St Paul Clinton Blog

How Long Oh God? Advent Waiting

11/27/2024

“In a far-off place, Jesus comes to earth. Sheep and cattle grace the site. As the angel songs begin, like a whisper of the wind, nature’s hope awakes again; Jesus comes. For the poor in heart, Jesus comes to earth. Humble shepherds start the news. For each homeless infant born, for the meek and those who mourn, for the weary and the worn, Jesus comes. In our deepest night, Jesus comes to earth: radiant star to light our way. Summer’s heat or winter’s chill, with a warm and loving will, to a world that needs him still, Jesus comes.” - In a Far-Off Place, Jesus Comes - ACS 908

Dear siblings in Christ,
Here we are at the start of the Advent season as we look ahead to Christmas and the promises of God made real through the birth of Jesus, God incarnate, Immanuel, God with us. Before we reach the joyous celebration of Christmas, we must journey through the four weeks of Advent. Advent is a time of preparation as we prepare and await for the savior’s coming. That first Christmas night must not have gone the way that many who were waiting for the long foretold Messiah thought it would have. Who would have thought that the Messiah would be born as a tiny vulnerable baby, in a place of no real significance like a stable in Bethlehem far from any grand cities. And yet that is what happened.
Now that we know how the story goes, thanks to hindsight, and the continued retelling of the miracle of Christmas, we know what we are anticipating, we know what we are celebrating on Christmas but yet the good news of Christmas and Jesus’ life, death, and resurrection is not where the story ends. We know that Jesus, the Christ child was born to not only make God and God’s love known, but to fulfill the promises of the long hoped for salvation for all people through his death and resurrection. We trust in this truth, that one day we will too, know true salvation when we enter into the kingdom of heaven, but yet as we continue on in our lives in the here and now, we may feel similar longings for this promise of salvation and deliverance from our current realities within the world. Where there is so much war, distrust, division, and hatred in the forms of racist, homophobic, transphobic, xenophobic, sexist, patriarchal, ableist, and so many other harmful ways of thinking and acting towards our fellow children of God, there is much that we each long for and pray for in hopes of a better world not just for ourselves but for the young ones in our lives. And then as we will soon be gathering to celebrate Christmas we are reminded that Jesus was once a vulnerable young one in this world that was already against him since his birth, having to flee from the tyrant that was King Herod, leaving his homeland to take refuge in Egypt with his family for a while. God through Jesus has lived through such heart break and horrors that are similar to what so many people and families continue to experience throughout the world, near and far, and we again find ourselves in a similar situation at those asking God, how long until the long awaited Messiah would come and deliver them from the oppression of the powers that be.
How long oh God must we continue to live in such times? How long until all oppression finally ceases? As we continue to ask these and other questions, we continue to wait and prepare for the unknown time of when all of this will come to pass. In the meantime we can take comfort and hope from our various beloved Advent and Christmas hymns, like the one above. Though In a Far-Off Place, Jesus Comes is a newer hymn found in the All Creation Sings hymnal, the lyrics are a stark reminder that just like how that first Christmas happened in a way that those waiting for a Messiah did not expect, Jesus still came and throughout his life on earth, he taught that he came to not just bring salvation but also hope and love to those who are down trodden, outcast, and those experiencing their deepest nights, and that even today as so many still experience these realities, that Jesus is still here and continues to remind us of all of God’s promises of salvation and unconditional love. In the meantime, we as followers of Jesus Christ, are called to embody the love of God and Jesus in the here and now and share that love with all our fellow children of God throughout the world, as we each continue to live through our own Advent moments of waiting for the promised salvation and liberation from all oppression for all people as we look forward to the joyous celebration of the Christmas miracle.
Peace,
Pastor Tamara Siburg

Apocalyptic Happenings: What is being Revealed? - Sermon for 11/17/24

11/17/2024

Gospel: Mark 13:1-8
1 As [Jesus] came out of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Look, Teacher, what large stones and what large buildings!” 2 Then Jesus asked him, “Do you see these great buildings? Not one stone will be left here upon another; all will be thrown down.”
3 When he was sitting on the Mount of Olives opposite the temple, Peter, James, John, and Andrew asked him privately, 4 “Tell us, when will this be, and what will be the sign that all these things are about to be accomplished?” 5 Then Jesus began to say to them, “Beware that no one leads you astray. 6 Many will come in my name and say, ‘I am he!’ and they will lead many astray. 7 When you hear of wars and rumors of wars, do not be alarmed; this must take place, but the end is still to come. 8 For nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; there will be earthquakes in various places; there will be famines. This is but the beginning of the birth pangs.”

