We continue to hear stories of resilience, of how members of our community got through challenging times in their lives. Our hope is that, by sharing these stories, we might all grow in resilience. Today, we hear from Cassie who is fairly new to the Grace community and are grateful for her openness and wisdom. Enjoy!
Community Building Goal: Connect
In the spirit of our previous Community Building Goal, in October, November, and December, please connect with the Grace community. Continue to connect with at least one person in the Grace community each week, invite the person with whom you connect to our weekly Community Building Coffee on Sundays at 12:30 pm via zoom, and connect with the community at least once through the drive-through & walk-up Holy Communion on Sunday mornings at 9:00-9:30 am.
Our hope is that these brief times of connection would refresh us, strengthen us in spirit, and help us keep on keepin’ on.
Free Flu Vaccine Clinic @ Grace on October 10
Maricopa County Public Health has partnered with agencies throughout the valley to help make sure that everyone who would like a flu shot has access to the vaccination.
Different influenza (flu) vaccines are approved for use in different age groups. In addition, some vaccines are not recommended for certain groups of people. Factors that can determine a person’s suitability for vaccination, or vaccination with a particular vaccine, include a person’s age, health (current and past) and any allergies to flu vaccine or its components. For more information, visit Who Should and Who Should NOT get a Flu Vaccine.
Grace welcomes Circle the City into Hope Hall on Saturday, October 10 to host a flu vaccine clinic. On Saturday, October 10 beginning at 8:00 am until 12:00 pm, people may come to Grace for a Flu Vaccination. This event is available for all ages, is free and requires no medical insurance.
For additional locations and dates that free flu shot vaccination events are taking place in Arizona, please visit the Maricopa County Public Health website here: https://www.maricopa.gov/1873/Influenza-Flu
Sermon from Sunday, September 20
Scripture Passage: Matthew 20:1-16
When I was 11, my family welcomed a new addition to our holiday table. Helen and her husband moved to our small town after very active lives of service, and her husband promptly died. They never had children and were members of our church. So, on that first Thanksgiving after her husband’s death and at every holiday thereafter until her death when I was 15, Helen joined us for turkey, mashed potatoes, and stuffing. Elegant and intelligent, kind and generous, Helen always arrived at our house with small gifts for each member of our family. I remember my dad saying, “Helen is a very special person,” and I remember how pleased my parents were every time she joined us for holidays. As a young person, I think I missed something, something adults didn’t tell me about Helen, about how she contributed to our community. I do recall one day when my dad and I went to visit her at her house. At our church, we were in the midst of installing a beautiful mosaic just inside the main doors, and as I sat at Helen’s kitchen table listening to her and my dad’s conversation, I suddenly realized she was the anonymous person who had gifted it to the church. As my dad and I drove home, he told me she was responsible for funding a number of important efforts around town, the mosaic just a small, beautiful offering for the church among larger efforts related to our public library, our local schools, and hunger in our community.
When I consider who taught me to be generous, I think about Helen.
I also think about Kermit and Hazel. In addition to being members of our church, they were our next door neighbors with tidy flower and vegetable gardens and an impeccable lawn. Without fail, they purchased my and my sister’s Campfire Girl cookies, snowblowed our driveway, walked over plates of cookies and vases of flowers, and even sometimes mowed our lawn—you know, when they were doing theirs. One day, my sister and I accidentally locked ourselves out of our house when both our parents were working late, and we knocked on Kermit and Hazel’s door as the sun set. They appeared delighted to provide shelter for us and fed us snacks.
When I consider who taught me to be generous, I think about Kermit and Hazel. Our question of the day is: who taught you to be generous?
See the Facebook feed from worship for people’s reflections on this question.
Here at Grace, the list is long of generous people, people who quietly go about tasks that need to be done, tasks that benefit the whole community, people who give financially or materially in significant ways, people who use their best skills in service to this community and the community at large, people who help others just because they want to help.
And because we are a generous people, perhaps we hear Jesus’ parable today with open hearts. For Jesus tells a parable about a generous God. Jesus begins: The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who hires workers for the day guaranteeing them the usual daily wage. Later at 9:00, then at noon, then at 3:00, and finally at 5:00, the landowner goes out to recruit more workers promising to pay each of them “whatever is right.” At the end of the day, the landowner instructs his manager to pay the workers starting with those hired at 5:00. And the workers hired early in the day grumble because, instead of the manager paying those who worked only one hour a portion of the usual daily wage, the manager pays these workers the full daily wage. Seeing this, those hired early in the day believe they should be paid more—though they were promised and agreed to the usual daily wage. When the landowner hears their grumbling, he asks: Are you envious because I am generous?
