sing, sing a song

sometimes it's nice to just give a little. when all the gifts and glitter of the holiday season are cleared away, really what do we have left. besides torn wrapping paper, partially eaten candy candy canes andnew x-boxes, what's left is ourselves and how we treat each other during this season of "giving."

if you're about fun and giving back to those who have given a lot to other during their lives, then come on out to our first annual christmas carol event.

6pm--meet @ burlington lutheran church to practice, get song sheets, etc
6:20ish--go to creekside retirement center (behind fred meyer burlington, at the corner of gilkey and spruce streets).
6:45ish--finish singing, drink cocoa and eat cookies
after that: those interested take in a movie night

need more details? call: 630-9774

see you at the movies

hey, high schoolers--

school: just what you want to think about on a sunday, right? probably NOT, but if you're interested in watching a cool film about a teacher who made a huge difference in the lives of some seriously disadvantaged people, then come on out to our film/review night. we'll be viewing and discussing FREEDOM WRITERS, starring hilary swank and patrick dempsey. this movie is uplifting minus the cheese. it's thought provoking but not preachy.

20117 gina marie lane
burlington, wa

6 pm-9ish

snacks provided

this is a high school event

hope to see you there!

kelli

school days, school daze

so, i've talked to more than one of you who is a bit bewildered about going back to school. truth is, i've talked to some parents who are pretty freaked out, too! that first period morning bell on that first september day seems to come so quickly, doesn't it? what happened to summer? wasn't it just the fourth of july? and on and on.

the longer i live the more i realize that "back to school" comes very quickly in life. fourteen days of vacation go much more quickly than 14 days of school. three months of studying creep by in comparison to 3 months hanging with friends. four years of college speed by in comparison to four years at a 9-5 job.

some of this has to do with the ratio of time lived to time-yet-to live. when you're four, waiting six months until christmas seems like an eternity. it's not, but it seems like it is. and of course the reverse is also true: when you're 40 (i know: it's unimaginable, but just try!), what's one year? not so long, it seems.

the fact that life becomes increasingly complex as we get older doesn't help, either. it's harder to cherish the NOW and anticipate the FUTURE when we have so much to DO! again, christmas; when you were little it was almost all you thought about for from about halloween on. you couldn't wait for that december break, which seemed never to come. but today, as a young adult, well, you've got papers and finals and jobs to think about. christmas is exiting, but it's flanked by SATs, applying for schools, buying gifts for everyone, taking tests...it's harder to break through and revel in the anticipation...

i had a high school science teacher who used to say: "time flies whether you are having fun or not!" he said this very regularly, usually before a chemistry test or as a prep talk at the start of physics lab. we'd all grown. mr. smothers (his name; no joke) was soooo cheesy. he seemed to delight in seeing us cringe at his dorky "isms" and jokes. did he really think we were taking it to heart?

probably not, but, it turns out he had a point. time does go quickly, no matter if we're making the most of our opportunities or not, whether we want it to or not. so, here's to whining a little about the dying of summer and then getting to work at whatever it is we're working at. next summer will come, but not yet. not yet.

freedom for what?

so, it's almost the fourth of july, that time when we pull out the old navy flag t-shirts, dust off the bbq, get the parade chairs out of storage, and try to remember how to light m-60s with out blowing off our fingers.

i don't know about you, but the fourth of july has always a favorite holiday of mine. family and friends would gather at our house (which was on an island and which had cool places to camp, hang out, etc), we'd watch our little (and i mean little) local parade, eat bbq salmon and tons of berries and ice cream, and then gear up for the second largest fireworks display in western washington (after the lake union one in seattle).

there's more. something about the fourth of july seems less stressful than christmas (another favorite). maybe it's because that' there's less commercialism surrounding it and thus i don't feel "advertised at" for the three months preceding the holiday. maybe it's that there's no pressure to find the "perfect gift" for like 20 people (or more). maybe it's that the weather in december around here is generally cold, but in july tends to be warm and the revelry taken outdoors. who can't feel at least a little relaxed sitting outside wearing shorts and flip flops, right?

