A Poem for Forgiveness

For Pastor’s Corner today I wanted to share I poem that I’ve mentioned several times in Bible Study and have used in pastoral care and sermons in the past. It comes from a familiar source for me, my father John who’s life and poetry has inspired me to see the world as a place of miracles and theological revelation even in the everyday emotions and experiences that open up into much more. Here is a poem he wrote about a vision of forgiveness opening up in the middle of his morning routine and as the poem’s title says “in the middle” of his life.

Our texts yesterday had to do with mercy and forgiveness and how hard it can be to forgive and keep up with God’s mercy, when our human nature often makes us prefer judgement and preferential treatment for us and those close to us. In this poem we have an image of God’s grace covering over all of those feelings and an invitation to jump into that forgiveness and yet why is that so hard for us to do? It was hard for Jonah, it was hard for the Prodigal Son’s older brother, it was hard for the workers in the field that had worked longer for the same pay and it is hard for us too! But the invitation is always there and we each might be blessed with a surprise vision of that invitation into forgiveness in our own lives and daily routines.

Standing in the Middle of My Life

Down this road above my Mississippi,
along Lake Pepin, I have often walked
but never seen what I have seen today.
Down the steep bank through sumac reds
and past the ash and willow yellows,
impossibly swimming in cold October water,
were all the people I can’t forgive
and all I fear who can’t forgive me.

And they all were happy, wet with forgiveness,
all glad to be wearing the same robe of water.
They were all one and all was forgiven.

But how could I trust their faces
calling me into the same water they swam in?
How could I let their water flow over me?
How can forgiving and being forgiven be the same?
How can both cover me as it covers them,
as is the nature of water?

How could I have stood and just watched?

Remembering September 11th

It’s been almost 20 years since the attacks on World Trade Center and Pentagon shocked the world. We all have a story to tell about how we heard about this attack and how we responded.

In 2001, I had just graduated from college and was staying with my parents on September 10th before I travelled with my grandmother, mother and sister up to a Lutheran Retreat Center in Minnesota where I would work for the fall. The night of September 10th my parents and I watched a movie about a terrorist attack in Washington DC. We liked the movie but didn’t think it was realistic. The next morning, my mother yelled up the stairs, “Josh, that movie is happening on TV.” And I saw the smoldering tower as I worried another one may emerge to hit the other.

What I remember about September 11th is there was the confusion of being hurt and the desire of many to seek retaliation, without knowing fully who to blame. I remember friends being ready to join the military, and many did, without being sure who they were fighting. But in those first hours after the attack, three generations of my family decided to get in our car and move forward with our trip. As we travelled we tried to make sense of what had happened, listening to my grandmother tell stories of the confusion of being in Norway when the Nazis took over and in the Philippines as a prisoner of war of the Japanese military. We listened to the radio as we travelled North and the DJs offering words of support and the information we had about the attacks as well as announcements of prayer gatherings at churches.

When we arrived at the retreat center, I found myself around senior citizens at an “Elderversity” and realized what a resource they were for younger generations who had never been through anything like this attack. While I felt away from the experience of much of the country in the days following the attack, I interviewed dozens of people about how they got through the Bombing of Pearl Harbor, WWII and the Great Depression, the shocking assassinations of presidents and politicians.

Thinking back to the images of the towers and listening to the names of those who were lost, can still be a raw experience and bring us back to that initial shock. I hope we can also remember how we got through it and who we leaned on for wisdom. It may remind us of the resources we have in the people around us during times like these and during the times of our lives where we feel like we did on September 11th, 2001.

This Sunday is Grandparents Day and as we remember how we get through difficult times we can remember the gift of generational support to get through hard times and how a congregation can be an extended family of support when times are tough.

Pastor Josh

Check out this resource for your family!

Happy Grandparents Day!

In 1977, the United States declared the first Sunday after Labor Day to be Grandparents Day! That means that this Sunday, September 13th we will celebrate grandparents and all the important relationships between our grandparents and with grandchildren.

Rev. Kristin Nielsen who has helped facilitate the Greater Milwaukee Synod’s intergenerational ministry will be preaching on Sunday for my installation service. I am excited that these days are connected because my grandparents were such an important part of my faith development and I hope have been for many of you as well! My chosen verse for my Installation Service is “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly!” When we share our lives, love and wisdom through generations we live into that abundant life that Jesus promises!

Our Administrator Barb and I decided that during this time of Covid-19 we should make an extra effort to emphasize and strengthen relationships between generations of extended family. We have a resource to help grandkids and grandparents talk to each other and do exercises that help us be curious about each other’s lives and keep the conversations going between grandparents and kids, even if they happen over a phone call or video chat these days!

We will be distributing these booklets on Sunday and at services in September and are happy to send booklets to grandkids and provide this service and outreach to our extended First Lutheran Family! And if you would like to be a “fill-in” grandparent for someone who is looking for a relationship with an elder we would love to help start those conversations too!

Happy Grandparent Day!
From Pastor Josh and First Lutheran

Why is self-care important?

Physical Self-Care

Taking care of yourself physically is the most basic level of self-care. That means getting enough sleep, movement, and healthy nutrition.

Psychological Self-Care

The level of psychological self-care is where you learn new things, practice mindfulness, and explore your creativity.

Emotional Self-Care

On the emotional level, you take steps to manage your stress, while developing compassion for yourself and others.

Social Self-Care

Part of caring for yourself is maintaining social relationships, even if it’s just one or two really good friends – people that you can trust and confide in.

Financial Self-Care

You may not think of monitoring your spending as “self-care,” but taking care not to live outside your means is actually one of the best ways you can take care of yourself!

Spiritual Self-Care

Call it “spirituality,” call it “religion,” call it “faith.” Whatever you call it, this is the level where you connect with something greater than yourself.

Environmental Self-Care

Your immediate environment has a big impact on how you feel. When you practice environmental self-care, you rid your home and office of clutter, so it creates a feeling of peace.

Professional Self-Care

This is the level where you share your strengths and gifts with the world. It’s about living your purpose.

Financial Self-Care

You may not think of monitoring your spending as “self-care,” but taking care not to live outside your means is actually one of the best ways you can take care of yourself!

Spiritual Self-Care

Call it “spirituality,” call it “religion,” call it “faith.” Whatever you call it, this is the level where you connect with something greater than yourself.

Environmental Self-Care

Your immediate environment has a big impact on how you feel. When you practice environmental self-care, you rid your home and office of clutter, so it creates a feeling of peace.

Professional Self-Care

This is the level where you share your strengths and gifts with the world. It’s about living your purpose.

Hopefully thinking of self-care in these broad terms will help you to see that even when you’re doing mundane things, like picking up around the house or balancing your checkbook, you’re actually practicing self-care! Of course, you also want to throw some truly enjoyable things in there, like losing yourself in a good book or going for a hike. Just remember, there’s no pressure to master all eight of these levels at once!

Thanks to Juice Plus+ for this helpful information.