Even though we are a generous people, the first thing we might exclaim upon hearing this parable is: It’s not fair! Right? Those who work only one hour should not be compensated in the same manner as those who work all day. As people immersed in a free market society, we declare the actions of the landowner unfair. But pay equity and labor policies are not the point of the parable. I do not think Jesus is suggesting we implement such a pay structure in our businesses or even our churches. Rather, Jesus describes the kingdom of heaven, a realm where promises are kept and the one who may freely give gives generously.
Maybe two months ago, one among us emailed me a question about generosity and boundaries. I honestly don’t recall the details, but someone in her family had asked her for money to help make ends meet. This wasn’t the first time they had asked, and in the past, sharing financial resources had not gone well as it accelerated the rate of asking. And this dear, generous person who genuinely wanted to help her family but worried—for good reason—that they would take advantage of her, asked for my insight. As I thought and prayed about how to answer, it occurred to me via the Holy Spirit: true generosity cannot be manipulated. Because generosity is not a transaction. Because generosity is not an obligation. Because generosity can be but does not have to be reciprocal. Because to give generously means releasing our control over the gift. There are many other types of financial exchanges, wages paid for work, fees for services, prices for goods, maybe even clearly negotiated and boundaried monetary exchanges between family members. But Jesus’ parable does not address these free market exchanges. Instead, Jesus’ parables describes the generosity of God that upends our free market expectations.
Generosity, especially the generosity of God, cannot be manipulated. We don’t make deals with God, vying for God’s generous provision of employment or housing. We don’t bargain for forgiveness or healing. We don’t promise God our allegiance in order to win the lottery. I mean, we can try, and people of faith, including our own Martin Luther, have bargained with God. But God doesn’t respond to our attempts at bargaining. Jesus’ parable describes a God whose generosity flies in the face of logic and market sense. Indeed, generosity does not make “sense.” I invited to consider who taught us to be generous, and most likely, those who taught us generosity were people who astounded us, whose motivations we couldn’t figure out, whose benefit from being generous didn’t square with the world. Of course it didn’t. Today, Jesus tells us about the kingdom of heaven, a realm mixed up with this temporal realm, a kingdom we glimpse in fits and starts, a realm that surprises us when it shows up in all its humbling glory.
As a child, I couldn’t figure out why the brilliant, world-traveling Helen spent the last years of her life giving away her considerable wealth to address needs and inequities in the small town of Pelican Rapids, Minnesota. I couldn’t figure out why our neighbor Kermit would snowblow our driveway and mow our lawn, tedious tasks we never asked him to do. They weren’t accumulating God’s favor. They weren’t scoring points with the neighbors or the church. As life-long people of faith, they knew the generosity of God, and having received the grace of God, they freely extended it to others. The kingdom of heaven is like a woman who gives for the sake of giving, like a neighbor who helps without being asked. Thanks be to God! Amen.
The GLOW Show: How We Get Through It with Chase
The GLOW Show continues to explore the theme How We Get Through It with each week’s guest sharing a story about how they grew in resilience and where they saw God at work in a challenging situation. This week, Pastor Chase Brown of Kaleo, a church plant that worships at Grace, shares about his journey through this season of Covid-19. Enjoy!
Reflections on the Life of Cyndy Herrmann
We continue to give thanks to God for Cyndy Herrmann, long-time member of Grace who died in August 2020.
I first met Cyndy in 1993 when my husband, Nick, and I moved to Phoenix from California! I have been going to Grace since I was in elementary school! Cindy was always interested in people, and she was on so many committees at Grace. She was instrumental in making money for Grace in many ways! I always enjoyed chatting with her at coffee hour— she was very interesting to speak with. She had a knowledge of the history of Grace. We shall miss her. —Bev Zannos
Cyndy was a long time member of our community and always had a smile for everyone. She worked diligently on our financial efforts like our fence in the front yard of our church and our sanctuary organ. She was a real neat person and will be missed. —Judy Baker
Hance Park Conservancy construction updates
The Hance Park Partner Coalition offers a newsletter to spread awareness about the Hance Park Revitalization Project. Here is the link to read the latest newsletter: Hance Park Newsletter.
The Coalition is a public-private partnership consisting of the City of Phoenix Parks and Recreation Department, Phoenix Community Alliance and Hance Park Conservancy.