while there are major and obvious differences between the fourth of july and christmas, i see at least one major similarity: both holidays are about FREEDOM. christmas, of course, is when we celebrate the coming of christ into our world as a human being. christmas is a "big chapter" in the god's story of redemption (with the final one being the second coming and the middle one being easter). when christ came, we got a tangible message from god: i love you so much that i am making a way to secure your freedom. christ will grow up among you, live a sinless life, embody love and justice and then die a very unjust death. but don't worry, at easter i will raise him up and then show you how to follow him all the way to the new world--the kindgom--i am setting up for you.

the fourth of july, it must be stressed, is NOT a christian holiday, per se. it is not a christian symbol, or a "religious" remembrance at all, at least not in the way that christmas and easter are for christians (or ramadan is for muslims and yom kippur is for jews, for that matter). at the same time, the fourth of july touches all americans deeply because it is about freedom. and freedom is a fundamental human longing, a key civil concept, and a bedrock western value. put another way, freedom is so personal and so deep to most people, especially americans, it's hard to image life without it.

but, that's the thing. the fourth of july is when we celebrate that our country GAINED political freedom from another nation (england). this country exists as a country because of it; otherwise we'd be calling ourselves something like the united colonies of america, drink tea everyday at 4 pm and use the british pound (or the euro) for our money. (it's a lot deeper than that, but those are just some everyday realities that would be different for us). the point is, freedom for americans is a part of us, part of our national identity.

so what's the connection between christmas and the fourth of july? both are times when we celebrate aspects of our freedom. at christmas we celebrate the one who came to set us spiritually free from the law of sin and death that formerly reigned over us (Gal 5:1). without christ--without believing in him and his perfect sacrifice for us--we're spiritually chained up, enslaved. at the fourth of july, we celebrate our national or civil freedom, our ability to assemble ourselves as a particular nation with certain laws, freedoms, rights and so forth.

the challenge, in both cases but for different reasons, is to remember what our freedom means, how precious it is and which responsibilities it requires. spiritually we are now free to obey god and love others. civically we are free to live responsibly by the laws that we ourselves (or people representing us) have chosen to live by. in both cases (again in different respects), freedom is linked with responsibility. something to think about.

the urban Xperience '08

for those who love adventure, learning and fun: good news! on our docket this summer is the urban Xperience. the urban Xperience is a weekend of ministry, learning and fun in seattle, july 25-27. the idea is enjoy the sights, sounds and tastes of seattle while learning about urban ministry--extending christ's compassion to the underserved in the city who need a help up. we'll team up with the compass center, a really cool ministry associated with our denom that does a ton of awesome stuff for people in transition, for those who would otherwise be among the 8,000 seattle-ites a day who call the street home. by hanging out with and lending a hand to compass center friends, we're sure to learn a lot about how christ views the city--the people who live there--and how we can learn from and help them. part of the trip will be at least one service project--doing light landscaping, serving a meal, etc.

stay tune for more details about this trip. check your mailbox for a paper flyer about it. if you're interested in learning more right now, email me at kellibuzz@gmail.com.

peace!

kelli


www.compasscenter.org
compass center
77 s washington st
Seattle, WA 98104
(206) 357-3100‎

don't get expelled

This friday a documentary film called EXPELLED: No Intelligence Allowed is opening all around the country, including our local cinema. It's about the politics of science, specifically the apparent "cover-up" going on in classrooms and labs across America to suppress the question: if Darwinism explains the evolution of species, how do we account for the existence of cells, those building blocks of life? Where did they come from? Does Darwinian science sufficiently explain this?