Dear siblings in Christ, grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Today we hear Jesus continue to rail against the earthly powers at play and that soon the temple will no longer be standing and then he goes into describing what sounds to be a forthcoming apocalypse after being asked how and when the temple will be destroyed. Today’s gospel passage comes directly after our passage from last week when we heard Jesus warn to beware of the scribes who act all important while devouring widows houses, all while he pointed out and made others aware of the widow who put in all that she had left to give to the treasury. Last week we explored the idea that part of this was Jesus’ way to continue to point out the hypocrisy of those in positions of power, who have been entrusted with large sums of money and resources, and yet instead of using what they have to ensure that all in their community, all in their care have enough to live well, they use what they have been entrusted with to bolster their own positions of power and to make the temple and places of worship extravagant and today we hear that the temple is made of such large awe-inspiring stones and even though one disciple was clearly impressed by this fact, Jesus was not. Jesus instead spoke of its coming destruction.
This passage and its apocalyptic imagery of so much war, destruction, of false leaders, and natural disasters is terrifying, but then again, does it really sound that far off from what we are seeing throughout our world in this age, and what has been seen throughout history. But yet, even in the face of terrifying images Jesus tells us to not be alarmed, don’t be afraid. These words of destruction were shocking to those who heard Jesus say them, but they may have been a source of comfort for the first readers of Mark’s gospel which was likely written during or just after the the Roman armies squashed a rebellion against the empire and consequently destroyed the temple and so much more (SALT's commentary for the 26th week after Pentecost), which would have been devastating not just for the Jewish people but also for the early Christians who many were still Jewish. And perhaps some found comfort in the fact that Jesus had predicted these horrors to come, and that Jesus reminded them to not be afraid, for through the destruction and chaos there is something new happening, that the world is experiencing the beginning of birth pangs, but what is being birthed in the midst of all of the destruction and chaos they experienced? And what does this mean for us today, what is being birthed within the chaos and destruction of today’s world?
A lot of what Jesus had predicted with his apocalyptic imagery sounds eerily similar to what we have been seeing and experiencing for a good part of many of our life times, and perhaps recently, it seems a bit more dire, with the impact of climate change causing much more destructive natural disasters, with so much political upheaval, with so much distrust between nations and within nations, with leaders that we could easily point to as leading us astray causing so much more harm and dangers for the most vulnerable and marginalized amongst us. And so we may find ourselves in a similar boat as those early Christians after the temple was destroyed, we are facing the fear of the unknowns of the destruction all around us throughout the world.
And yet Jesus calls us to not be alarmed, to not be afraid. And we might be left asking, but how are we able to not be afraid when so much seems to be changing and in destructive and harmful ways for so many? Often when we think of apocalyptic stories, we think of those movies or shows that are set post nuclear war, or in a zombie infested or diseases infected world or even sometime like the left behind series but yet when we see the various bible stories that warn and predict apocalyptic events, it’s not about the destruction and end of all things. But instead when the various bible stories mention apocalyptic themes it is more about what is to be uncovered or revealed (perhaps this leads to why the last book of the bible full of apocalyptic imagery is named revelation). So within the apocalyptic times, what is being revealed, or unveiled, what is being uncovered? In the moments throughout our lives where we witness or experience destruction, upheaval, and the grief that accompanies it, what is being uncovered or revealed about our current reality within the world? And what are we being called to do from there when we start to see what is being unveiled and revealed?