Additional information about the Hance Park Revitalization Project is available on the project website: Phoenix.gov/Parks/HanceRevitalization
Sermon for Sunday, September 13
Scripture Passage: Matthew 18:21-35
In the first week of my basic preaching class in seminary, our professor assigned us the task of telling a brief story about a time we changed our minds about something. One by one, we got up in our preaching lab and gave our inaugural test sermons. I told a story about living in community with someone who regularly threw recyclable glass bottles into the trash. Because I personally feel caring for Earth is an ethical imperative and recycling is the very least we can do, I was angry at my housemate. In fact, I was blinded by rage—and by the limited perspective that comes with being 23 years old. In my story, I emphasized how I changed my mind about this person, how I moved from hating her to, three months later, discovering she had value and that I could enjoy her company. Even as I stood up and told my story to my preaching lab, I had that niggle at the back of my mind that something wasn’t quite right, but I ignored it. I sat back down, and as was the effective custom of our preaching professor, I received immediate verbal feedback from both the professor and the other students. And the first thing Craig, our professor, said was: “You haven’t forgiven her yet, have you?”
She’s not the only one I haven’t forgiven.
I and we have many excellent reasons for not forgiving people, for not letting go of our anger and rage. They harmed me. Their actions have changed the trajectory of my life. They harmed the planet. They perpetrated or perpetuated injustice, on a personal level or a systemic one. They are not sorry. They continue to do the very thing for which I do not forgive them. They broke the law and deserve to be punished. They exercise deplorable ethics. They are hypocrites.
The excellent reasons that justify not forgiving others, not letting go of anger all have to do with the other person, yet forgiveness is not contingent on another person’s action or inaction. Reconciliation is…contingent upon more than one person’s action, but forgiveness is a one-person job.
Today, Peter asks Jesus: How often should I forgive? As many as seven times? Jesus responds: Not seven times, I tell you, but seventy-seven times. And then, Jesus goes on to tell a story about a king who forgave an astronomical debt for a slave and how that same slave failed to forgive a much smaller debt of a peer. There is much to say about forgiveness given Jesus’ words: how score-keeping is problematic in relationships, how not forgiving lets the person who wronged you control you, how living in relationship with a person you’ve forgiven also includes clear boundaries, how ongoing relationships necessitate continuous forgiveness, how we must acknowledge the pain we experience even if we forgive someone.
But what strikes me this morning is the humility of the king in Jesus’ parable. The kings of Jesus’ day exercised power in a way we in the 21st century no longer see, dictatorial power without checks and balances, without investigative journalism, without an international criminal court. Yet the king of the parable who could do whatever he wished forgives the astronomical debt of the slave. The king who has every right to hold over his head the debt of the slave chooses freely not to do so. The debt is legitimate and enormous, yet the king exercises enough humility to let that debt go unpaid. Jesus does not tell us why the fictional king of the parable forgives the debt of the slave. However, the enormous sum of money the slave owes indicates to readers and hearers of this story that the king knows the slave will never be able to repay it. Ever. So what good will it do the king if he refuses to forgive it?
Similarly, our omnipotent, omnipresent, omniscient God could freely choose to hold our wrongs, our sins, our flaws over our heads. We have legitimately hurt our neighbors, perpetrated and perpetuated injustice, broken God’s law. And of course, we don’t get away with anything with an all-knowing God. Yet God does not count our sins against us. God’s forgiveness is an act of humility, a humility most profoundly evidenced in the incarnation: that God God’s very self would come and meet us in the human flesh of Jesus.
Having been so graciously and humbly forgiven, why do we still struggle to forgive? Perhaps we have not embraced humility, at least in those troubling relationships. For when we are bound by our pride and arrogance, no matter what the other person does, it will never make up for what they did to us. They could full-out confess, change their ways, pay their price, and we, in our pride and arrogance, would still demand more. To forgive is an allowing, a letting go, a release from our own pride and arrogance.
The question of the day is: What does humility look like? Or, in other words, what is an example of humility? Chad, what does our community say?
See the responses from the community on the Facebook feed from this day.
What humility looks like for me? I’m disagreeing with someone. Not a fight, just a disagreement. There’s a moment when the other person makes a good point, and my first instinct—I don’t know about you—is to deny that their point is valid, insightful, even good enough to change my mind. My first instinct is to defend my original position, to become defensive, to point out all the ways I am in the right and all the ways the other person is in the wrong, to explain why I thought thus-and-such and why that was such a good reason. I have had so much practice at being defensive that humility in that moment sometimes seems impossible. But here’s what humility looks like for me in that moment: I listen to the good point of the person, and I say: Okay. You’re right. I take in their point. I rearrange mentally. I make space for what they said. If it’s in an email, I don’t explain why I did what I did; I just respond with how we’ll move forward. And on we go with our conversation or onto another activity, but my mind is changed. I feel off-balance for a bit having conceded, but I know a lightness and peace because of my letting go. I also know, personally, the fear of appearing inadequate or incompetent or unlovable when I back down and concede the person’s good point, but this humble response—of concession when other people are right—is what reveals my, our wisdom and competence, not the other way around.