Before I go on I must say that I have precious little pure interest in biology and even less in the so-called evolution/intelligent design debate. I took philosophy of science, even at the graduate level, and while I think I get the basic scientific issues at hand I really don't care. My Christian faith is not threatened by science, not one bit. I believe God created the universe ex nihilo, that is, out of nothing, but I don't have a formed opinion on how He did this. One of my former professors used to say that while science explains the how of things, Christian faith explains the why of them. That works for me and so I'm content to sit back and drink a cappuccino while people around me haggle about things like Neanderthal Man and the beaks of a group of Galapagos Islands finch birds.

I'm content, that is, until the conversation comes around to issues of culture and politics connected with the discussion (the philosophy part of the philosophy of science). When I hear that professors in this country might being summarily fired if they even mention to their students the possibility that the universe may have had an intelligent (vs. purely "natural") origin, well, I get riled. What about First Amendment Rights, you know, like free speech? Is a professor denied this right in his or her classroom when it comes to this issue? What's really going on here?

My thinking is this, if our country is nothing else it is welcoming place for the free exchange of ideas. Isn't our free press based on the idea that with the exchange of ideas, with the plurality of voices speaking out on any given issue, the truth is liable to come out? If intelligent design is so whacked out, so unscientific, then the broader public will eventually affirm as much and the controversy will die down. And by "die down" I mean, the issue will be address sufficiently and clearly so that further questions are easily answered--something that seems NOT to be happening these days when people point out the holes in Darwinian theory.

The irony about a controversy like this one is that whenever one side tries to act as if it's sufficiently put to rest--as it seems like might be happening in this case--the controversy tends to escalate rather than die out. The more one side says: These questions are stupid!!! But has not answers, the more the other side starts thinking: Maybe all the hollering is meant to distract us from seeing that Darwin has not clothes on! So I say, let the voices be heard. If intelligent design is so ignorant (pun intended), it won't last. If Darwinism is true, it will.

For those of us who may be thinking: isn't this a moot topic, isn't this an old fight between Fundamentalist Christians and the rest of us? Isn't this a culture-war scuffle created by scared and uninformed gun-toting bitter people who fear change and thus cling to their faith (to paraphrase a recent and infamous Obama quote!)? Well, it might seem like that on the surface, but consider the scientific aspects of the issue, as described by retired UC Berkley professor Philip E. Johnson:

"The argument for intelligent design in biology was soon taken up in books by two highly qualified authors, biochemistry professor Michael Behe, author of Darwin’s Black Box, and mathematician/philosopher William Dembski, whose book The Design Inference was published after peer review by Cambridge University Press. (More popular-level books by Dembski are available from internet booksellers.) Many individual scientists showed significant interest in these books as well as my own, and expressed their skepticism of the claim that known material mechanisms could account for the origin of the complex specified information required for the intricate functional activities of the living cell, let alone the information needed to coordinate the functions of thousand or millions of cells involved in the life processes of a multi-cellular animal.

To my disappointment, however, influential scientific organizations formed a solid bloc of opposition to the consideration of whether evidence points to the possible involvement of intelligent causes in the history of life. Nevertheless, the subject is sufficiently fascinating, that orthodox scientific bodies have had to take strenuous action to keep it from cropping up in science education, and even in scientific journals."

INTELLIGENT DESIGN IN BIOLOGY: THE CURRENT SITUATION AND FUTURE PROSPECTS
Phillip E. Johnson
Think (The Royal Institute of Philosophy)
February 19, 2007

I doubt any of us will change our minds about the biology of this issue. I have an inkling that most people care as little as I do about the science of this controversy. But I hope that some of you are interested in the cultural ramifications of it. If professors and students can't talk freely about the strengths and apparent weaknesses in the Theory of Darwinism, what's next? Expelled for discussing the Universal Law of Gravitation or the Theory of Relativity?

an audience of...whom?

It has been several days since I wrote here. I didn't mean to take a spring break, it just happened! I got a little busy with other things, but mostly I haven't been ultra-motivated to do blog entries. Why? Simply, I don't know if anyone is reading or if I am talking to myself. Self-absorbed? Maybe. Honest? Definitely.