Often when there is much upheaval and destruction, we can learn a lot about our society, either for being the ones experiencing such destruction and upheaval or by how we respond to others who have experienced such. When witnessing or experiencing destruction and upheaval, we are able to learn and at times see when various systems and institutions in place are not working well for all people, or how they may be inherently oppressive and may need to be dismantled, evolved, or transformed to better serve the needs of all people. Through noticing what gets unveiled and revealed we are better able to point out where systemic sin is at play, in systems and institutions that were put in place in such a way to privilege a few over all, and perhaps some of those systems weren’t inherently set up in a way to keep some out, but when attention is brought to how this ends up being the case, is proper change made to make it more equitable for all people or do we just keep it the same for the sake of simplicity or because it has always been this way, like how some spaces are brought up to ADA code and other times, they are not and those places are uninviting for those who are not of abled body. Or like how after decades of protesting and fighting for equal rights the institution of marriage within this country was finally transformed, only 9 years ago in 2015, to include all loving couples and yet this right now may be in jeopardy in the near future. Or how wars are either started because nations want more land or resources and try to forcefully take it from others, or because some have reached their breaking point after nearly a century of a more powerful nation backed by even more powerful nations quietly oppress them, systematically stealing land and creating apartheid systems to keep them in their places even though their families have been living on that land for centuries. Or more closer to home today, we see the upheaval of how our own nation is so vastly divided and perhaps will soon see our own government look so vastly different than anything we have ever seen in this country before, and we are left to question why all these things have come to be and what is it that is being revealed about these systems and these realities?
I don’t think there are easy answers to those questions, especially if it means that we need to take a long hard critical look at some of the systems in place that we have gotten so comfortable with, especially if they haven’t brought or don’t threaten to bring harm to ourselves or our loved ones directly. But when this apocalyptic destruction happens and we finally become aware of the harm done to others, what then can we do? What are we called to do? What are the birthing pangs leading to? Are the birth pangs leading to innovation, and the evolving of society so that all people no matter who they are or how we each may be diversely different can live full and abundant lives without the fear of harm that so many earthly forces and systems are entrenched in? So we are left to question how we, as followers of Jesus, might be called to make changes within our own communities so that we are able to better notice what is being revealed within the upheaval and destruction that we face throughout our lives and how are we being called to evolve and transform through the birth pangs to be co-creators with God in making this world a more just place where all of its abundant resources are shared and stewarded equally and equitably with all people so that all people may be able to live life and live it abundantly?
The future can be a scary place of unknowns, especially in the face of all the apocalyptic events and happenings that we can see all around us with so much war, unrest, and division. And despite the fear, Jesus reminds us that we need not fear if we but follow him through all the uncertainty. Within the uncertainty, Jesus reminds us that God is on the move guiding us through it, even when hope may be hard to find and when we may feel most hopeless and helpless within our world and in our own uncertain moments of life. God through Jesus, has experienced the hopelessness and helplessness of Jesus’ death on the cross, but even when it all seemed hopeless, we know that was not the end, that Jesus rose from the dead to give new life in heaven to all and now reminds us to not be afraid and gives us all assurance that we are not alone in the here and now. And we are called in the moments of all this uncertainty, destruction, and upheaval to continue to share and show God’s love in the world, to all who also may be despairing alongside us, as we continue to notice what is being revealed in these moments of distress, and work to get through it and make change for the betterment of all people with the resources we have been entrusted with through the Spirit’s guiding, in Jesus’ name. Amen.
-- Written and preached by Pastor Tamara Siburg