When we are struggling to forgive, it is as if we are having a disagreement within ourselves. We are defending our right to be angry and hurt. When we concede to a greater wisdom and a promise of peace, when we practice the humility of letting go, that is forgiveness.
As much as we may struggle to forgive, to practice humility, to follow the teaching of Jesus today, for God, such forgiveness is old hand. The humble king of the parable who forgives a great debt for no reason other than wanting to do so, that is God who forgives all our sin. For that, we say: Thanks be to God! Amen.
Sermon for Sunday, September 6
Scripture Passage: Matthew 18:15-20
We’ve all been there. Our coworker takes personal calls during the workday. Not just short calls, long calls, and they take long lunches too and come into work late. Or our coworker makes comments about politics or how they raise their children or problems they have with our shared workplace, comments with which we disagree. We are required to work with this person. What do we do? We decide to discuss these problematic behaviors with our supervisor or other coworkers. We rail against the views of our coworker with our partner or friends.
We’ve all been there. A member of the church or the pastor does something we don’t understand, something that offends us. We feel confused or hurt or slighted. What do we do? We mention the situation to another member of the church. We ask someone else to talk with the person.
We have definitely all been there. An institution of which we are a part is at loggerheads with another institution. Maybe our neighborhood association is angry with a particular city department. Maybe neighboring businesses have conflict over a property line or property maintenance. Maybe we are part of an organization upset over a local, state, or federal law. We talk amongst ourselves, write and share Facebook posts, listen to news commentators who agree with us.
Conflict is part of living in community, whether that community is as small as our household or as large as the globe. We are going to hurt one another, do things that don’t make sense to others, and act out our own grief and hurt in inappropriate ways. Since conflict is inevitable and we don’t get to choose a world or relationships where there is not conflict, our choice lies in how we deal with it. We can pretend that all is always well and avoid directly speaking with the people we love to the end of our days if we want. Or we can, following Jesus’ teaching and example, talk with the person in question directly, instead of silently steaming or talking with others—except to get help in making plans for our difficult conversation.
In Jesus’ teaching today, he instructs the disciples to talk directly with the person who hurts them or the community. Simple. Direct. And if the person doesn’t listen, then, they are to bring someone else with them. And if the person doesn’t listen, they are to take the community with them. If even then the person doesn’t listen, the person is to be treated as a Gentile and tax collector, one who is loved and welcomed—with boundaries—by Jesus. Just a note: though Jesus doesn’t address extraordinary circumstances such as domestic violence, I doubt Jesus would encourage those who have been physically injured by another to enter into difficult conversation for Jesus also teaches the disciples and us to love our neighbor as we love ourselves, and boundaries are part of any loving relationship. An appropriate boundary when someone has physically hurt you is not seeing them in person.
Jesus’ teaching challenges all of us for, in our culture, especially with people who hurt us or with whom we disagree, we talk more about people than we do with them. But dear friends in Christ, this doesn’t get the job done. What is the job exactly, the call we receive in Holy Baptism, the primary thrust of God’s law? Loving relationships with God and neighbor.
If we avoid talking with someone who makes our blood boil for reasons they may not even know, when we put off clearing up a miscommunication that might really just be a miscommunication, when we allow someone to hurt our community by not having a difficult conversation directly with them, we miss a chance to build strong, loving relationships.
We know that Jesus’ teaching is probably more relevant to the US at large today than in any day in the past several decades. We are a divided nation, divided mostly by our ideological views, views on Covid-19 and wearing masks, views on race and privilege, views on the role of police and protest in our society, views on what makes a good leader in a democracy. Jesus has something to say about how we enter into conversation with those with whom we disagree for the reality is that we generally don’t…enter into conversation with those with whom we disagree at all. But today, he instructs us to have conversation instead of keeping to our echo-chambers where our own views bounce off the walls. On both a deeply personal level and in our public life: How, oh how, do we do this, Jesus?
I would be willing to bet that this teaching of Jesus has transformed my life more than any other in all of scripture…honesty, transparency, accountability, boundaries, these are the hallmarks of loving relationships. I have been on both sides of these difficult conversations many, many times. From talking with people about behavior that is unacceptable here at church to listening to family members tell me hard truths about myself. From bringing up hurtful actions or words with friends to listening to people I supervise tell me how my supervision demeaned them. From asking questions of a colleague who articulated comments I perceived as racist and sexist to receiving the confused, hurting, or angry questions of members of Grace about things I’ve done or said. Even hanging in there with ministry groups, community groups, or state legislators where theological or social views were so wildly divergent from my own that we were seemingly speaking different languages as we discussed a larger church or community problem. There may have been a few instances in these countless conversations where the conversation ended badly, where the direct communication ignited more pain, but at least in my memory, these conversations have been rare and usually the product of me or the other person not listening with an open heart. It is true that we can only enter into these conversations if we care about the relationship or truly want to solve the problem. If we don’t, there’s no reason to have conversation. But in the vast majority of these conversations, all parties walked away wiser, lighter, at peace, relieved, understood, and usually hugged—in non-Covid times, of course. The relationship strengthened.
