Pastor’s Corner

FROM THE PASTOR

God’s grace be with you,

Just recently I was able to enjoy a fire using my “safe” pit off our back porch.  Watching the flames dance brought back memories of many campfires at Lutherlyn, and fireside chats at home with my parents.  I heard a lot of stories, sang songs of praise and meditation to our God, and listened in on serious discussions.  These were formative times in building relationships with others and God, as well as having my imagination and thinking abilities challenged.

All through human history, fireside chats and storytelling have been at the heart of passing on important information and traditions from age to age.  It was especially important before anything was written down.  I believe this form of communication continues to be significantly important in our modern world, very much apart from our hand-held devices full of information.  There are so many more benefits of human interaction around a campfire that I believe we will not know the extent of such benefits until the time we enter the Kingdom of God.  The same can be said of receiving the meager meal of Holy Communion as God’s people on a regular basis…but that is a whole other newsletter article and then some.

Perhaps this illustration will ignite some imagination.  Scientists and theologians have often been at odds over the centuries in the search for truth in the mysteries of the universe.  There have been conversations where thoughts have converged in agreement, and others in divergence causing rifts in academia.  The debate continues on.  One person posited along the way in my learning that it seems both scientists and theologians are seeking the same thing, although through different means; and that one day the scientists will finally round that final peak on the mountain of truth only to discover that the theologians are already there sitting around a campfire…and if I may add, maybe even roasting marshmallows for S’mores.

As your pastor, I challenge you to enhance or recapture the opportunities to share stories and moments of truth around fire circles this summer.  Instead of telling ghost stories, tell Holy Ghost stories.  Let your children and friends hear stories of Jesus rather than the politics of the day.  You do not even need to be great theologians…just let the stories speak for themselves and inspire the imagination. I remember my father reading The Lion, The Witch, and The Wardrobe by C.S. Lewis to campers over a series of campfires in one week.  There was no added commentary, no preaching on the story…just the reading of the story and imaginations being sparked.  That story has stuck with me ever since.

So now you might be thinking “Where do I start?”  Here are a few suggestions…parents, make sure you read the stories before sharing them with your children around the fire:

Genesis 1:1 – 2:4 a story of beginnings; Genesis 6:9 – 8:22 a story of new beginnings; Genesis 18: 1-15 the promise of a son; Genesis 37:1 – 46:4 a long one for several nights around the fire, but a good one on betrayal and a lesson in forgiveness; Exodus 12:1 – 14:31 a people saved and how it remembers; Exodus 20:1-21 the Ten Commandments; Nehemiah 8:1-12 a somber moment of listening after the rebuilding of the Temple;  2 Chronicles 7:12-22 a lesson in obedience; Psalm 1; Psalm 8; Psalm 23; Psalm 46; Psalm 100; Psalm 117; Psalm 121; Psalm 150; Jeremiah 31:31-34; Ezekiel 37:1-14 a whispering Holy Ghost story; Daniel 2:46 – 3:30 on faithfulness; Daniel 6 in the lion’s den; the Book of Jonah; Matthew 5-7 Jesus teaches…and to those who have ears, let them hear; John 1 the coming of Jesus into the world; pick a version of the cross and resurrection from one of the Gospels; Revelation 21:9 – 22:21 a vison of the Kingdom to tickle everyone’s imagination, with an understanding that we are included in the end of the story; and that in Christ Jesus, our earthly struggles are not in vain, because in Him, we win…we live, and we live forever with our King.  Parents, remember these words from Proverbs 22:6 in three different translations as you think about your campfire experiences:

“Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it.” (RSV)

“Point your kids in the right direction – when they are old they won’t be lost.” (The Message)

“Teach your children to choose the right path, and when they are older, they will remain upon it.” (NLT)

These are stories at the tip of the iceberg.  Proceed with caution as you might find yourselves and others changed for the good.  What a wonderful thing that would be.  If you want other sources for stories, I would recommend the “Chronicles of Narnia” by C. S. Lewis; The Way of the Wolf and The Return of the Wolf by Martin Bell; and some thoughts/illustrations from Frederick Buechner in Peculiar Treasures: A Biblical Who’s Who;… Whistling in the Dark: An ABC Theologized; …and Wishful Thinking: A Theological ABC.  People may borrow from me (as long as you promise to return them fairly soon) the last few books from Martin Bell and Fredrick Buechner.  Looking for something to tide you over the whole summer, try Walter Wangerin, Jr’s narrative versions of the Bible:  The Book of God and Paul.

I encourage you to bring back the art of story telling and sharing as you spend time with family and friends around fire circles this summer.  Don’t be afraid of the theology or the difficult questions that might be asked.  The most important thing to happen is that the stories are told from memory or read out loud for people to hear and to assimilate into their own imaginations and thinking.  It’s been the norm for God’s generations of people as it moved from campfires into synagogues and churches…and perhaps now we need to get it back to the intimate campfire circles away from the distractions of phones and computers and the busyness of the world.  Make room and time for God to speak His story again, clearly, into your lives.

May God bless each and every one of us in our summer Sabbaths.

Peace in Christ,

Pastor Steiner