If you wish to listen to the sermon the reading of the Gospel starts at 41:56 and sermon starts at 43:18

The Widow's Mite: Stewarding All that We Have for the Sake of Our Neighbors - Sermon for 11/10/24

11/10/2024

Gospel Reading: Mark 12:38-44
38 As [Jesus] taught, he said, “Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, 39 and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets! 40 They devour widows’ houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation.”
41 He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. 42 A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. 43 Then he called his disciples and said to them, “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. 44 For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out of her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” (NRSVUE Translation)

Dear siblings in Christ, grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen.
Today we hear the gospel passage most often referred to as the Widow's Mite. This kind of mite isn’t about the little insect of the same name, or even the might as in power like mighty, but a mite in Jesus’ time is the smallest denomination of coins, so a mite is similar to a penny today. But even though the common name of the passage is referring to the coins, there is an argument that can be made that the widow’s actions could very well be an act of might, an act of the last remaining power that she has in face of the marginalization and oppression that she encounters just by the fact that she is a widow without a safety net in that society.
  So often we hear this passage being used in a way that we assume that Jesus is pointing out the widows great gift of all that she owned as something to be idolized and emulated, compared to those rich people who give a lot compared to her 2 coins, but they still have an excess of money left over, where as this widow has nothing left. She gave all that she had, and had nothing left to live on. Even though we as a congregation will soon be in the midst of our yearly stewardship campaign, with letters and estimate of giving cards to be sent out soon, this doesn’t give us the right to lift up the widow’s last act of giving up all she had as the end all be all. Instead, what if Jesus was pointing out this widow to all who were gathered as a way of focusing their attention on someone who they otherwise would ignore or look down on? What if Jesus was pointing to this widow as a way to further bring his point of being aware of the scribes, of the religious leaders who walked around in their fancy robes, having the best seats in the fancy synagogues and banquets, and acting all piously (or in other words, holy-er than thou) all while they devour the widows’ houses. All while they take all that the widows have left in the world. It wasn’t uncommon at that time to have scribes be the legal trustees of widow’s estates, and then demand a large chunk of change for their services, and so perhaps Jesus was calling out this practice as devouring widows’ houses (Salt's commentary for the 25th Sunday after Pentecost). These leaders were entrusted to take care of these widows, who were among the most vulnerable in Jesus’ time, and instead of ensuring that the widows had enough to live the rest of their lives well, they were often bled dry of all their belongings, while the leaders, and the places of worship were getting richer and richer and more grand.
  Jesus seemed to be pointing out the hypocrisy of those leaders, who were entrusted to take care of their community, especially the vulnerable like the widows, the orphans, and the poor but instead were more focused with helping themselves become more “important”, and taking the seats of honor at banquets, and making their places of worship be extravagant. Out of the abundance of what has been given to the treasury, the leaders were not living into the call in which God has entrusted to us all, to steward our resources in ways that reflect God’s abundant care and love and live into the promise of creation that God has created more than enough for all people and all of creation, and yet those leaders were not stewarding the resources they have been given to work to ensure that all, including the vulnerable and marginalized have enough to live, just like anyone else. This can lead us to question and think about how we steward the resources that we have been entrusted with. How do we as a church, as a congregation and the larger church body, how do we use our resources for the work of the gospel, how do we use our resources to share the good news for and with the poor, vulnerable, and marginalized? How do we steward our resources not as a way to build up the church for the sake of a pretty building, or for the sake of getting butts in the pews, but for the sake of our neighbors both near and far? How do we or how can we better steward the resources that we have been given for the sake of all of our neighbors, not just the ones who look, think, and act like us, but for the refugees and strangers, and for our neighbors who are now facing even more harm and danger today just because of the color of their skin or their gender, or for living as the person whom God created them to be, or for loving who they love, or for being differently abled, or for any kind of difference whatsoever used to push people to the margins?
Our resources that we are entrusted to steward for the sake of all our neighbors includes our financial resources of course, but also includes our time and talents, and our bodies and voices, and our places of privilege whatever they might be. How can we use all that has been entrusted to us for the sake of our neighbors? In the face of recent events, I have really been wrestling with this question myself. Since Wednesday, I have heard from multiple friends who have been harassed by people who have been emboldened to think it is alright to yell sickening sexist remarks and disgusting homophobic slurs at them while they are just going about their day, let alone hearing so many of the stories from this past week that have been shared by countless people throughout social media. How will we, how will you use all that has been entrusted to you to care for and look out for all our neighbors in the face of hate and oppression? Like Jesus, brought attention to the widow who is from the margins and often looked over, we are called to bring attention and notice those who are on the margins of today’s society and to care for all people and all of creation so that all may be able to live life and live it abundantly, as well come to know the unconditional love of God in the face of the oppressive systems of the world.
  I know that we have not often read the assigned Psalms during our weekly worship but today’s Psalm seems to be very applicable for where we are as a society today and I invite you to please open your hymnal up to Psalm 146, which can be found after the various order of services in the front but just before the hymns. I invite us to read Psalm 146 responsively, I’ll read the odd verses and ask you to read the even.

Psalm 146
1 Hallelujah! Praise the Lord, O my soul! 2 I will praise the Lord as long as I live; I will sing praises to my God while I have my being. 3 Put not your trust in rulers, in mortals in whom there is no help. 4 When they breathe their last, they return to earth, and in the day their thoughts perish. 5 Happy are they who have the God of Jacob for their help, whose hope is in the Lord their God; 6  who made heaven and earth, the seas, and all that is in them; who keeps promises forever; 7 Who gives justice to those who are oppressed, and food to those who hunger. The Lord sets the captive free. 8 The Lord opens the eyes of the blind; the Lord lifts up those who are bowed down; the Lord loves the righteous. 9 The Lord cares for the stranger; the Lord sustains the orphan and widow, but frustrates the way of the wicked. 10 The Lord Shall reign forever, Zion, throughout all generations. Hallelujah! (Translation from Evangelical Lutheran Worship)