Interestingly, most of us quote verse 20 of today’s reading out of context. Jesus says: Where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am among them. We remember these words of Jesus when we are not able to worship together as a whole congregation or when we gather for small group study or fellowship. But the context for Where two or three are gathered in my name, there I am among them is conflict and the conversations necessary to resolve conflict. Jesus assures the disciples—and us—today that, when we enter into these difficult conversations, he is with us. God is with us. These conversations are genuinely hard, so thanks be to God, we are not alone. One conversation, of course, does not heal all wounds. Especially in larger, community-based conversation about the common good and in long-time family trauma, healing and restoration require much more of us, work that goes beyond the scope of Jesus’ teaching in this passage. But the good news today is that, in the midst of our messy negotiations with one another, God is with us. Helping us hear each other. Inspiring us. Giving us courage to share truthfully and vulnerably. Moving in ways beyond our understanding. Truly, where two or three are gathered, there God is among us. Thanks be to God! Amen.
The GLOW Show: How We Get Through It with Devalyn
Thanks for listening to The GLOW Show! We continue a series entitled How We Get Through It. Each week, a member of Grace is sharing a story about a difficult time in their lives, the practices that aided them, the resilience they developed, and the places they saw God at work.
Click the play button below, and leave us your comments and questions right here on the blog. We’d love to hear from you.
Enjoy!
Thank You from Vicar Beth
We received the following note from Vicar Beth.
People of Grace,
Thank you for the stunning red stole and for sending me off with love and thanksgiving. I look forward to wearing it on the day I am ordained in God’s church and will remember you with joy and gratitude each time I wear it in service to God and God’s people. I continue to hold you in prayer and miss you all dearly! Peace and blessings!
With love and joy,
Vicar Beth
Season of Creation Devotional
The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), and leaders from The Episcopal Church, the Anglican Church of Canada and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada have prepared a series of devotions to observe the Season of Creation 2020, September 1–October 4.
The season, which begins with the World Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation, is a time to join with the global Christian community in renewing, repairing and restoring commitments to God, to one another and to all of creation. For the four churches, it is also a time for strengthening relationships with one another. Through Scripture, hymns, advocacy and action, the weekly devotions, which begin September 6, invite people to live out their vocation as stewards of creation.
"We pray that our actions as stewards of God's good creation will continue to deepen not only in this season, but for all time," said Eaton. "Even as our relations as churches are not bound by national or ecclesiastical borders, neither is our witness to the One who came to redeem all of creation."
In addition to Eaton, the devotions were contributed by the Most Rev. Michael B. Curry, presiding bishop and primate, The Episcopal Church; the Rev. Susan C. Johnson, national bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada; and the Most Rev. Linda Nicholls, archbishop and primate of the Anglican Church of Canada.
"I pray that these reflections will open hearts and minds to experience our relationship in and with all of creation in new ways," said Nicholls.
In the opening devotion, the leaders stress the significance of a collective responsibility in caring for creation. "Waking up to matters of climate justice and environmental stewardship are among the most important callings people have today. Over many years, through many voices, our churches have come to a growing conviction that loving our neighbour includes loving Mother Earth as a neighbour."
"It is timely, relevant and exciting for our churches to join together in prayer, worship and reflection during the Season of Creation," said Johnson. "With open hearts, minds and souls may we discern new actions and practices to show love for God's creation."
"In this season of activism as we seek God's liberating, life-giving love for all, may these prayers and devotions inspire us to care for a world in which all creation can flourish," said Curry.
The relations among the four churches have moved more closely toward "mutual recognition," bringing into mutual relation the two churches of "Called to Common Mission" in the United States and those of the Waterloo Declaration in Canada. One notable feature of the agreement is that it cites the experience of Indigenous people "not divided by national borders established by colonialist power" as grounds for expanding shared life among the churches. A Memorandum of Mutual Recognition (MMR) was approved by both Canadian churches in July 2019. The 2019 ELCA Churchwide Assembly adopted constitutional changes embracing the Anglican Church of Canada, and in November 2019 the Church Council adopted the MMR. Once The Episcopal Church acts, the mutual recognition of the four churches will come into full effect.