I think if we all stopped to think about it, precious little we do in the course of our days is really altruistic (done for the genuine good of others even at risk to ourselves) or is spiritually centered (done because we love God). Simply put, as highly social beings we like others to see what we're doing (at least the good things!) and to take note. Consider any kid you have spent more than 30 seconds around. What often comes out of their mouths (besides No! and Mine!)? Something like: "Watch me! Watch me! I can do it! Look at me!" Kids like us to watch them and, better yet, praise them for their accomplishments, big or small.

It's not just kids, though. Youth and adults alike want to "get credit" for doing good. Would you study as hard at school if it were pass/fail, or better yet, if there were not grades at all? Would you train as hard if every team got the trophy? How about work as hard at your job if you got the same for sitting around as you did for hustling around for 8 hours? Of course not. We all need motivation to do what we're doing, and that make sense. The question is, what motivates us?

Yesterday I previewed The Presige, the movie that will be showing at Bethlehem this Sunday night at 6 PM. There is a ton to unpack and mull over from this movie--from the interesting details to the big picture themes. One of those themes is motivation. Why the magicians do what they do and what they are willing to risk, sacrifice for the art of illusion that is their vocation and, I dare say, the core of their lives.

My question for us today is: what motivates us to do what we do? Would we be as quick to do chores around the house if our mom didn't notice? Would we be involved in all those clubs and charities if we couldn't put it on our college resumes?

The Bible says that at one point the world became so dark, so gloomy and evil that not only were people doing horrible, awful stuff (like disobeying parents--no joke!), but they cheered on others to do the same (Romans 1). I'd say our culture reflects that picture pretty well today. In the name of fame, of saying: "Watch me! Look at me! I can do it!" all sorts of twisty, harsh and weird stuff happens. Consider a group of high school girls who recently in order to become famous, to get attention, beat another girl unconscious and then posted it youtube. The phrase "fifteeen minutes of fame" which Andy Warhol coined years ago comes to mind: our culture has become so trivialized that eventually everyone will become famous for a brief time, not necessarily for doing valiant deeds but for doing stupid, inane and even evil stuff (the show Jackass comes to mind here).

The question is: what about us? What crowd are we playing to? What are we willing to risk or sacrifice, in order to do what we know is right? Fame? A good reputation? Some other form of glory? Or an internal sense of satisfaction for the good? The answer to this question, I believe, helps determine what we're going to be about. If we know what's motivating us--and it's not first and foremost the praise of others, then it's not so hard to see how wrong it is to beat people up for fun And, it's a lot easier to to do good when no one is watching to praise us for it, too. Because we know that at the end of the day someone is watching-God, the audience of one. He sees everything, every heart, motivation and deed, and He cares more than we want to know about what we're doing and why.

happy easter monday

Happy Easter Monday! That's right, Easter Monday. Today is a holiday for many people in the world, from those living in Albania to those Zimbabwe. Did you know this? I didn't. I thought Easter Monday was observed only by Catholic countries as a reason to extend the holy-day weekend one more day or, for secular or merely nominally Catholic countries, a reason to have a nice, long four-day weekend.

My personal experience with Easter Monday extends only as far as a trip to Europe when, for one long weekend, every hotel was hugely expensive (or completely booked) and every museum closed. Fine if you have friends who own a villa and you didn't want to see Michael Angelo's "David" that much anyway. Not fine if you are trapped in a pricey youth hostel with nowhere to go! So my knowledge about Easter Monday was very limited--until I did a little looking into it. Here's what I found.

Easter Monday rituals focus on so-called secular festivities, whereas, traditionally Easter Sunday observance focuses on spiritual concerns. For example, over the weekend the mood at the White House was spiritually centered, with church being the main event. Today, however, it was all about whimsey and fun. The White House held its largest public event of the year in its annual Easter Egg Roll. This event is quite historical (dating to the 19th century) and is the only time children, or anyone else for that matter, are allowed to use the White House lawn for play. And it's certainly the only time you're going to see a president hugging a life-sized rabbit.

