Category: Articles

On Ash Wednesday, once again we were invited by the prophet Joel to “return to the Lord your God with all your heart, for he is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.” (Joel 2:12-13). Along with the whole Christian church, we will be invited into the three traditional practices of Lent: prayer, fasting, and giving. For 40 days, we will be encouraged to recommit ourselves to our walk with Jesus; and in so doing, we will be encouraged to recommit ourselves to walk with each other. 

But isn’t this invitation something that we should always be taking up as disciples of Christ? Are we not to daily re-turn to God with all our heart? Are we not to daily commit ourselves to journeying with Christ, and following his lead for our lives and for our world? And finally, are we not to daily commit ourselves to walking with our brothers and sisters in Christ as people of the same community? 

It’s true; we ARE to engage in this kind of lifestyle and that IS who we are called to be as baptized children of God. So, yes. This “should” be something that is a part of our everyday walk of discipleship – not just something during Lent. 

But, I don’t know about you, sometimes I need a bit of a “reset” to get back on track. Recently, when taking out my hairdryer one night at home, I found it wasn’t working. Turning it off and then on again, I thought it would work. Nope. Trying another appliance in the same outlet, that appliance seemed to work. I was confused. Sighing to myself, I figured that I just needed 

to bite the bullet and get a new hairdryer. But then it dawned on me: press the reset button. (Admittedly, I’m embarrassed to think that it took me that long to figure that out!) And lo and behold, once I pressed the reset button, everything worked as it was supposed to again. 

In the same way, I wonder if the season of Lent can act as the same “reset” button for us. I have a feeling that many of us “know” that we are to journey with Jesus, and to be attentive to the work of the Spirit within us. And we “know” that we are to journey with others, giving ourselves in community. But we’ve messed up. And in the midst of all that life can throw at us, sometimes we need a “reset” to get back on track. Not because we’re wholly broken, and not because there is no hope left. But we simply need to create (or re-create!) some practices that draw us closer to Christ and to those around us. 

So simply, this Lent, that’s the invitation. Re-turn. Re-set. And come back. Not for punishment, but to find true and abundant life. For all of us, we’re coming from a different point on our journey. But this season, ALL of us are heading in the same direction: toward the cross and resurrection of Christ—the only place where we will experience true and abundant life. 

So, this Lent, return. Take a look at what we are doing as a congregation, and challenge yourself to recommit yourself to journeying with Christ and with those around you. And as you do so, be on watch. For it may just be on this journey that you might discover Christ’s promise of love – for you, and for the world. 

From Pastor Aleese 

As I sit down to write this article, we are five days away from caucus day in Iowa. Within the past few weeks, many candidates have frequented Muscatine: from Biden showing up at the Riverfront, Yang making an appearance at MCC, Klobuchar milling around with patrons at Boonie’s, and Warren speaking at West Middle School.

But in listening to the various candidates, and in overhearing the almost constant political rhetoric that fills our airwaves and internet streams, I’ve begun to wonder: what it means to truly follow someone…and why do we choose to follow in the first place?

Thinking ahead to caucus night, there will be some who will adamantly align themselves with one candidate over another. In all, it could be for many reasons. Perhaps it’s because they’ve been captured by the vision of that leader. Perhaps it’s because they’ve been given something to believe in. Or perhaps because they’ve been given a hope of a different tomorrow. Whatever it is, for those who intentionally choose to follow a specific leader, it’s typically the result of some sort of promise, hope, or dream that has been offered.

So if that’s what drives us to get up and follow political candidates, what makes us get up and follow Jesus?

It might seem like an odd comparison. But in truth, as we enter into this portion of Epiphany, we’ll hear in worship Jesus give his “platform speech.” Beginning on Feb. 2, we’ll hear Jesus begin his Sermon on the Mount as he speaks what has commonly become known as “the Beatitudes.” Then, in the weeks to come, we’ll continue to hear Jesus spell out a vision—not a plan, but a vision—of what life in the kingdom of God looks like. And from that vision that Jesus teaches, we, too, might just find ourselves caught up in a hope of a different tomorrow.

So, returning to our original question: what makes us get up and follow Jesus? Well, perhaps, we are drawn to Jesus much like we are drawn to other leaders of our time.  Because like the many presidential candidates, Jesus is also offering us a renewed vision; Jesus is also giving us something to believe in; and Jesus is also offering us a hope of a better tomorrow.

But the difference? The difference is that God, alone, has the power to fulfill those promises that have been given to you, to the world, and to all creation. And time and time again, our God has proven to his people that God IS faithful and that God WILL keep his promises. So much so that our God will not stop chasing after you, and all his people, to join him as disciples in God’s ever-expanding kingdom. So what makes us get up and follow Jesus? Simply, it’s God’s promise that has been offered TO US…regardless of our response. With that promise extended to us, it is God’s desire for us to take his hand, accept his invitation, live in this kingdom, and become fellow servants of God’s good news.

Looking to the leaders of our time, it might be nice to think that any one candidate will be able to set the world “right” again. But if we’re honest, we know that no one person will be able to do that. And in truth, we don’t need that. Because as people of faith, we already have our Savior: Jesus Christ. And following his lead, we have already been given what we need to live in God’s kingdom, even as we await it’s fulfillment.