The Season of Creation devotions are available by clicking here.
Plastic Totes Needed
Due to a water leak in our archive space, any and all plastic totes with lids you are no longer using at home are welcome and greatly appreciated in which to store our archives. If you would like to share funds (memo: Archive Project) or drop off totes, please contact Adrienne in the church office (602-258-3787) or Pastor Sarah (pastorsarah@graceinthecity.com, 602-318-6876) to set up a time.
Phoenix Fusion Opportunities!
Book Study to learn and discuss racism in the US
What: “So You Want to Talk About Race” by Ijeoma Oluo
When: Monday September 21st and Wednesday, September 30th
Time: 6:30 – 8:00 pm
Facilitated By: Pastor Kari Williamson – St. Andrew’s
Zoom Information:
Link: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84969089361?pwd=eitQV25GOTlYM2xrTGlNU21JZHRlQT09
Meeting ID: 849 6908 9361
Passcode: 968981
Phone Number: 1-253-215-8782
Reading Schedule: Monday, September 21st: Introduction – Chapter 9
Wednesday, September 30th: Chapters 10-17
Come and join fellow Phoenix Fusion friends as we gather via Zoom to have a conversation about the difficult and relevant issues surrounding race which are facing our communities and nation today. Oluo’s book will give us a road map to have honest conversation about this important topic that affects every aspect of American life.
New – “Crowd Sourced” Information
If you are interested in receiving periodic updates on articles, events, videos etc. on the topic of racial justice, please send your name and email address to PHXFusion.RacialJustice@gmail.com to be added to the distribution list. If you have information you would like to share with others, please send it to the same email address.
LAMA Newsletter
This opportunity is not specific to Phoenix Fusion, but Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Arizona (LAMA), the advocacy ministry of the Grand Canyon Synod, now has a newsletter.
You can sign up to receive their newsletter using this link.
Phoenix Fusion
A Collaboration of Lutheran Congregations in Metro Phoenix
All Saints, Ascension, Faith/La Fe, Gloria Dei, Grace, Iglesia Luterana Vida Nueva, Mount of Olives, Native American Urban Ministry, Our Saviour's, Shepherd of the Valley, St. Andrews, Trinity
News from our Missionary
A Missionary in the United States by Rev. Kristin Engstrom
Like many of you, I did not expect COVID to have such a lengthy impact on our lives in the United States. When I left Senegal in late March, I expected to return in a few months. But, it’s now August, and I am still in the United States as are many other ELCA missionaries.
I want to share with you what that means for me as and ELCA missionary.
Due to COVID-19, the 2020-2021 Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM) year will be a Jubilee year. We will not host YAGM in our companion countries, but we will continue with ministry. YAGM Country Coordinators, including myself, will focus on a YAGM program evaluation, YAGM specific continuing education, and relationships with our companions.
The YAGM Country Coordinators will also be sharing stories from YAGM alumni and YAGM companions, as well as working to create a program that more intentionally embodies the values of the Kindom of God, especially in the areas of anti-racism and gender justice. In July we began by hosting an Anti-Racist Book Study via social media and zoom. You can follow these program-wide initiatives at the ELCA Young Adults in Global Mission social media pages: Facebook: www.facebook.com/ELCAYAGM Instagram: www.instagram.com/elcayagm Twitter: twitter.com/elcayagm
During these past months, I have visited many congregations virtually. I have enjoyed connecting and sharing with you through preaching, participating in meetings, or creating short videos. Thank you to everyone who invited me into your congregation this spring and summer. I hope to return to Senegal soon, but until then, I live and work as a missionary in the United States, alongside of all of you. After all, we are all called to be missionaries of God’s Kindom, no matter where we live.
Accompanying Young Adults in Global Mission (YAGM)—Senegal
My work as an ELCA Global Missionary is possible thanks to the generosity of many congregations and individuals in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Thank you! Jerejef! Merci! Jokonjol! Jahram! You can contact me via e-mail at kristin.engstrom@elca.org. You are also invited to support me as an ELCA Global Misionary here. If you would like to see more pictures and stories from YAGM Senegal, please visit our blog at http://yagmsenegal.wixsite.com/blog.
September Celebrations
During the month of September, we celebrate with members & friends of Grace.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY!
Rosemary B.
Ray S.
Sara M.
Chris C.
Loraine A.
Haley M.
Molly C.
Betty N.
Jeff J.
Kyle B.
Kassandra C.
Elliot H.
HAPPY ANNIVERSARY!
