Tonight, as they usually do, actions speak louder than words. “Talk is cheap” they say. “Practice what you preach,” they say. “Walk the talk,” they say. “Don’t do as I say, do as I do,” they say.

Tonight, as they usually do, actions speak louder than words. (more…)

During my years as a student at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN, I was privileged to sit under the wise teaching of Dr. Lowell Satre, a New Testament scholar who, I found out after coming to St Paul’s ten years ago, was also the grandfather of former St Paul’s member Kari Ristvedt Mahaffey. Dr. Satre taught classes on the gospels as well as the letters of Paul, and for every course he taught there was the requisite term paper due near quarter’s end. Regardless of the content or quality of one’s term paper, the ever-pastoral, the ever-gentle-and -dear, and the ever-zealous-for-the-gospel Dr. Satre would inscribe two simple words at the end of his comments on the paper. Two words always underscored and then followed by an exclamation mark. Two words which echoed those of St. Paul’ to the Philippian church from our second reading this morning: “Press on!”

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When Martin Luther died, tradition records that his final words were “We are beggars, this is true.”

By that he didn’t mean we need to beg and grovel for God’s mercy and forgiveness. But rather, at the end of his lifetime of shining the spotlight on the riches of God’s amazing grace, he recognized that, like beggars with empty hands outstretched, all we can truly do is receive what God freely gives us.  God’s heart does not need to be inclined toward us by our begging or asking or pleading. Instead, God’s heart is so overflowing in love for us that before we can even stretch out our needy and empty hands, God is there with hands outstretched, reaching toward us first.

“We are beggars, this is true.”

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I invite you to turn to Hymn 325 and to sing the first stanza a capella with me. Then mark that page and we’ll return to it throughout our meditation together this morning.

I want Jesus to walk with me, all along my pilgrim journey,
Lord, I want Jesus to walk with me.

Our Lenten journey brings us face to face with the age-old question, “Why does evil happen?” and our all-too-human-and-feeble responses to that question.  I want Jesus to walk with me, but will he stay by my side if I screw up?

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The 40-day season of Lent gives us permission to lament, and not just because we maybe gave up dessert, carbs, or cocktails as our Lenten fast. But rather, because as we entered the season on Ash Wednesday, we were reminded once again of the truth about ourselves: “Remember that you are dust, and to dust you shall return.”

Sometimes we can face up to that fact, but most of the time we try like the dickens to ignore it, to deny it, or to escape it.

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Nothing quite says “Hurray! It’s Lent!” like the Great Litany with which we began worship this morning.  Subdued yet audible groans leaked from the mouths of choir members last Wednesday as they were reminded of the liturgical way in which we would be entering into the Lenten season today.  Visitors in previous years have been known to ask with wide eyes after worship, “Do you do that long thing every Sunday?” Even long-time members who forget from year-to-year about the litany have reportedly wondered, “What’s so ‘great’ about the Great Litany?”

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This is a day for admitting the truth about ourselves and for claiming the truth about God.

The truth about ourselves is that we are rebels, and not in a way that is either admirable nor fashionable. With little to no effort whatsoever, and on a regular basis, we do what comes naturally for us as mortals: we go our own way, we “go it on our own,” we wander, we get off-track, we forget God.

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Sookie Stackhouse can hear voices. Sookie is one of the two lead characters in the HBO racy vampire series “True Blood” and she has the uncanny ability to hear the thoughts of people as if they were speaking in an audible voice.  Sookie is a waitress in a backwater Louisiana small town bar, and her telepathic abilities often distract her as she hears the thoughts of customers who are attracted to her physical beauty, who are disgusted with the food served at Merlotte’s, or who are repulsed by her hospitality of vampires who — of course — are feared by most everyone and regarded at best as outcast citizens of the community.

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St. Francis of Assisi is attributed as having said, “Preach the Gospel at all times. If necessary, use words.” So in the spirit of Holy Francis of old, let’s sing!

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When I was twelve years old, I attended middle school in a newly-built building which had very few interior walls.  This was the cool-and-groovy 1970’s, mind you, and rather than homerooms we had “families” and rather than classrooms, we had “areas” and the inner architecture of the building reflected this hip, new educational philosophy. If we weren’t sitting on fluorescent-colored bean-bag chairs on long shag carpet, we were sitting at round tables with other members of our “family” — aka classmates. In the sprawling wide-open classroom areas, there were only colorful 4-foot dividers which distinguished one “area” from another, and one “family” grouping from another. Gone were individual desks and enclosed classrooms, until (thank the good Lord) we commenced to high school where the educational world of rooms and classes and desks resumed.  It was a zany time and a grand experiment in education. And I understand that long since, walls have been constructed and class-rooms and desks are back. The old vogue didn’t last long.

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