Dr. Eldon Olson, retired pastor and member of Peace, is the author of this month’s Pastor’s Pen column.

“Stir up your power, Lord Christ, and come!”

I was staying for few days at our Seminary in Oakland, California several years ago and happened to be there for the first weeks of Advent. On the first day of Advent, instead of the regular morning Matins service, the entire Seminary community met in the chapel to ‘stir up’ the ingredients of Christmas Fruit Cake – the old-fashioned kind with all sorts of fruits, candies, nuts, and spices. They observed this annual ritual of fruit-cake production since each of the opening prayers for Sunday worship for the weeks of Advent begins with the petition “Stir Up!” (“Stir up your power, Lord Christ, and come!”, “Stir up our hearts, O Lord!”,  “Stir up the wills of your faithful people!”, and again “Stir up your power and come!”).  Although I’m not a big fan of fruitcake, the ritual of beginning Advent with a festive community appeal to “stir up” left a lasting impression.

The phrase “stir up” could have at least two nuances. On the one hand, it could mean to get organized, to start up a momentum, an impulse that gets things going. This suggests some sort of collection, gathering, or assembly – something that calls otherwise unfocused and diverse people to get their collective act together. This is certainly part of Advent’s message – it’s time to awaken to a new year, a new collective attention to the season of beginning, birthing, or new life. Wake up! Come together! Pay Attention! Those of you who would prefer to slumber through winter’s hibernations,  “Stir up!”

John the Baptizer, who enters our Sunday texts as Advent begins, brings the more jarring meaning to the call to ‘stir up!”.  His intention is to provoke a revolution, incite a reformation, instigate a rebellion.  “Stir up!”  “Repent!” shouted to a crowd to arouse them to action.  When this message is conveyed by the strange figure of John it is a loud harangue by a long-haired and unwashed prophetic character.  Clad in hippie-type tatters of animal skins, the call isn’t simply to come together for a new beginning – it’s much more provocative.  It’s more like Paul Revere, riding through the night with news that a rebellion is upon us – not just another new beginning, but a cataclysmic event that will set your world on its edge.  With this announcement, our collective consciousness will never be the same again.  Whatever is coming will be momentous!

Another Biblical image for this is the rather strange image of time itself having gotten filled up – “in the fullness of time.”  Literally, it’s that Time itself is now pregnant!  The clock isn’t just monotonously ticking off its usual hours and days so we can be lulled by the predictability of its tick-tock – the very clock is about to explode!  Those who use this image even designate the struggles of this Advent moment as the “labor pains” of the coming delivery.  You’ve heard about the consistency of seven days a week, seven days of creation – well, you’re about to witness the eighth day, a day no one has ever imagined before.  Or another image – the tiny seed that no one notices is about to burst into a huge tree that can shelter every bird in creation!

How do you begin to describe something that’s beyond human imagining?  How do you wrap your head around a new creation, populated by a new humanity, subject to a new structuring of human behaviors and relationships? That’s the challenge of Advent!  It’s mind boggling! Our normal response to news of such complexity or magnitude might well be to become overwhelmed.  But the appeal to “stir up” comes to us each year with the nuanced response – be excited and alert to the promises of a coming Messiah, and be bothered by the illusions and evils this Messiah comes to dispel.

But wake up! Or better yet, “Stir up!”

Beware that no one leads you astray. Many will come in my name and say, “I am he.” – Mark 13:5

Everyone who belongs to the truth listens to my voice.  – John 18:37

Beloved of God,

November is one of those transitional months and, within the church, it is packed with meaningful events and worship opportunities, beginning with the observance of All Saints Sunday on November 4^th and ending with Christ the King or Christ Reigns Sunday, the final Sunday of the church year, on November 25^th.   In between these bookends come Veterans and New Member Sunday on November 11th and Thanksgiving Eve on November 21st.  (You can read more about each one of these opportunities for worship and special aspects associated with them in the pages below.)

During November our scripture readings anticipate the return of Christ, when his reign will come to complete fruition and all that God has intended for this universe will find fulfillment.  The Bible speaks in veiled language of “signs” that will help us know that this day is upon us, but these signs are shrouded in mystery, and history has shown that it’s best to avoid prognosticating.  Many a date chosen by someone as the definitive “day of the Lord” according to some scheme or another has come and gone.  The work of those who follow in the footsteps of Jesus continues in ways both mundane and sublime, and we know where our energies are best invested: loving God and neighbor.

Within society at large, Election Day is also a November staple.  November 6^th looms particularly large this year as voters weigh in on the first two years of the president’s term by way of congressional contests and battles over initiatives.  Mid-term elections have historically provided a mid-course correction and power shake up in Washington DC, and this year more than most there’s a lot in skin in the game for all sides of the political spectrum.   Alongside the national issues there are significant state issues to be decided.  Some, like I-1631, ask us to look further into the future than most, and to consider what kind of future we want for our planet’s inhabitants.