Peter & Beverly
Ann & Jim
Suggested Bible Readings for September
September 6 (Pentecost 14)
First Reading: Romans 13:8-14
Psalm: Psalm 119:33-40
Gospel: Matthew 18:15-20
September 13 (Pentecost 15)
First Reading: Romans 14:1-12
Psalm: Psalm 103:[1-7]8-13
Gospel: Matthew 18:21-35
September 20 (Pentecost 16)
First Reading: Philippians 1:21-30
Psalm: Psalm 145:1-8
Gospel: Matthew 20:1-16
September 27 (Pentecost 17)
First Reading: Philippians 2:1-13
Psalm: Psalm 25:1-9
Gospel: Matthew 21:23-32
Reflections on the Life of Cyndy Herrmann
We give thanks to God for Cyndy Herrmann, long-time member of Grace who died in August 2020.
I first met Cyndy in 1993 when my husband, Nick, and I moved to Phoenix from California! I have been going to Grace since I was in elementary school! Cindy was always interested in people and she was on so many committees at Grace. She was instrumental in making money for Grace in many ways! I alawys enjoyed chatting with her at coffee hour— she was very interesting to speak with. She had a knowledge of the history of Grace. We shall miss her. —Bev Zannos
She was a long time member of our community and always had a smile for everyone. She worked diligently on our financial efforts like our retaining fence in the front yard of our church and our sanctuary organ. She was a real neat person and will be missed. —Judy Baker
Cyndy was as close to a financial wizard as we ever had at Grace. She single handedly pulled the last of our savings out during the meltdown of 2008! If not for her, GLC would have gone down the drain-moneywise, as many churches and businesses did! She was terrified. She told me so. But, she put her trust in God to do what she could. Well done Cyndy, faithful service in action.
She was a great character. Beautiful, humorous, thoughtful and intelligent. She loved jazz and always hoped for a jazz ministry at Grace. I served on the council with Cyndy for many years and will always be grateful for her progressive and visionary stewardship. Her solid ideas about utilizing the church property and facilities to our financial benefit have been around for the last 30 years and have greatly benefited the life and ministry of Grace. I thank God for our friend and sister in Christ, Cyndy Herrmann. —Fran Fry
Cyndy would call the church office a few times each month. The warmth I would feel with each call, each kind request for our pastor and each well wish always brought a thankful smile to my face. I did not speak with Cyndy face-to-face, but I felt her spirit, her patience and her sincerity, and was inspired by just the brief phone communications. Thank you, Cyndy, for all that you shared with Grace. —Adrienne Kaye
I will remember Cyndy Herrmann as a wise leader especially of Grace's finances, a faithful worshiper, an advocate of veterans and current service men and women, and a generous presence in both the Grace community and the Phoenix community at large. Cyndy loved her daughter Jennifer, her late husband Peter, their dogs, and her neighbors of many years in the Encanto Palmcroft historic neighborhood in addition to the Grace community. In the last few months, we spoke on the phone regularly, and even while struggling with her health, Cyndy and I had lively conversation about politics, one of her favorite topics. Despite whatever else was going on in her life, she always asked about the people of Grace and the ministry we share. Grace will miss her and long remember the impact she made in our community. —Pastor Sarah
Did you know Cyndy Herrmann as the smiling woman sitting on the left rear side of the sanctuary or the real Cindy that I knew? Cindy recently passed to life eternal after a service to Grace Lutheran second to none. In the 80's and 90's there were many years that our church had some serious financial struggles. Interest rates were high and people were not buying big ticket items. On the good side return on investments were great. We were fortunate enough to have small amounts of money and the Church Council had Cyndy Herrmann to invest the money very wisely and keep us afloat. How grateful we were to her for her expertise. In the late 90's we ran a campaign to renovate the sanctuary. Cindy named it Sanctuary 2000 because it was our goal to have it completed by the turn of the century. Mission accomplished. We later ran a campaign to renovate the organ. Again Cyndy named it New Notes For Grace. Mission accomplished. Many times when I faced challenges during fundraising, I went to Cindy and she was always the rock that I needed. Thank you Cyndy, you will be missed but Grace Lutheran Church will remember that you were here. --Jim Spitler
Sermon for Sunday, August 23
Biblical Passage: Matthew 16:21-28
Our question of the day is: Who is Jesus—to you? Or to echo Jesus’ own question to the disciples: who do you say Jesus is? There is no “right” answer. Of course, I can describe the basic historical person of Jesus, and we can both study his words and actions as found in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John. We can pick up books like Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time by Marcus Borg or John Dominic Crossan’s Jesus: A Revolutionary Biography and have our expectations of the historical Jesus challenged. We can read extra-biblical texts to discover what gospels that failed to make it into the Bible say about Jesus. We can unearth writings of the ancient historian Josephus and learn what non-Jesus followers knew about him. But finally, after all that reading and study, we still confront Jesus’ question: who do you say that I am? Notice that, when Jesus and the disciples arrive at Caesarea Philippi, Jesus first asks them: Who do people say that I am? But he quickly pivots to a far more personal inquiry: who do you say that I am? When the disciples tell Jesus what other people have said: John the Baptist, Elijah, Jeremiah, or one of the prophets, Jesus doesn’t even acknowledge their answers, but when Peter replies, “You are the Messiah, the son of the living God,” Jesus breaks into praise. Jesus breaks into praise, not of Peter but of Peter’s testimony. Peter’s testimony about Jesus is the rock of the church, and in 2020, the church’s testimony about Jesus is where the authority and power of the church lie. Not in us, not in our flawed humanity, but in our testimony about Jesus.