Easter Monday has other names in other locales, but is just as whimsical. It is called Dyngus Day or Wet Monday in places as diverse as the country of Poland, Buffalo, NY, South Bend, IN, and much of the state of North Dakota. Dyngus Day or Wet Monday is celebrated all kinds of ways: dumping water on other people, especially those you might be interested in dating (!), going to baseball games, drinking beer, eating hot dogs and even hitting others on the legs with a switch! Weird, huh! The traditions on this day got started when people in Catholic countries started pouring water on each other the day after Easter to symbolize a blessing from the holy water that came from the day before. And then things evolved from there. The point has always been, it seems, to let Easter be Easter (focus on the Resurrection of Christ) and then let Monday be a play day, with the water dumping, games and hot dogs, etc, etc.

So as we sit at work and school today some people are having a good 'ole time. While I'm not so naive as to think that all those partiers went to church yesterday, the idea of focusing fully on the Resurrection on Sunday and then doing goofy egg hunts, throwing parties, and even doing silly dating games on Monday, strikes me as a good idea. I've always felt very uneasy about giving Jesus and the Easter Bunny equal time.

Thoughts?

camp or campy?

So, how long has it been since you went to camp? When you were eight? Never? Well, for me it has been a long time (I won't give the year!). And I must admit the idea of going to camp feels a little campy. You know, not chic, cool or sophisticated. Not what we're into. But, maybe we should rethink this camp thing.

Camp is a place where it doesn't matter how hot you look. This is especially good (and comforting) after a day on the lake, or after your third morning in a row of bed head. At camp your clothes don't matter at all (or as much) because you basically live in your swimming suit, shorts, t-shirt and sweatshirt. By the end, these items are so nasty they are relegated to mow-the-lawn-attire or are (more likely) begging to be burned.

And shoes. Shoes at camp are more about function than status. That is, unless you really want to be wearing those new Sketchers when your buddies throw you in the lake, or you spent all your summer job money on one bag and of pair of strappy Jimmy Choo's and you want everyone to see you with them--by the campfire.


lutherwood is just a click away

Another thing about camp is that it's totally okay to have fun there and not think: what would a cool person be doing right now? The more whimsy the better (bring on the silly songs and seconds on hot dogs; college will come soon enough). Speaking of food: only at camp are "smores" both an exotic dessert and a total food group (grains, dairy, fats...).

Camp is also a time to break away from the various routines of life--school, work, etc--and take a deep breath. Our lives are super busy (I don't have to tell you) so it's really easy to lose sight of the important things: God, friends, family, neighbors, creation, enjoyment.

At camp you get to have a beak from technology, and this means not just TV and computers, but (sigh) even your cell phones. This may not sound like fun, but there is life outside of technology. It's waiting just beyond your iPhone. As much as I, personally, can't imagine life in the modern world without a cell phone, I've also found it much easier to hear from God and enjoy nature when I'm not giving my thumbs a constant workout...

So, maybe you're not convinced. Camp might be in your rear view mirror, only to reappear years and years from now when you have kids of your own. That's cool. You've got work, sports practices, just plain other stuff to do and I get that. But here's an idea. What if we planned a weekend together at camp. We could attend Camp Lutherwood's "Join Hands Day" on Saturday, May 3, and then stay the night free of charge until Sunday afternoon. It's just an idea. Think about it.

one more week

So, what would you do if you had one more week to live? Stop going to school or work? Take a road trip? Eat all your favorite foods? Spend all your money? I have thought about this question, in passing, several times in my life. I always say something like, "Take my whole family to Italy," or "Rent a yacht and cruise as fast as we can to Hawaii," something like that. It's kind of a fun fantasy exercise; you know, something fun to conjecture about for the very reason that it's not likely to happen.

