Dear Messiah Congregation,
Last night I was talking with our daughter, Lauren who lives and works a few blocks from the capitol mall in Washington DC. With the inauguration coming on Tuesday, the security measures and expected crowds are changing her normal patterns. For one, her workplace will be closed on Tuesday because security measures will make it nearly impossible for her to get to work. Back here in Plymouth next Tuesday it will be just another cold winter day. I give thanks that we live in a country where the transition from one president to the next can be “just another day”. But Tuesday is not “just another day”.

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Dear Messiah Congregation,
Yesterday, I took down the 2008 calendar in our kitchen and replaced it with a 2009 calendar. Before throwing out the old calendar, I spent a few minutes paging through the past year, recalling the significant happenings from our lives in 2008. The calendar marked events in our children’s lives, birthdays, trips taken, dinners hosted in our homes, certain appointments, deadlines to be met. Some were joy filled moments and others were stress filled. Some I would like to relive and others I would be glad to forget. In those few minutes of reflection, I thanked God for each day and how God was present. Some days I reached out for God, knowing that I needed what God offers. Other days, I think God was reaching out for me as I relied more on my wants than God’s.

January 1 is not just another day. It provides a much needed moment to take an account of my life.

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Dear Messiah Congregation,
I am writing to you from the lobby of the Mayo Clinic. We are here for an early morning appointment (routine visit). It meant getting up extra early and rushing to get here on time. Because of the snow we were late, but as I walked into the lobby there was a vocal ensemble singing beautiful Christmas music – and at 7:30 am! For the next few minutes I stopped and listened. All around me, people were rushing past – places to go, appointments to keep, work to be done. And yet, the message of Christmas was available to anyone who would stop and listen. I think there’s a sermon in this, don’t you?

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Dear Messiah Congregation,
Last night, my daughter Bethany and I attended the annual St. Olaf College Christmas Concert. Each year I look forward to this event. Longer ago than I like to admit, I sang in this concert. Now I listen to rekindle those experiences from my college days and to enter into the meaning of this season. Music touches our hearts in a way that words alone cannot.

Last night’s concert concluded with the song of Simeon. You can find his song in Luke 2:29-32. When Mary and Joseph presented their infant son at the Temple, Simeon took Jesus in his arms and offered this song. “…for mine eyes have seen Thy salvation, which thou hast prepared before the face of all people. A light, to be a light, to lighten the Gentiles, and to be the glory of Thy people Israel.” These words provide the message of what Christmas means.

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Dear Messiah Congregation,
Two weeks ago, our Church Council and leaders of our ministry areas gathered to assess current ministry and develop strategic objectives for 2009. The scope of this church’s ministry is broader than any one person can comprehend. As I hear about how our ministry is impacting people’s lives, I am constantly thinking, “Wow, I had no idea!” And I give thanks. I wish every one of you could have listened in to hear how your church is in ministry. In a few weeks, I will be introducing three strategic objectives for 2009. I am already excited for what is coming. You are an amazing church.

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Dear Messiah Congregation,
This has been an important week for our nation. When the announcement was made that Barack Obama had become our president-elect, I was watching a network where the commentators went silent for ten minutes as we were shown the reaction of crowds gathered across this country and in other parts of the world. The emotion was obvious. It was also clear that the world was watching. No matter which candidate received your vote, we ought to be proud that this is a nation that could elect an African-American as president.

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Dear Messiah Congregation,
Last weekend, I had an opportunity to participate in what has become our annual Great Day of Service. I was part of a small group that went to Asbury United Methodist Church in Minneapolis to clean their kitchen in order for that church to continue serving a free meal each week to their neighborhood. Since Saturdays are usually the day I finish writing my sermon, I had to rearrange my week but I was not entirely successful in getting the sermon written before Saturday.

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Dear Messiah Congregation,
I am writing this from Church of the Resurrection (COR) in Leawood, Kansas where eleven members of our church staff are attending the annual Leadership Institute. COR is one of the leading congregations in our denomination and is leading an effort at reviving our denomination. We are experiencing amazing worship and participating in workshops that are stretching each of us to see the possibilities for ministry.

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Dear Messiah Congregation,
It was only a week ago that the Texas coast was preparing for what would become one of the worst hurricanes to hit that part of the country. We have listened to the news reports and seen the photos of the property damage and human tragedy. Some of you have family and friends in your prayers as they cope with the aftermath of that storm. Then on Monday, we learned of a storm of another sort. A financial storm that had been building for many months hit Wall Street. This storm continues, touching most of us in some way that will not be fully understood until the storm has passed. In a congregation of this size, there are personal storms that strike individuals almost every week. And this week has been no exception.

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September 5, 2008

Dear Messiah Congregation,
This is the first September in nineteen years that Amanda and I have not sent one of our children off to school. I never thought I would say this, but I miss those moments of new beginning and the excitement and challenges of a new school year. If life is anything, it is change. The longer we live, the more change we experience. Last Sunday and this coming Sunday are moments for our Messiah family to remember 140 years of change as we reflect on how this church began. If you missed last Sunday’s message, look for a copy on our website or at church. The message contained several stories that gave insight into what made this the church it is today. Next Monday evening, we will be honoring

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