Reading Together
Read together the Transfiguration story: Luke 9:28-36 (37-43)
28 Now about eight days after these sayings Jesus took with him Peter and John and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. 29 And while he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became dazzling white. 30 Suddenly they saw two men, Moses and Elijah, talking to him. 31 They appeared in glory and were speaking of his departure, which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem. 32 Now Peter and his companions were weighed down with sleep; but since they had stayed awake, they saw his glory and the two men who stood with him. 33 Just as they were leaving him, Peter said to Jesus, “Master, it is good for us to be here; let us make three dwellings, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah”–not knowing what he said. 34 While he was saying this, a cloud came and overshadowed them; and they were terrified as they entered the cloud. 35 Then from the cloud came a voice that said, “This is my Son, my Chosen; listen to him!” 36 When the voice had spoken, Jesus was found alone. And they kept silent and in those days told no one any of the things they had seen.

[37 On the next day, when they had come down from the mountain, a great crowd met him. 38 Just then a man from the crowd shouted, "Teacher, I beg you to look at my son; he is my only child. 39 Suddenly a spirit seizes him, and all at once he shrieks. It convulses him until he foams at the mouth; it mauls him and will scarcely leave him. 40 I begged your disciples to cast it out, but they could not." 41 Jesus answered, "You faithless and perverse generation, how much longer must I be with you and bear with you? Bring your son here." 42 While he was coming, the demon dashed him to the ground in convulsions. But Jesus rebuked the unclean spirit, healed the boy, and gave him back to his father. 43 And all were astounded at the greatness of God.]

The Gospel of our Lord. Alleluia!

Talking Together
As you read the Transfiguration account, what stands out to you?

If you stop at verse 36, do you hear a different account – a different story of Transfiguration than if you read all the way through to verse 43? How does it impact you differently?

Throughout Epiphany, we have been reflecting on the ways Jesus is revealed to us as our Savior. Reflect on the meaning of Jesus in your life.

The disciples saw Jesus, dazzling in all his glory, on the mountaintop. Where do you see God’s glory? Draw a picture of where you see God at work!

As followers of Christ, we are called to share Jesus love & hope with others. But this can be hard! Even our disciples, in today’s reading, are said to have “kept silent” and didn’t tell anyone what they saw. When in your life have you ‘kept silent’ about the good news of Jesus?

It is much easier to sit on the couch, eat dinner with friends, and keep our ministry within church walls. But this is not the life Jesus calls us to! This is not the life our baptisms prepare us for! We are called, and equipped, to share the love of Jesus with all the world: the people we know, the people we don’t know, the people we like & don’t like. The people of Lester, of Minnesota, of the world! So: how can you share Jesus’ love with others?

Watching Together
Watch a video reflection by Pastor Bethany here

Singing Together
Today is the last Sunday before Lent. During Lent, we will “bury the Alleluia’s” and not sing them again until Easter. What songs can you think of that use the word Alleluia? Sing one together!

Try this song out! (You can also divide into two groups to sing, standing when you sing & sitting when you’re not.)
Group 1 Group 2
Allelu – allelu – allelu- alleluia! Praise ye the Lord!
Allelu – allelu – allelu- alleluia! Praise ye the Lord!
Praise ye the Lord! Alleluia!
Praise ye the Lord! Alleluia!
Praise ye the Lord! Alleluia!
(All) Praise ye the Lord!

Looking for more songs?
Our Hymn of the Day today is Beautiful Savior. Listen & sing along here

Praying Together
As a household, share your prayers with each other. Try offer a petition for each letter of the word: P.R.A.Y.
Praise — praise God for all God gives and does! Name one or two things you praise God for!
Repent — confess to God the things you have done, have not done in word/actions/thoughts this week. How have you failed to live into your baptismal promises? How have you “kept silent” about Christ in your life?
Ask — offer your petitions to God: who are the people and places in your life that needs healing or strength?
Yeild — Offer God your worries and pains. Listen for where God is calling you to serve Jesus in the world.