Fantasy aside, it's still an interesting question to think about; you've got very limited time and you want to make it count. You want to do important stuff, things that will set you up to, well, die well. So consider that we do know a person who really did know when he was going to die and we really do know how he spent his last seven days on this planet. That person, Jesus Christ, spent the entire week before his death with people. And not just with people, but helping people. The Saturday before he was murdered (ie, 6 days before Passover), Jesus got a message from two of his best friends, two sisters by the names of Mary and Martha. Their message to him was panicked but a little hopeful, "Your friend (our brother, Lazarus) is so sick he's about to die. Come quick (Jn. 11:2,3)!" So Jesus, in a very confusing twist, did, uh, nothing. At least he waited for two days before going down to their house. Kind of a strange thing to do when a best bud is in critical condition. But, that's what he did. He told his other guys, the disciples, that he was hanging back because the sickness (and impending death) of Lazarus had a big purpose: to bring glory to God and to Jesus, himself (vs. 4).

Apparently where Lazarus and the girls lived was a dangerous place, at least it was for Jesus. His disciples were pretty freaked out that, in light of all that had happened before this (tons of people trying to kill him, 10:31-ff), he was still bent on walking the two miles to help his friends. They say, "Lately the Jews have been trying to kill you by throwing rocks at you, and yet you're still going over there (vs. 8)?" Yep, that's right. I've got a big plan.

Right before Jesus and his guys set out on their walk down to Bethany, he gets word that Lazarus is already dead. At this news, he turns to his disciples and says, "I am glad I didn't come before now, because I not only want to help my friend but I'm also trying to see if you guys and everybody in Bethany gets who who I am and what I'm about (vs. 14). I mean to glorify the Father and myself through this situation. Huh? He was glad? Not exactly a Hallmark condolence card.

By the time Jesus does arrive on the scene, Lazarus has been gone for four days. Understandably girls are distraught and bit irritated: why didn't Jesus, who had already shown that he could heal people, come more quickly and help his own friend, their brother? Was he uncaring? Well, hardly, although it did look suspicious.

Next thing, Jesus started crying. That's right, the guy who had been healing babies and raising kids from the dead and curing all kinds of sickness, walks up to his gal pals who are hysterical and himself starts crying. Why? Well, that's a question for a million sermons, but the sure thing is, death really bites. It's not what any of us were created for, it's our greatest enemy (anyone who has even lost a dog knows that) and it's super sad. That sadness affected even God, somehow--Jesus cried.

Then something really crazy happened. Jesus said: "I am the resurrection and the life. Anyone who believes in me has life, even if s/he dies. Do you believe this (vs. 25,26)?" Martha, speaking for her sister, and for her brother who's lying there dead, says, "Yes, Lord. I do believe this. You're basically our only hope, the one person who was sent by God to help the world (vs. 27)."

After this, everything is kind of a blur. I mean, imagine the goings-on: Jesus looks around and says, "Where's the body? Take me there." And then, not one to miss a teaching op, prays loudly so everyone standing around can hear, "God, Father, I know you already heard me, but for the sake of the people standing around I'm saying it out loud. I want to help them believe in me, my mission and my authority (vs. 42). Then he yells at the corpse, "Lazarus get up, come out of there!" And guess what, Lazarus comes stumbling out of the tomb, still wrapped in gauze, blurry eyed and smelling of embalming oils.

The craziest thing of all? Right after this, Jesus heads to Jerusalem to let his enemies capture and kill him. Yeah, that's the rest of his one more week: hanging out with friends who don't quite get what he's about and then letting his enemies nab him, humiliate him before the crowds as well as his own mother, and then allowing himself to be be led up the hill with the wooden crosses where he died a horrible, painful, torturous, unjust death.