The standard political mantra asks voters: “Are you better off now than you were two years ago?” But we who have come to know Jesus and have been trying to follow his Way know that this old, tired question is inadequate.  Instead of focusing on self-interest we have learned to ask after the welfare of our vulnerable neighbors.  Whatever the outcomes of this particular election, the issues on our local, state, and national agendas and the deep-seated challenges that accompany them will continue to require passionate resolve if they are to be fruitfully addressed.  We all benefit when we set the bar for our leaders very high.  Remember to vote!

How can we be faithful as individuals and as a community of faith in these busy, turbulent, and challenging times? One starting point is being clear about our mission as a congregation. Jesus Christ, crucified and risen, is the center of our life together.  When we invest our energies in loving God and serving neighbor, we demonstrate to others and to ourselves just who we are and what we stand for.  Being grounded in grace allows us to set our sights outward; to venture beyond ourselves, our needs, our desires, and to thus discover what God is already up to in the world around us. Knowing this, we then join God in that good work.  If there’s any work more important than this, I don’t know what it is.

As I stood with thousands of others in vigil outside of Temple de Hirsch Sinai last week singing ancient songs of hope, I was reminded how life-giving the power of a unified community can be.  In a world full of violence, with tweets and sound bites run amok, God used that gathering to affirm LIFE, and to remind us all that HOPE and LIGHT cannot be extinguished no matter how dark the night.

Pastor Erik

“Come to me all you who are weary and heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me; for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

– Matthew 11:28-30

Beloved of God,

October brings us into the fullness of the autumn season. But while the Earth (in the northern hemisphere at least!) is going about the business of yielding up leaves and harvests in preparation for the fallow season to come, we in the church are gearing up for meaningful ministry. Our Journey of Faith process begins this month and Confirmation classes resume.  Special Sundays are part of this month’s offerings: St. Francis/CROP Walk on Oct 7; a special meeting on Initiative 1631 on Oct 14; Offering of Letters and Quilt Sundays combine on the 21st; and Reformation Sunday comes on 28th.  Adding to this full menu are the series of annual banquets or auctions hosted by local ministries and non-profits. (You can read about all of these in the pages that follow.)  When it comes to family schedules, after school activities are ramping up, fall sports are in full swing, and schools are hosting curriculum nights and PTSA meetings—and did I mention autumn traditions like a trip to a pumpkin farm, and the hoopla (and sugar-high) that accompanies Halloween? Whew!

At times, gathering ourselves to enter this fuller than full rhythm can feel like sliding onto the saddle of a bucking bronco—grab on tight, for you’re in for quite a ride! Given these realities, we do well to remember to breathe…to make choices that support sanity…to pace ourselves.  So as you read about the myriad opportunities embedded within this October edition of Peace Notes, I invite you to enter the stream at a pace that will be energizing rather than depleting.

Toward that end, it seems fitting that The Feast of St. Francis on October 7 serves as a doorway to all that follows.  The Francis we’ve come to know did not begin life that way.  Like many of the young men he ran with during his youth, he was more interested in partying than attending to his father’s business.  Ask Francis what he wanted to be when he grew up, his answer would have been “a knight.”  In the age of the Crusades boys were captivated by the weapons, the armor, and the lure of winning a glorious name on the battlefield, and Francis was right there among them.  But his first real taste of war put a chink in his armor, and left him wondering if he had made the right choice.  After his release he had a dream in which Christ seemed to be calling him back to the battlefield as a soldier in the pope’s army, so he procured a horse and new armor and set off for Rome.  But while he was still on his way a second dream clarified the first.  Christ was calling him back home, to a future that was yet to be revealed.  The next morning, he mounted his horse and turned it toward home.

Outside the Basilica of St. Francis in Assisi a large sculpture captures that moment of turning.  There sits Francis, the would-be knight, still arrayed in his battle armor, slumped down in his saddle, his head and that of his horse, too, drooping, their spirits dejected and downcast.  His dream of glory has died, and he is headed back to an uncertain future.  The introspection that followed changed the trajectory of his life.  He renounced his wealth and became “wedded to Lady Poverty.”  Francis has become known around the world for his humility in relying on the power of God, and for his spirit of gladness and gratitude for all of God’s creation, and for his compassion for the poor and outcast of the world.

In the aftermath of the most divisive Supreme Court battle in a generation, I could use a good dose of St. Francis. I need to hear his voice calling me back to center; pointing me to the Christ who promises rest for all this struggling, burdened world. The issues and challenges facing our families, nation and world won’t go away on October 7—but the spirit and the groundedness with which I engage them might change.  At least, that’s my hope.  And I want to meet you there, in that place.

With you on the Way,

Pastor Erik

Then God said, “Let the earth put forth vegetation: plants yielding seed, and fruit trees of every kind on earth that bear fruit with the seed in it.” And it was so. The earth brought forth vegetation: plants yielding seed of every kind, and trees of every kind bearing fruit with the seed in it. And God saw that it was good.  And there was evening and there was morning, the third day.”  – Genesis 1:11-13

Beloved of God,

Paleo-botanists tell us that the first seeded plants started appearing on Earth during the late Devonian Period, about 385 million years ago.  Today, seed plants are some of the most important organisms on Earth and life on land as we know it is largely shaped by the activities of seed plants. From the coniferous forests of the Cascade and Olympic Mountains, to the orchards of central Washington, to the grain fields of Eastern Washington—even our backyard gardens—it’s impossible to imagine life as we know it without these life-sustaining harvests.