Then, close together with this prayer:

God of life: you sent us Jesus to be our strength, our salvation and our hope. On this Transfiguration Sunday, Jesus was revealed to us. Help us to continue to grow in faith, and to live out our baptismal promises by following you, studying your word, and living in faith together. Give us the courage to shine our light before others – help us live our faith in every area of life: our schools, our homes, our work, and church. Inspire us to talk to others about you, revealing your love to our neighbors, friends, & strangers. In your name we pray, Amen.

Go in peace. Serve the Lord. Thanks be to God!
And all God’s people say: Amen!

Don’t forget to snuff out the candle!

Our Psalm today is one of Lament… But, what exactly is a lament? Or, what do you hear in Psalm 13? “How long, O Lord? Will you forget me forever? how long will you hide your face from me? How long must I bear pain in my soul, and have sorrow in my heart all day long? How long shall my enemy be exalted over me?”

I hear statements of fear and anger. I hear pain and desperation. I hear a person being brutally honest with God. So while I don’t know what is troubling this person — I do know that this person is laying all his cards on the table. I don’t know about you – but it is challenging for me to be this honest with someone; usually I find myself dampening the blow in some way – Now, Lord – I’m sure you haven’t really forgotten me, I’m probably misunderstanding things. But I do feel awfully lonely…

But our Psalmist is not polite, our psalmist is not being apologetic — but is being very honest and seems to be expecting answers, right? There’s a sense of urgency in his voice – a sense that whatever God’s answer is, it can.not.wait.

We’re not told what -or who- this enemy is. But we are getting the idea that the Psalmist can’t hold them off much longer. Whether it’s financial struggles, health problems, never-ending arguments with a spouse, friend or sibling… Perhaps he’s stuck in a dead-end job, or doesn’t have enough money to retire… In some ways, it doesn’t matter so much to us what the writer is battling — but what’s important is to realize how great a challenge it is. It is a problem, a stressor, so big that it is getting ready to consume him. And that, we understand – right?

And now, the Psalmist is at his wits-end, and is laying all out in front of him. It feels a little to me like the Psalmist is calling God’s bluff. Alright Lord, let’s see if you really are loving and ever-present. Is it really true that if I “ascend to heaven, you are there – if I make my bed in the depths, you are there…” – Now’s the time, dear God – show yourself.

But the Psalm doesn’t end here, because after challenging God, or pleading with God — our writer proceeds to give God reasons for why God should act. “Consider and answer me, O Lord my God! Give light to my eyes, or I will sleep the sleep of death.” In other words — if you don’t give me an answer soon – I will die! This is a bit dramatic, perhaps — but maybe not. At any rate, we see how desperate the Psalmist is to hear something, anything from God.

Psalms like this are referred to as “psalms of disorientation”. That is, they are psalms that acknowledge and admit that life is not always well oriented. That life is not always as well-ordered as we might like. And that faith, like so much of life, is messy. Because being a child of God is not easy. We might be tempted to think that it is, we have years of Sunday School and catchy tunes to hymns that tell us that faith is as simple as believing.

We know this isn’t true. Faith is not a moment in our lives, one where we decide to follow Christ and our lives are immediately made well and changed. Instead, it is a lifetime of choosing God; a lifetime of journey with God; a lifetime of believing. And that, is hard — because faith won’t always be filled with praise and thanksgiving. There will be days that we will wish that God interacted in our lives in different ways — days when we will wish that God were more like a Genie that gave us wishes. There will be days when we feel, as the Psalmist, that God is not there – that God is not holding up God’s end of the bargain.
That there are so many psalms of Lament assures us that we are not the only people to have ever felt this way. These Psalms are important for several reasons:

1. They reassure us that it is human to question God, to be angry with God, to bargain or threaten. Because faithful living is hard. So these Psalms exist to remind us that we are normal…

2. They give us words for these dark nights, nights when the bottom drops our and the pain seems too much to bear. We are reminded that even our pains and angers are words that God wants to hear, that they are dimensions of our lives that are also prayers.

3. Well, before we get to the third reason these psalms are so important, let’s finish reading it:

Because, in verses 5-6, there’s a turn: “But I trusted in your steadfast love; my heart shall rejoice in your salvation. I will sing to the Lord, because he has dealt bountifully with me.”

It seems to be a bit of a 180* turn. From yelling in anger, to declaring words of trust. It almost seems as though these last two verses belong in another Psalm. How did we get here?