Who do you say Jesus is? Now, maybe you don’t feel qualified to answer the question. Jesus lived and died and was raised 2,000 years ago, and maybe you haven’t really studied the Bible. Maybe you are loathe to claim any sort of wisdom or insight into the Messiah, the Son of the living God.
But I am reminded this morning that the Apostle Paul, the theologian who wrote much of the New Testament, the missionary who built the church, a zealous man of faith never met Jesus except in a vision, in a life-changing experience of light and Jesus’ voice. But the Apostle Paul did not sit at Jesus’ feet when he preached the Sermon on the Mount, like Peter did. Paul did not witness Jesus’ miracles and healings. Paul was not at table with Jesus at the institution of the Lord’s supper, and Jesus did not wash his feet. Paul wasn’t in the garden of Gethsemane the night of Jesus’ betrayal. He didn’t glimpse Jesus’ crucifixion from afar, and he never saw the empty tomb. Paul didn’t even have a New Testament to read about Jesus because none as yet existed. Yet Paul testified powerfully, in such a way that the church was born from his testimony, from the way he answered Jesus’ question: who do you say that I am?
Not, who do people say that Jesus is? Who do you say that Jesus is? It’s not just Peter and the Apostle Paul who testify about Jesus. It’s not just pastors who testify. The rock on which Jesus builds the church is our collective testimony, the testimony of the whole church. I suspect that each of us is here in worship, that each of us gives or prays or reads the Bible, that each of us engages in whatever spiritual practices we do, that each of us serve within the church because we have met Jesus—in some way. Where and how and when have you met Jesus?
As the daughter of a pastor and a theologically curious child, I have always known a lot about Jesus. Sunday school and Vacation Bible School, Bible camp and confirmation, then in college: religion classes, campus ministry activities, and endless theological conversation with my college roommate. I knew a lot about Jesus, but I didn’t really meet him until I entered the Lutheran Volunteer Corps. That year, I worked at a shelter on the west side of Chicago, and I met Jesus in the small library where once or twice a week, I led Morning Prayer and listened with awe as people shared their prayer concerns, mostly prayers of gratitude at a time in their lives when, to my view, nearly all was lost. I met Jesus in other rooms, such as in the medication room where, each morning, I handed residents their personal drawer of medications so they could take them, the residents greeting me pleasantly like family at a breakfast table. I met Jesus at Central Desk where I completed intakes on new residents, hearing people’s stories, glimpsing their resilience. Fast forward five years, and I met Jesus again at the Catholic Worker House in Waterloo, Iowa where the congregation I served at the time provided community dinner once a month for whoever wanted to eat. Three years after that, I came to Grace. As you know, I love this community and love serving here. And it’s because I meet Jesus here—in you. I have met a humble servant named Jesus, a joyous, loving presence, open arms that embrace the world. It’s only because I’ve met Jesus that I am able to answer his question: Who do you say that I am?
And who do we say that Jesus is? Is there anyone who has shared in the Facebook feed?
Read the Facebook feed of our live stream worship on August 23, 2020.
Our collective testimony is the rock of the church, the foundation on which all else is laid. The church, we, proclaim Jesus a humble servant, so we serve God and our neighbor. The church, again we, proclaim Jesus one who forgives our sin, so we in turn forgive one another. The church proclaims Jesus the Son of God, and through the waters of baptism, we are named children of God and call one another sisters and brothers.
Peter proclaimed: Jesus, you are the Messiah, the son of the living God. On this testimony, the church is built. Thanks be to God! Amen.
The GLOW Show: How We Get Through It with Sheila
Thanks for listening to The GLOW Show! We continue a series entitled How We Get Through It. Each week, a member of Grace is sharing a story about a difficult time in their lives, the practices that aided them, the resilience they developed, and the places they saw God at work.
Click the play button below, and leave us your comments and questions right here on the blog. We’d love to hear from you.
Enjoy!