So as we live together in this kingdom of God right here and right now, I encourage us all to first and foremost look to Jesus as the one who has the power to fulfill his promises. And then, having looked to Christ as the only one worth following with our whole lives, we can consider who around us has the capability to help lead us closer to God’s vision of wholeness in the world today.  To be sure, we won’t all agree on “who” might be the best leader, and we won’t all agree on the “best” way to move society forward. But perhaps, as people of faith, that isn’t the main point. Instead, perhaps simply living together as people who follow Christ—first and foremost—will give us what we, and all the world, are really looking for.

By the time this article is published, it will be after Christmas Day. For many of us, we will have gathered together in worship on Christmas Eve to adore this child who has come. After finally getting all the Christmas decorations hung—perhaps just in the nick of time!—after singing a few Christmas carols, and perhaps after indulging ourselves in those seasonal delicacies, it may seem as though all the anticipation and preparation of this Advent season will have finally reached its climax. So now what?

Together, the church will continue to celebrate the joy of Christ’s birth for 12 days. Much of the rest of the world will transition from holiday music back to their normal radio stations, and stores filled with Christmas goodies will slowly transition to the next holiday. But in the life of the church, we pause, and take some time to come on bended-knee to worship our Lord in a manger stall.

But even 12 days will fly by pretty quickly. So then, what happens after this season of Christmas? And what does it mean for our lives as we go forth from the manger, having seen this Christ child and having taken a hold of the promises that God has given to us?

As I thought about this question, my mind jumped to the experience of what it might be like to be a parent for the first time. Though, I confess, this is something I haven’t experienced, from friends who have recently had children, I have heard my fair share of stories. Many of them have told me the joys—and the trials—of childbirth, and eventually, have gone on to explain to me that in those sacred moments—even with everything else going on—that time seems to stand still when they hold their child for the first time. But after being in the hospital for a day or so, they all eventually have told me the realization that they have once they get home and are alone with this child: now, it is completely their responsibility to take care of this child.

Of course, these parents—much like any other parent—wants what is best for their child. There’s no question of “if” that child will be nurtured to grow up into the person he or she is to become. But how? Many new parents have told me that, sometimes, figuring out how to care for a newborn isn’t as “second nature” as they were led on to believe.

Having received our Lord and our King on Christmas, one could say that now, we are like those new  parents. This child has come, and has been laid before us. Jesus isn’t going away anytime soon. But now, do we pick him up, as any parent would, and nurture him? And nurture our relationship with him?

Unlike the parents I’ve been talking to recently, we do have a choice of if we want to care for this child who’s come into our lives and into our world. We all could move on from Christmas and sum it up to       another “nice” season. Or…we could take this child in our arms, and as he grows, develop our own relationship with him—as we learn what it means to offer our love to this child, and as we learn what it means to follow this child as a disciple.

But how we nurture our relationship with this child? Much like parenting isn’t as easy as following a step-by-step manual, our lives of discipleship aren’t as easy as following a step-by-step program. What it means for any one of you to nurture your relationship with Christ as a disciple might mean something different than it means for another. For some of us, in the new year, it might mean a new prayer routine. For others, it might mean offering ourselves in service. For others, it might be more intentional time spent in regular worship. And still for others, it might be a rearranging of our priorities.

Whatever it may be for you, we have the privilege in the coming Epiphany season to take time to nurture our relationship with this child and to grow as his disciples. Much like one wouldn’t wish away those first moments with a child that has been born to us, perhaps we, too, would be wise not to wish these next seven weeks of Epiphany away. Instead, come along, to get to know this one who has come.

From Pastor Aleese

How many of you saw an orange car the last time you were out driving? It’s an odd question, really.  It’s likely we’ve all seen black cars, blue cars, and red cars. But an orange car? Now that’s an anomaly. 

During our Youth Group Thanksgiving night on November 24, this was the question I posed to our youth to open conversation. As to be expected, they all gave me a funny look, and proceeded to tell me that not one of them had seen an orange car on the way to church. But then, as a follow up, I asked them: what DID you notice on your way to church? Some of them told me about the sunset they saw or the other cars they noticed. But some of them also confessed that they really hadn’t noticed much of anything: whether because their mind was wandering, because they were doing something on their phones, or because they really didn’t think it was all that important to take notice of what was going on around them at the time. Some of the youth were a bit sheepish about their  confession, realizing that they’d been in their own little worlds. But, they all assured me that if they would’ve known to be on the look out for an orange car, it would’ve made a difference. Then their eyes would’ve been attuned to noticing that specific detail. 

It might not be all that important to notice orange cars around us. But it brings up a valid point: amidst all the glitz and the glam of Christmas that has already filled our society, what are we really watching for? What are we attuning our eyes to in our lives and the world around us? And what excuses are we coming up with for not paying attention to the coming of our King? 