   This Psalm is a source of comfort reminding us that, no matter who are the rulers or leaders of our world or country, that they are just mortals and should not have our complete trust but that we trust in God and the teachings of Jesus who reminded us that he came to set the captive free and bring justice for the oppressed and he did that through his life giving act of his death and resurrection so that we all will be liberated into eternal life. But for now just as Jesus brought attention to the widow, he brought attention to one of the most vulnerable and marginalized, we are called to do the same and work towards stewarding all of our various resources in ways that will better ensure all people are able to live life abundantly, without fearing for their life or the lives of their loved ones, while working to hold our leaders accountable to do the same, to ensure they see all people as human and beloved children of God no matter who they are. And in doing so, in using our resources that we have been entrusted with, for the betterment of all people and their rights to live abundantly as God intended, we better share and show God’s unconditional love to all people, especially those on the margins who may feel forgotten, unloved, or lesser by society.
    Like how the widow from today’s gospel gave all that she had, she in a way was liberated from the oppressive system of her day, that she had nothing left to give, she had nothing left for those in power to take from her and she was finally free, so what did she have left to lose? What do we have to lose to notice the marginalized and vulnerable like that widow within our own world today and what do we have to lose to work for the liberation of all people in the here and now, to follow Jesus’ command to love God and to love your neighbor as yourself, so that all people may be able to live life without fear of the oppressive systems and the actions that oppressive systems and leaders make possible in people's day to day lives. And for those of us who may be a part of marginalized groups, know that you are not alone, that God sees you and calls you a beloved child, and through Jesus makes your presence known and shows you love and calls all people to do the same. Let me end by asking again, how are you individually and how are we as a church being called to steward all of the resources that we each have been entrusted with to work to share and show God’s unconditional love to all people, so that all may live life and have it abundantly? Amen.
-- Written and preached by Pastor Tamara Siburg

If you wish to listen to the sermon be preached the Reading of the gospel starts at minute 38:46 and sermon starts at minute 40

Remembering Our Saints

11/1/2024

“For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” - Romans 8:38-39

Dear siblings in Christ,
               I don’t know about you but the last few months feels as if they have just been racing by, at least for me they do. Here we are at the start of November and once we hit November it always feels as if time really speeds up as we head into the often very busy holiday season. But yet here at the beginning of November, before we get busy celebrating Thanksgiving day as a country, we as a church take time to celebrate and honor all of our loved ones who have died, especially those who have passed over the last year on All Saints Sunday, always the first Sunday of November.
               This year we as a congregation have had a handful of members and loved ones who have died within this past year all whom we will be remembering on All Saints Sunday. I know that I am not the only one who has loved ones who have died this year, and even some from throughout my life who I plan to light a candle in remembrance this All Saints Day. As I’m sure you all know, no matter how many people you have had to say that final earthly good-bye to, it never gets any easier and so each All Saints Sunday, we take intentional time to remember and lift their names, memories, and love up to God, while trusting in God’s promises that we too will one day be reunited with all of our loved ones in the kingdom of heaven when it is our time to enter into eternal life with God, just as all of our loved ones who have gone before us have already done and there is nothing that we or anyone could do to ever be able to separate us from that promise given to each and every person thru God’s love for all people and all of creation.
               Despite knowing and trusting in this promise of eternal life for all people, we still face the waves and pain of grief, no matter if it is acute grief of a recent passing or that grief that sneaks up on you that can feel like waves crashing over you even years later bringing with it all the memories, good, bad, and all the in-between that can leave you with that melancholy feeling and at times almost feels as if that loss has just recently happened, like how often this time of the year I can’t help but think of my grandfathers who both died in the month of November about a year apart while I was in high school, and now realizing that they have both been gone for more than half of my life, I can’t help but begin to tear up a bit. But in a way, I guess that is part of the beauty of grief, that it is the love we feel and have had the honor to share with all of our loved ones who have gone before us, which makes me think of a quote from the Marvel show, WandaVision where we see a memory of Wanda’s shortly after she lost her brother and Vision, a humanoid android tried to comfort her in her grief by saying “it can’t all be sorrow, can it? I’ve always been alone, so I don’t feel the lack. It’s all I’ve ever known. I’ve never experienced loss because I have never had a loved one to lose. But what is grief, if not love persevering?” Grief is all the love that we still have for those who we miss and have lost within our earthly lives.
               Know that whenever the pangs of grief hit you, that you are not alone, God is there meeting you in your grief, reminding you that you will one day join all your loved ones in eternal life with God. I encourage you to join me in taking some time this month to take some time to light a candle and remember your loved ones who have gone before you.
Peace,
Pastor Tamara Siburg