What would you do with one more week? Would you spend it on yourself? Your friends? Your family? Your enemies? Starting now you do have one more week--and hopefully many, many more--so what are you going to do?

king corn

yalie grads go to iowa to grow king corn

Some of you know that I am totally into learning about local, sustainable and organic foods and that I even have a little food business with my sister and mom. So it won't come as a surprise to you that I'm fascinated with the documentary, King Corn, which came out in December 2007.
I happen to know that I am not alone in being interested in this stuff. Some of you Edisoners who joined me on the Cristo Rey trip last summer told me that for an english lit class
you read Fast Food Nation, by Eric Schlosser,
and we saw the film based on that book during our stay at Christo Rey. And, of course, we've all heard of the documentary Super Size Me.

So, we're surrounded with these cultural, political and nutritional critiques that would make even the busiest, youngest and most bullet-proof among us stop and say, "What are we putting into our bodies, and what are we putting our land and culture through by growing, producing and eating this food?"

I am going to get a copy of the King Corn film and set up a viewing time for the three-church youth group. I'm thinking April will be a good time for that, so stay tuned. Why don't you let me know your thoughts--here, on this blog!!--about the fast food issue. And, hey, go eat a carrot from the good 'ole Skagit Valley!

habitat house in our backyard

So, I was thinking about stuff we care about. I have it on good authority that you Edisoners are interested in Habitat For Humanity, especially what they do locally. I imagine that the same would go for you guys at Burlington and Sedro-Woolley. Well, the cool thing is that Habitat just broke ground on a house for our neighbors.

Now, personally, I only know Habitat from afar; I know they do great work for a great cause. But I've never had--or taken--the op to get involved. Couple that with the fact that I have not had tons (or hardly any!) construction experience, and I'm a bit apprehensive about picking up a hammer to help out. But' I'm game--if you guys are.

Let me know what you think: should we plan an April work day at 520 Alexander Street?


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what's a lute?

above: the "luther rose," given to Martin Luther by King John Frederick, to symbolize Luther's theology ( circa 1530).


I'm sure it's crossed your mind: what's a lute? No, I'm not talking about that guitar-like instrument from Shakespearean England. And I'm not even talking about Pacific Lutheran's mascot, although with that one we're getting a lot closer. I'm talking about Lutherans. You know, US.

Okay, so you probably don't go by the term "lute," but I bet you have wondered a time or two what makes you a Lutheran and not some other "kind" of Christian. I bet you might even have asked your parents, "Why are we Lutheran? Why don't we go to (fill in the blank here) church where there is a band and a huge kids' program? Why do we do "Confirmation" when my friends over at (again fill in the blank here) church just have a junior high group that does cool activities? Well, I 'm glad you asked.

Today I want to explore who we are, what makes us "lutes," or maybe I should say "e-lutes," to be more precise since we're Evangelical Lutheran. Here's a really quick rundown for you.

We are...






Confessional. No, not the little booth in the church where you say your sins out loud (although that booth might help some of us to think twice about sinning!). I'm talking confessional in the sense that we often say "we believe" statements in church. These statements come straight from the Bible (as in the Lord's Prayer) or from historic Christian doctrinal documents (such as the Nicene Creed, the Augsburg Confession, the Small and Large Catechisms). We say them not to take a 3-minute mental vacation or to have time to think about "pizza or burgers for lunch?" but rather to help ourselves remember that we're standing with Christians all over this world--both long ago and now--who are saying, "You know what? In this crazy, wonderful, dizzying, messed-up world, we're people who believe certain really important, precious and life-directing things. We're not going to let ourselves be ashamed of these things or forget them, so here goes."

So if you're ever sitting by me in church and hear me emphasize certain words during the confession, no I'm not hard of hearing or trying to get my mind off pizza (I hope!) but I'm trying to THINK about what it would mean only to be forgiven as much as I forgive other people or what it would be like to welcome God's Kingdom reign right here in Skagit Valley, for example. I challenge you to join me in saying the confession this way, to imagine you are saying it to your girlfriend or your grandma or your best friend (you know, really mean it). The pizza and burgers can wait.