In the life of the church, before coming to the manger at Christmas, we have this sacred season of Advent in which to practice attuning our eyes to when, where and how God’s kingdom is breaking into our lives and our world. And much like it might not be common place for us to notice an orange car on the road, it might not be common for us to practice tuning our eyes to God’s activity in what’s going on around us. Certainly, I have a feeling that we all believe that God IS at work in us and all around us. But when was the last time we took a moment to notice, to name, and to nurture that presence of Christ’s light? 

To adopt this lens takes practice. So, this Advent season: what would it be like to train your eyes to notice, name and nurture the presence of Christ’s light…wherever it might show up? It might take a change of perspective. But together, we might find that Christ—the only person who has the power to restore us and give us life—is actually doing amazing things… if only we just attune our eyes to His work. 

But, at the same time that you’re practicing attuning your eyes to where God’s kingdom is showing up, I also challenge you to look for where God’s kingdom isn’t showing up. Even the thought of that might sound strange. But think back to the orange car. It might be that there have been orange cars around you, and you simply haven’t noticed. But, on the flip side, it could also be that there weren’t any orange cars around to begin with. 

In the same way, it could be, that there are places and spaces in our lives and in our world that the kingdom of God isn’t manifesting itself. Not because God doesn’t desire to be present. But because at times we, and the world around us, are inhibiting the work of God’s kingdom by the way we live our lives. As much as we might not like to admit it, it’s the truth. It’s called sin; and it inhibits the work of God’s kingdom in the world. God has called us to repent, and to turn from those things that take us away from living fully in God’s kingdom. But even though we might get in our own way, our God wasn’t going to wait until we had our mess cleaned up. Instead, our God chose to come to us in Jesus Christ. Before we even knew what to even look for, God came to us. 

So this Advent, as we look toward the manger, I invite you to reflect on two things: 1) where Christ is at work, and 2) where we might be getting in the way of Christ’s work in the world. It would be much easier to skip ahead to Christmas. But it’s to this intentional reflection that we are called as we prepare ourselves, and our world, for our coming King. Christ has come. Christ is coming. And Christ will come again. Do you perceive it? 

Last month, we began talking about themes of gratitude and generosity. Many of you took up the 30-day gratitude challenge, and utilized the Gratitude Journals available to the congregation. Together, we took time to notice what we are thankful for in ourselves, in others, and in the world around us. But now what? As people who’ve returned to our Lord to offer our heartfelt thanks and praise, is that where it ends? Or, is there still another response?

Well, as our Gospel lesson indicated to us on Celebration Sunday, once we have returned to our Lord in thanks, we are commanded by Jesus to “get up and go.” In the Gospel story, Jesus encounters 10 lepers. Begging for mercy, they look to Jesus for healing. Seeing these lepers at a distance, Jesus sends them to the priests, and somewhere along their way, they are made whole. They are made clean. They are made new. But only one notices.That one returns. But even that isn’t the end of the story. Because after the man gives his thanks to Jesus, Jesus commands him, “Get up and go on your way; your faith has made you well.”

The truth is that YOU—like the man—have also been made well. You have been cleansed. And you have been given new life, restoring you to relationship with God and with those around you. But now, like the man, we are given the challenge: what are we going to do, or where are we going to go, as we “get up and go on our way”?

This is the question that is laid before us as disciples of Jesus and as a congregation. And, in truth, this is the question that is laid before us as we consider what it means to live a life of stewardship. Often, the word “stewardship” has left a bad taste in people’s mouths. For  so long, “stewardship” has come to be equated  with the church asking for money. But “stewardship,” at the heart of it all, is not just about money. Because stewardship is about more than money, offering plates, and pledges. And, to go even one step further, stewardship is about more than the “3 T’s”: time, talent, and treasure. Instead, stewardship, is about discipleship. In the words of Grace Pomroy Duddy, “It is the way that we love God and neighbor with our whole lives.” To take it one step further, stewardship is the way that we “get up and go,” living out of gratitude as we live on purpose for a purpose in God’s Kingdom.

On Sun., Oct 20, we paused as a congregation to intentionally think about one aspect of stewardship: our finances. To be clear, just as much as every other aspect of our lives is a part of our life of stewardship and discipleship, how we manage our finances is also a part of our life of stewardship and discipleship. This is one reason why the Stewardship Team and Council are encouraging households to consider their financial giving for year 2020.

But if we were to only talk about our financial stewardship and nothing else, we would be missing the point. Because stewardship is a lifestyle choice. It is a conscious decision to ask ourselves: As someone made new by the gift of Jesus, now what am I going to do to “get up and go on my way”? And how would Jesus have be use the gifts entrusted to me, for the sake of God’s whole kingdom?

When we start thinking about stewardship in this manner, it doesn’t take long for stewardship to encompass every part of our life. As much as we’d like to stick stewardship in a box and take it out about once a year when fall rolls around, the reality is that, just as much as discipleship is a lifelong commitment, so is stewardship.

So, as you consider your financial stewardship this season, I also invite you to consider how the entiretyof your life is an act of stewardship. And as you consider your life—the ways God has shown up to you, and the gifts God has entrusted to you—I invite you to consider: How is God calling me to “get up and go,” loving God and those around me? In thinking about that question, you just might begin to have an answer to what it means for YOU to live as a faithful steward.