According to Genesis, the abundance of Earth’s seed and fruit bearing plants and trees paved the way for more complex creatures to emerge. God’s pronouncement on all of this? TOV!  The NRSV translates this “GOOD,” but I prefer the translation proffered by a former professor of mine: WOW!

Jesus used seeds as a lively image for the reign of God: It is “as if someone would scatter seed on the ground, and would sleep and rise night and day, and the seed would sprout and grow, he does not know how.” (Mk 4:26) And remember the mustard seed?  There is great mystery and extraordinary potential wrapped up in these tiny packages.

The seeds for what would become Peace Evangelical Lutheran Church were sown by Pastor and Mrs. Otto Karlstrom and volunteers from Gethsemane Lutheran Church, who organized Sunday School classes in the Gatewood Hill area in the early 1920’s. They tilled the soil for what later would become the seedbed into which PLC was planted twenty years later. Forming faith continues to be a central priority for our congregation.  The seeds we sow now in the lives of our children will produce a harvest that will keep Jesus’ message of abundant life visible, alive and relevant both in our time and in succeeding generations. This is why we’re kicking off the yearlong commemoration of our congregation’s 75th Anniversary under the theme SOWN SEEDS on Rally Sunday, September 16th. On five occasions over the next 15 months we’ll be lifting up aspects of our congregation’s mission and ministry under the overarching theme: OUT OF MANY – ONE, leading to culminating events on the final weekend of November 2019.  Our theme reflects both the history of Peace, which has received significant groups of folks from other area congregations (1st Lutheran, St. James, Calvary), as well as many recent individuals, couples, and families who have moved to West Seattle from other parts of the city and nation, and have come to call Peace home. It also reminds us of what God is about in baptism—taking diverse and varied individuals and knitting us together into the one body of Christ.  How does your experience at Peace connect to this theme?  It will be fun to explore our answers to this question during the coming months.

September is a great time to renew our relationships with each other and to reconnect with our Lord.  I’m looking forward to seeing you as September unfolds, and to discovering with you how the Spirit will engage and equip us for our continuing work of planting seeds!

With you on the Way,

Pastor Erik

The apostles gathered around Jesus, and told him all that they had done and taught. He said to them, “Come away to a deserted place all by yourselves and rest a while.” For many were coming and going, and they had no leisure even to eat.

– Mark 6:31

Beloved of God,

We all know what if feels like to be harried; to see the accumulation of half-completed chores and unfinished projects pile up at home or at work while we try to get a handle on another day’s demands:  work, childcare, laundry, meal planning, sports, lessons, volunteer activities, exercise, emails, lawn care, and on and on.  If you’re like me you are perpetually longing for that “light at the end of the tunnel” when the desk will be cleared, the chores will be done, the “honey-do” list will be completed, and there will be space for one huge SIGH, a day to kick-back and to savor life.

In The Fiddler on the Roof, Tevye the milkman sings about how he would use that “down” time—a time he imagines would surely be his, if only he “were a rich man.” The sweetest thing of all, he croons, would be studying “the holy books with the learned men seven hours every day.” We all have dreams about how we would use our time if we only had the time.  The point, of course, is what we choose to do now with the time that we have; how we pattern our lives now, not in some imagined world that, in reality, we will never realize.

When the apostles returned from the missionary journey on which Jesus had sent them, they were full of stories and experiences they wanted to share about what they had seen and done and taught.  Mark tells us that their ministries met with some success. [6:13] Jesus was well aware of the demands of ministry, and how their enthusiasm and growth had to be matched with time away, time to unwind, to reflect, and to receive.  The journey onto which he had invited them, after all, was not a sprint but a marathon.  So, after he listened to all they had to share, he invited them to “come away and rest a while.” It is a pattern into which he invites us as well.

One of the great gifts from the tradition of our Jewish forbearers is the Sabbath.  A day each week of community supported down time, a pattern whose origin the tradition traces back to the very beginning of creation and God’s own actions. [Genesis 1].  Sabbath is a time for resting, a time for rekindling our spiritual life, reconnecting with family, giving rest to beasts of burden, being restored through a rhythm that will enable life to carry on for the long haul.  In our chronically overworked society, Sabbath time must seem to most of us like a distant dream, yet the fact is for century upon century real people in real life have practiced that tradition.  Maybe it’s time to take it back.

My own pattern has been to carve out concentrated “sabbath” time during the summer.  This year, I’m mingling my time away from the parish with opportunities to share in the ministries and unique settings provided by Camp Lutherwood and Holden Village.

Whatever your plans are these two months, I hope that you, too, will take time to heed Jesus’ call to “come away and rest for a while.”  I’ve found that it’s often during the time away that the things that have been hazy in my life, the question marks, the puzzles, become clarified.  I pray the same for you.  May God grant you refreshment this summer ~ whether you are home or away, whether we meet here at the Lord’s Table, at a mountain trailhead, or on a ferry bound for places beyond.  May God’s deep peace inhabit your soul.

With you on the Way,

Pastor Erik