Traditional. So tradition has sort of a bad rap here in the good 'ole U.S of A, and especially in the West. We Americans tend to live in the now with our sights set on the future, with looking in the rear view mirror barely a thought. Out here our history is very short; what's the point in talking tradition, right? Well there are some points, it turns out. One thing that comes to mind is, Why reinvent the wheel again and again? In terms of theology, many (most!) of the doctrines that our foreparents hammered out are just as true and helpful today as they were yesterday and yester-millenium. So when we say we are traditional it doesn't mean (as it would seem by current language standards) we're old fashioned or politically conservative. We just mean, Hey, we stand on the shoulders of those who have gone before us (as in Luther, Calvin and even Paul and Jesus). We don't spit in their faces and change our doctrines because we want something fashionable.

While I'm on this particular point, let me say that we tend to agree with and emphasize today the specific teachings of Martin Luther, that really cool and controversial church reformer who started questioning what the Church taught about who a Christian is (a person saved by the awesome grace of God to do works, OR somebody who does good works to help get a ticket to heaven?).

Evangelical. I know; obvious since it's in our name, but thought I'd point it out anyway. Evangelical is one of those really loaded words like "Fundamentalist" or even "Republican." There are a lot of assumptions that pass through people's minds when they hear the term. And with good reason. Sometimes there's some funky stuff done in the name of evangelicalism that we wouldn't even recognize in our church let alone our lives. That said, Evangelical, in the most basic sense means "about the gospel," as in people whose lives rally around the teachings of the New Testament Gospel, especially the teachings of Jesus. The term comes from the Greek word evangelia, which is translated straight into English.

But the definition is far from straight forward, at least in the way the word lands in people's lives and in their assumptions. Evangelical means, for some, a political special interest group, a socially conservative group of Christians (those who reject abortion and go to church every sunday), or even a sub-group within the Republican party. These definitions, while not without their historical meaning, are far from helpful when we turn to the Evangelical Church and especially the Evangelical Lutheran denom, and try to connect the dots. Let's just say that Evangelical Lutheran does NOT denote a political group (you can be Democrat or even Independent and be one!), nor does it (I hope) allow for a lot of social stereotyping. Evangelical Lutherans come in both "red" and "blue," believing a wide range a things about social, fiscal and political issues. That said, they tend to rally around the Gospel and be about social justice and mercy for all peoples.

Well, I'm sure there are other things that Evangelical Lutherans are. Why don't you log in a give me some other ideas--your ideas. And of course, your questions are always welcome.

Kelli

the 411

So, I'm going to start hanging out with youth from Edison, Burlington AND Bethlehem churches which got me to thinking, "Why not have an online locale, a hub, where we can to discuss stuff that's going on, post info about upcoming events, and share our thoughts about life? So here goes (Edison people will recognize this as the second attempt at such a venture, but oh well, it's here to stay now!).

Even if you are not a blogger in general (I know, I know cool people have moved on to myspace and facebook!), please check in here often. I will try to post the need to know info you get here in your respective church bulletins and (yikes) I'll even send you all letters every now and then. But why constantly go old school when we don't have to, right?

That said, I would love to hear from you. I won't insult your intelligence by telling you how to get an id so you can log in (but if you DON'T know don't be proud, just email me and I'll help you out). Parents, I know technology can be dizzying, but I'd love to hear your thoughts, ideas, and even reminders about stuff that's going on. Consider this our online coffee break (see you here about mid-morning each day?).

I'll try to keep this relevant to your day, worth your time. (Who likes to log onto sites that haven't changed since your last birthday?). And I'd really like to hear what's on your minds...

I'm excited about working with your groups individually and also working together as a big group sometimes. I think it is going to be 3 times the fun and I hope you're game.

Kelli
Kellibuzz@gmail.com