Elie Wiesel tells a story about a young Jew who was struggling with life’s questions: Why is there so much evil in the world? Why doesn’t God do something about it? … Why do bad things happen to good people? He went to Rabbi after Rabbi, seeking answers. But each time, was told the same thing: “go and study”

So he did. He immersed himself in scripture, and still received no answer, and his desire for knowledge did not dissipate. Finally, the young man heard of a great rabbi would soon speak in a distant city. The young man packed his bags and went to hear the Rabbi speak. He joined in the singing, and in the prayers of fellow believers. He listened intently to what the Rabbi said – and often felt he was speaking just to him.

When he finally returned from his journey, people asked about the trip. “My questions remain the same,” he said, “but somehow, now I can go on.”

And so it is. The Psalmist doesn’t have all the answers, and yet – he believes. He can continue in life, continue in faith – because even amid all of this, God remains.

Despite unimaginable difficulties, the Psalmist continues to trust in God. It’s as if the Psalmist says: I don’t know how or why or if I believe in you, but even in my unbelief, I believe. I don’t know where you are, or why you seemed to abandon me; but even in my distrust, I trust. I don’t know why you haven’t answered me; but even in my anger, I love.

So why else is this Psalm important?

3. Because they tell us that God is big enough for everything we’ve got—our pain, our anger, our questions, our doubts. They even suggest that genuine biblical faith is comfortable challenging God. And that God is present with us precisely when it feels like God isn’t there.

We are reminded that while we are people who forget… we break promises, we forget important dates, we fail to keep our word. And we are people who are finite — our minds, our bodies, our memories — none of these things last forever. …. God does not forget. God does not break promises, and God is infinite.

So that, when we face abandonment, God offers salvation. When we face despair, God offers grace. When we face death, God offers life. When our hope despairs, we find that in God – despair still hopes.

And that, my friends, is the word of our Lord. Thanks be to God.

October 7 SS: Bible Lessons and Adult Faith Forum
October 14 Second Sunday Singing
October 21 SS: Bible Lessons and Adult Faith Forum
October 28 Lutefisk Sunday — No SS or FF

November 4 SS: Bible Lessons and Adult Faith Forum
November 11 Congregational Mtg — No SS or FF (child-care will be provided during mtg)
November 18 SS: Craft Day and Adult Faith Forum
November 25 Thanksgiving Break — No SS or FF

December 2 SS: Christmas Program Practice and Adult Faith Forum
December 9 SS: Christmas Program Practice and Adult Faith Forum
December 15 Saturday Christmas Program Practice; 9-11am
December 16 Christmas Program — No SS or FF
December 23 Christmas Break — No SS or FF
December 30 Christmas Break — No SS or FF

Directions:
Go south of LP past Schmidty’s on County Road 1, at the first curve turn left onto Babcock Ave. After two miles the road turns to gravel and becomes Bergen Road. Continue south on Bergen Road for approximately 3.5 miles, there you’ll come to an intersection. The church site is located on the right side of the intersection. Hope to see you there!

Don’t you just love this photo of Martin Luther with his family?

I love this image of Martin, with his wife Katie, singing with their children. I was encouraged this weekend to imagine Martin Luther writing his small catechism in this setting… as a father teaching his children the lessons of faith. It’s a much nicer image than the scary memories we have of memorization and tests, isn’t it? And, I think, it is far more accurate that Luther’s catechism was written in response to the questions of faith from his children…So next time you come across the question, “what does this mean” — I hope you’ll be reminded of this image, and be comforted to know that we are all encouraged to ask questions!

Did you feel the energy in worship last Sunday as we shook tambourines and maracas? I love that! The Spirit was present, and is each and every week. Were you inspired by hearing the views and comments shared during the sermon? I was! Expect to share more of your ideas and insights during sermons…

Do you ever wonder how worship comes together? Wondering how we choose the hymns each Sunday? Do you have an idea for something you’d love to do during worship? Then consider yourself invited to attend our Worship committee meetings. All are welcome. This is where we dream and plan Sunday mornings. And we want your ideas and dreams, too!

Our next meeting is Wednesday, February 29 at 8pm. Hope to see you there!