Pastor’s Corner

Sermon: Sunday Best? – 1/29/12

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VisioNotes: Soul Food – February 2012

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Soul Food

One sandwich. A bag of chips. A piece of fruit. And two homemade cookies. This recipe made up the basics of the sack lunch that I took with me to elementary school for many years. My meal varied, of course, but this was the core noon-time sustenance that kept me growing for years. Come lunch time, I would bypass the long cafeteria line, use my blue punch card to pick up a cold carton of milk, and settle in to the lunch table with the other cold-lunch-eaters. In my view, we lucky ones got “cold lunch” while the others had to settle for “hot lunch”.

 My siblings and I all took cold lunches to school, but I’m not exactly sure why. Maybe it was more economical and nutritious for us. Maybe I was spoiled on my mom’s good cooking, or lacked a sense of adventure with new foods. Mostly I think it was because we feared the unknown school food.

 My opinion about hot lunch began to change as I entered middle school. When pizza day came up, I decided to give it a try. And it was pretty good. Then another day’s meal sounded tasty, and I jumped in line again. I paid careful attention to the cafeteria menu and went back and forth between hot and cold lunch. One of my favorite days in the cafeteria was “orange day” – tomato soup, grilled cheese, and cheetos. All orange food! Not the healthiest meal, but it tasted good.

 School lunches have been making the news lately. More and more people – including First Lady Michelle Obama – have become concerned about children’s nutrition. Some new statistics have come to light that are quite sad. For instance, 17% of children in the United States are classified as obese.

 The USDA just released new standards for school meals which will take effect this July 1. Meals will have to offer more fruits and vegetables, contain less sodium and fat, and include more whole grains. They’re still working out a few debates, like whether to count the tomato sauce on pizza as a vegetable. But health groups overall are praising the new nutrition standards.

 The bottom line: it matters what we feed our bodies. Yes, the new regulations will be costly. Nutritious food and balanced meals will require more work and preparation. But these bodies are the only ones we’re going to have in this life, and it’s our responsibility to care for them as best as possible.

 An even stronger case can be made for the way that we care for our spiritual health. It matters what we feed our souls. It matters to us and to our families. The care we give to our spiritual lives will carry us through all the days of our lives and will pay dividends into eternity. What is the spiritual sustenance that you rely on to keep growing in faith? Is your spiritual diet balanced and nutritious? Are you spiritually satisfied? Are you feeding your soul the nourishment you need?

 While our country struggles with physical obesity, many of us are spiritually starving. Maybe we need to start with the basic building blocks, with spiritual sandwiches and fruit. Or maybe we could benefit from some more variety, or summon the courage to take a risk with our spiritual practices. Caring for our spiritual life involves time and energy. It certainly requires openness and willingness. We will need to overcome fears of what is unfamiliar to us – which might include the Bible and prayer.

 There is sustenance for our spiritual hunger. God gives us living water to drink. Jesus Christ is the bread of life who lived, died, and rose from the dead so that our lives and souls would be filled…filled with love, joy, and peace. Come and drink from the fountain of God. Sit at God’s table. Eat, taste, and see that the Lord is good.

 With fork in hand,

Pastor Matt

“I am the bread of life. Whoever comes to me will never be hungry, and whoever believes in me will never be thirsty.”   – Jesus  (John 6:35)

Sermon: Full Participation – 1/22/12

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Sermon: Follow, Come, See – 1/15/12

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Sermon: Named, Claimed, Blessed – 1/8/12

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Sermon: Away In A Manger – 12/24/11

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VisioNotes: More Than Half Full- January 2012

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More Than Half Full

Are you an optimist, or a pessimist? Optimism is the human tendency to expect that all things will work out for the best. It’s the belief that goodness will prevail over evil. Pessimism would be just the opposite, believing that the worst is likely to happen and that problems and hardships will continue. The tell-tale test for your outlook on life involves a half glass of water: do you see it as half full, or half empty?

 Researchers have long declared the benefits of an optimistic outlook on life. Studies have shown that optimists are significantly healthier than pessimists, experiencing less frequent illness and recovering quicker than their counterparts. Optimists live longer, manage stress better, and display greater persistence.

 On the other hand, pessimists would argue that optimists suffer from naiveté and set themselves up for disappointment. Pessimists usually call themselves realists. To their credit, a study out of Central Michigan University suggests that pessimists are wiser at gambling. I don’t know about you, but the benefits of optimism seem stronger.

 Nonethless, recent national polls show that Americans are increasingly pessimistic about our future. A majority now believes that our best days are behind us. Surveys reveal that economic pessimism is at the highest recorded rates ever. Some of our national pessimism is based on the realities of high unemplyment, the national debt, the rise of China, and the financial crisis in Europe. American families feel deflated about the job market, uncertain about the stock market, and fearful about their personal finances. It doesn’t take a pessimist to say that we face some serious challenges in our world, but the tidal wave of pessimism seems to be self-perpetuating. Pessimism can be a powerful force.

 Maybe what we all need is a healthy dose of optimism to promote our collective recovery, health, and well-being. I recently heard a story about a young man and his family who exemplify the power of optimism. As a freshman at Luther College (my alma mater) in Decorah, IA, Chris Norton played defensive tackle on the football team. In a routine play in the fall of 2010, Chris suffered a broken neck and compressed spinal cord. Doctors gave Chris a 3% chance of regaining any use of his lower body. Chris refused to listen to that statistic. With intense therapy, courage, and determination, Chris is on the road to a major recovery. With the suport of his family and community, he’s already standing and walking with assistance. He returned to classes this fall.

 Last month on the CBS Early Show Chris Norton was announced as “America’s Choice Honor for Courage in Sports.” When asked how they have faced the challenges, the Norton family testifies that their “faith in God” has given them the strength to persevere. Chris says that they kept trusting that things would work out. They encouraged each to be positive and believe the best. This is more than optimism. Chris’ story is about the power of hope.

 Hope for the future is at the heart of our Christian faith. As people who trust Christ, we believe that hard times will get better, one way or another, in this life and in the life to come. Our hope is in the Lord our God, and “hope does not disappoint us” (Romans 5:5). This hope is not passive. Inactive hope is foolish and makes God into a magic genie. Active hope, the kind of hope Chris Norton exemplifies, is faithful living. God gives us hope, and true hope sets us into motion.

 I think our God sees the glass more than half full. Our God is a God of hope. God not only expects things to work out for the best, God works all things out for the best. God not only believes that goodness will prevail over evil, our good God prevails over evil. As we enter 2012, we who trust Jesus Christ have every reason to have hope for the future. Let’s get our hope going.

 Pastor Matt

For to this end we toil and struggle,^* because we have our hope set on the living God, who is the Savior of all people, especially of those who believe. – 1 Timothy 4:10

Sermon: Favored – 12/18/11

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Sermon: Good News, Bad News – 12/11/11

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