.  Furthermore, the function of the new No. 12 was to join the 11 disciples in witnessing to Jesus’ resurrection.   The purpose of the newly filled roster of disciples is to witness to the resurrection.  We might ask ourselves how am I, how are we, how is my church doing in that regard.  After all, it was witnesses to the resurrection of Jesus that turned the Mediterranean world from paganism to Christ.

Two men were nominated.   Joseph nicknamed Barsabbas, who also had the Latin name of Justus.  And Matthias, simply Matthias.  The disciples prayed that the Lord who knows the hearts of everyone would show them which of the two to He had chosen.   Casting their votes the lot fell on Matthias.

We know little of Matthias beyond what we have in Acts 1.  Tradition places his missionary work in Ethiopia.
 The Prayer of the Day for May 14, St, Matthias’ Day is, Almighty God, you added your servant Matthias to the company of the apostles.  Grant that your church may always be taught and guided by faithful and true pastors; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.    

The True Vine

By. Rev. Ronald Jansen
Though we are reading John 15 during the concluding weeks of the Easter season, Jesus actually spoke these words to his disciple’s only hours before he would be arrested and torn from them.  Yet, he encourages them in the last of his “I am” statements to remain attached to him.

He uses the illustration of the vine and its branches.  Somehow, though he is torn from them and hung to die on the cross, they must remain attached to him so that they can bear fruit.  But how does one remain alive when the root stock is killed?  This must have been bewildering to the disciples.  At times Jesus words in the gospel of John are bewildering to me.

I think the key to understanding this text is in verse 3.  “Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you.”  The Father, the vinedresser, has already cleaned out the deadwood from them.  Jesus has already told the disciples that he is going away to prepare a place for them in the Father‘s house (14:2).   Jesus is preparing his disciples for the time when he will leave them.  But they are not entirely dependent on his physical presence.  In 15:7 he says, “If you abide in me, and my words abide in you…”  The key is in his words that abide in them. 

With the word of Jesus abiding in them, they will be able to bear the fruit Jesus wants and thus prove to be his disciples. Furthermore, Jesus will not leave them like orphans, but will send a Helper, the Holy Spirit, who will “teach you all things and bring to your remembrance” Jesus words.

Thus the disciples have no advantage over us.  Like us they were to remain in Jesus through his word.  It finally comes down to believing his word as we read in 20:21, “But these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.”

In the rootstock of Jesus’ word we have the source of life, because through the word the Holy Spirit witnesses to us about our risen Lord.  Because we have the word we are able to bear the fruit Jesus wants from us in loving one another as he loved us.

Three Syllables

By Rev. Ronald Jansen

I was sitting with Marv Helgeson and Jack Adams at the after-funeral-lunch last Thursday.   You will recall that I had gone up to Albert Lea, Minnesota for the funeral of Don Golde.  Like Don, Marv and Jack were active leaders in the congregation when I arrived in 1970, with all of three years of experience under my belt.

During the conversation Jack recalled an event that happened just a few months after I was installed.  I thought, “Oh, oh, what disaster did I narrowly avert 39 years ago that he is now going to bring up?” 

Jack continued, “We were at a meeting when you probably said the most important thing you ever said during your time here.  You know Pastor Bussman pretty well ran everything.  However at this meeting, I can’t remember what it was about, you said, ’That’s your job.’”

Later Thursday, I remembered that my comment occurred at a budget meeting.  John Leininger had asked, “What do you have for us, pastor?”   Meaning, “what budget have you put together for us.”  That’s when I said, “That’s your job.”  Some years later John also reminded me of that meeting commenting, “We all looked at each other and then got down to work.”

With all of the words I spoke, in sermons, meetings and classes, during my eight years at Zion, 39 years later its three little words, three syllables, that changed the way the congregation and pastor would work in the future.

It’s also kind that people generally recall the positive things and not the things wherein I blew it.