Pastor's Reflections & Various SermonsMonthly faith reflections and other ponderings and sermons from the pastor.
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Dear siblings in Christ,
As we continue our journey through Lent, heading towards Holy Week, we are reminded of the profound love and sacrifice of Jesus Christ. The events of Holy Week has a way of encompassing the heart of the Christian faith, from the jubilant entry of Psalm Sunday, to the call of servanthood on Maundy Thursday, to the sorrow of Good Friday all the way to the joy of Easter which altogether calls us to live out the love of Christ in the world today. In our world today, where so much of it is marked by pain, division, and injustice, Holy Week offers us a powerful invitation to embody and share God’s love and grace in tangible ways. Palm Sunday is a call to justice and peace. As we wave our palm branches and celebrate Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, we are reminded that Jesus’ kingdom is not one of power and domination, but of justice, peace, and compassion. In a time when it seems that the cries for justice and peace are so often drowned out by the noise of partisan political polarization, narrow sighted nationalistic ways of thinking and conflict in general, Palm Sunday invites us to stand with the oppressed, the marginalized, the voiceless, and the dehumanized in our communities. We are called to be peacemakers, to speak out against injustice, and to live as advocates for all God’s people, particularly those suffering from systemic inequalities. After all, Jesus’ entry into Jerusalem was a form of nonviolent protest against the earthly powers that be of his time. Maundy Thursday is a command to serve. On Maundy Thursday, Jesus models servant leadership by washing his disciples’ feet and instituting the commandment to love one another. “Love one another as I have loved you,” he said (John 13:34). In this act of love, Jesus calls us to humble ourselves in service to others. In today’s world, this means not only serving those who are physically or spiritually in need but also addressing the various and deep divides that separate us from one another. Whether through local outreach programs, acts of kindness, or advocacy for the vulnerable, Maundy Thursday challenges us to go beyond ourselves and to serve others in the most humble and compassionate ways, to not just give of our money but to also give of our time and bodies, out of the love that God first gave us through Jesus. Good Friday is a call to stand in solidarity with suffering. Good Friday is a stark reminder of the suffering and pain that Jesus endured on the cross. He truly knew the human experience of suffering and we know suffering is still all too present in our world. From ongoing conflicts around the globe to the struggles within our own communities, Good Friday calls us to stand with those who are hurting. It calls us to acknowledge the deep wounds of injustice, violence, and poverty that continue to permeate within the systems in place impacting so many. As a community, we are invited to walk alongside those who are suffering, offering a presence of love, comfort, and solidarity. Let us remember that as we carry the cross with Christ not to suffer for the sake of suffering but for the sake of our neighbors, we are called to enter into those moments and spaces to help carry and lighten the burdens of others. Easter is a call to hope and resurrection in a Hurting World. Easter brings with it the hope of resurrection and the promise that even in the darkest moments, God is at work bringing new life and transformation. In the face of the tragedies and heartaches we encounter, the Easter message reminds us that love, grace, and hope will have the final word. We are a resurrection people, called to bring light into the darkness, to share hope with the hopeless, and to work toward healing and renewal for all people, no if’s and’s or but’s, throughout our communities and the world. As we celebrate Easter this year, let us consider how we too can be bearers of this resurrection hope. Whether it’s through speaking out against injustice, providing care for those in need, working for systemic change in our communities, or just by sitting with someone going through a hard time. The hope of the resurrection challenges us to live with boldness, sharing and showing God’s love near and far, trusting that God’s love transforms the world. Let us live lives with a Holy Week kind of faith. In a world where fear, hatred, division, and violence dominate the headlines, the message of Holy Week remains as radical and relevant as ever. It calls us to act out of love, to seek justice, to be in solidarity with those most often pushed to the margins and overlooked, and to work for peace and healing in our world. Whether through small acts of kindness or larger attentiveness to social justice issues, we are invited to live in ways that reflect the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. As we enter Holy Week this year, let us renew our commitment to sharing and showing God’s love throughout our community and the world. Let us offer compassion where there is cruelty, justice where there is oppression, and hope where there is despair. Together, we can be witnesses to the power of God’s love through Christ, bringing hope, light, and love to a world in need. God’s Peace, Pastor Tamara Siburg “Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the thongs of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them, and not to hide yourself from your own kin? Then your light shall break forth like the dawn, and your healing shall spring up quickly.” ~ Isaiah 58:6-8 Dear siblings in Christ,
Lent, though often thought of as a somber time, is a time to reflect, repent, and renew our hearts and minds in the light of God’s grace and unconditional love. Lent invites us into a 40-day journey that mirrors the time Jesus spent in the wilderness before beginning his earthly ministry. As we journey through Lent, I invite you to join me in considering how the state of our world today invites us deeper into this journey of repentance and renewal. When the world around us seems to grow more uncertain and fractured each day while the news is full of stories of war, division, injustice, and a longing for peace and healing. The weight of the global and local crises, from poverty and hunger to climate change and people being displaced, can make our hearts heavy. Even in our own communities, we encounter the struggles of those who feel lost, unseen, and/or unheard. And yet, in the midst of this turmoil, we are called to remember that Lent is not only about mourning the brokenness of the world but also about responding to it with the love and hope of God that Christ has shown us. Lent is a time that invites us not to give things up just for the sake of giving up things, but it is a time to give up what distracts us from the realities of the world, to humble ourselves before God, and to deepen our commitment to following the example of Christ to share and show God’s love near and far. It is a season of repentance, but it is also a season of hope, because through Christ’s death and resurrection, we are promised new life. Our response to the brokenness of the world must be rooted in this hope, hope that is grounded in Christ’s enduring love, and hope that calls us to action. I encourage each of us to take time to reflect on the ways in which we as individuals, and we as a congregation can be part of God’s transformative work in the world. How can we share and show God and Jesus’ love out in the world in the face of such divisions? How can we extend mercy and justice to those who are suffering the most? In what ways can our Lenten practices help to heal and renew not just our own souls but the world around us? As we journey through this season, I invite each of us to find moments to try some spiritual practices, whether it be daily prayer, acts of service, times of speaking up against injustice, or moments of quiet reflection, let this time be a moment where we each reconnect with God’s vision for the world. A vision where justice, mercy, and peace flow like a river. And as we do so, let us also remember the promise of Easter that awaits us: that the love of God is stronger than all the forces of darkness in this world. May this Lenten season be a time of deep renewal and transformation for each of us. May we approach it with open hearts, ready to receive God’s grace, and ready to be sent into the world to be instruments of God’s peace and love to all people and all of creation. As we journey through these 40 days, let us do so with the knowledge that God through the Holy Spirit is with us, guiding us, and empowering us to bring light into the darkness. God’s Peace, Pastor Tamara Siburg Dear siblings in Christ,
“Herod sent the magi to Bethlehem, saying, ’Go and search diligently for the child, and when you have found him, bring me word so that I may also go and pay him homage.’ When they set out; and there, ahead of them, went the star that they had seen at its rising, until it stopped over the place where the child was. When they saw that the start had stopped, they were overwhelmed with joy. On entering the house, they saw the child with Mary his mother; and they knelt down and paid him homage. Then, opening their treasure chests, they offered him gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. And having been warned in a dream not to return to Herod, they left for their own country by another road. ” Matthew 2:8-12Dear siblings in Christ,
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