In late October, I plan to go to Penn State Harrisburg to watch a newly released documentary titled "Repairing the World." The film describes the aftermath of the shooting at Tree of Life synagogue in the Squirrel Hill neighborhood of Pittsburgh on October 27, 2018, the deadliest attack on a Jewish community in the United States. Eleven were killed and six wounded, including Holocaust survivors.
"Repairing the World," in Hebrew "tikkun olam," describes the logical outcome of a Torah life or a Tree of Life life. The Torah is a Tree of Life. For Christians, who see the cross as our Tree of Life, tikkun olam or repairing the world flows from the sacrificial love of Jesus. Because God loves us, we love each other. Our love for others leads Christians to reject extremism, hate speech and antisemitism. The survivors of the attack on Tree of Life synagogue decided, in the aftermath of that horrible day, to not just survive, but to live out the character of a Torah life and were all the more determined to be who they were created to be by living, loving and serving in their community. Tikkun olam ... they became repairers of the world. During this time, when our country seems so deeply divided, cast your lot with the bridge builders. Be the one who uses your gifts for tikkun olam. Be a repairer of the world! Blessings! Pastor Geib
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Like many of you, we watched the first presidential debate, at least until we could watch no longer. I will never tell you who to vote for. I will always tell you TO vote. As hard as that may be in this upcoming election, it is a right and privilege passed onto us by wise forefathers and mothers, as well as a right and privilege paid for by the blood of America's heroes. In America, you and I have the responsibility to protect the political inheritance of this land we love. Voting is our voice!
Having said that, I have always believed that a good name and a good character are the first qualifications for any form of leadership- from the office of president to the office of pastor and to all the various ways we live out our vocations. And, as followers of Jesus, ours is a servant leadership, not motivated by hubris, but by humility. As these summer months continue and as you go here and there, remember that God has blessed you with much. In turn, be a blessing to many! Blessings! Pastor Geib I'm sitting in my church office in late May. Traffic is light on 441. The church lawn is green and freshly mowed. Lancaster County farmland is to my left. To my right, looking out my office window, I can see the Marietta cemetery. I changed the church paraments from red to green this morning, signaling the movement to ordinary time. The building is quiet.
I loved coming to my office at my previous congregation early on Saturday mornings. When I left my home, none of my neighbors were even out of bed. Arriving at my office, I could expect to have several hours of uninterrupted time. It was a blessing for me in a busy congregation and ministry. Time is a blessing. I know, when my dad died, he would have liked more time. He didn't fear death, he just loved life. Sometimes we confuse the two notions. There is much in life to fear. There is much in life to regret. But, there is much in life to love. Today is my marriage anniversary. Cathy and I were married at St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Lancaster on May 28, 1983. Our life together, while not absent of the typical growing pains and expected bumps in the road, is a confirmation of God's blessings. Children, grandchildren, extended family, wonderful friends including all the church family we've come to know are at the top of the list. And, they are reason enough to remember the old adage to "count your blessings." Yes, there are plenty of things to worry about in the world. But, our blessings are even more abundant. When our children went off to college, I reminded them repeatedly to remember "who and whose they are." I'll remind you of the same. Take some time to count your blessings. Entrust the worries to God. God's got this! And, God holds you in the palm of God's hand! Blessings! Pastor Geib Over the past month, what we’ve seen happening for years in the church, has taken a more personal dimension for the ELCA. Our seminary in the south- Lutheran Southern Theological Seminary in Columbia, SC- has made a decision to close its campus and sell it. The faculty, at least some of them, will labor on, offering instruction on the campus of our ELCA college, Lenoir-Rhyne University, in Lenoir, NC.
Meanwhile, on the opposite side of the country, Pacific Lutheran Seminary, will soon suspend all in person instruction and focus only on online education for future rostered leaders of the church. Declining student bodies and higher costs have conspired to lead to these dramatic changes in preparing church leadership. Gettysburg Seminary, now part of the two campus United Lutheran Seminary, has sold most of its dormitories. They will be torn down to make room for a new Gettysburg Library. The few in person students who remain on campus will be housed in one of the remaining dorms. The bishop has said repeatedly that the Covid pandemic only aggravated what we’ve seen for some time- fewer pastors, smaller congregations, young adults not returning to church. The Easter Season has arrived. It is a time for new life. It is a time for us to consider our commitment to the church and to speaking on behalf of Christ to the world and our neighbor. As we live in this season of new life, prayerfully consider the opportunities you have to share the Good News with others. In a hurting world, among hurting neighbors and friends, the Good News of Christ’s victory over death shared through loving words and deeds is a powerful testimony to the faith of the Church and the power of a Christ like life! Blessings! Pastor Geib Continuing Pastor Glover’s efforts to offer some thoughts to ponder each month through Zion’s web page presence and since it’s snowing outside, leading me to work from my home office today, I thought I’d give it a shot.
My singer/songwriter friend, the late John Prine, was fond of pointing out the idiosyncrasies of modern life and modern people. He made a career out of giving voice to the things we thought, but chose not to speak. He often used familiar phrases to share his thoughts, phrases that we might use when we can’t figure out anything else to say and turn to in “default.” Try this one. “That’s the way that the world goes round.” Ponder the lyrics. “That’s the way that the world goes round. You’re up one day. The next your down. It’s a half an inch of water and you think you’re gonna drown. That’s the way that the earth goes round.” It is a topsy turvy world. You’re up one day. The next you’re down. Climate news is troubling. The evidence seems clear that we are sinking our own ship. Still, opponents oppose any efforts at addressing our own demise. The party of National Security voted against its own bill to provide some. Those who used to stand in the way of Russian aggression, now cheer them on. More shootings … in a church, a subway, city streets and more. It is a topsy turvy world. What to say? “That’s the way that the world goes round.” When we feel helpless, we echo such thoughts because we have nothing better to say. Scripture says, “God is our refuge and strength.” It is a simple reminder that in the helplessness of life in the world, people of faith turn to the ready help of God, who is our refuge and strength. God is the light on the horizon with the promise of a safe arrival. God is the open arms of a neighbor offering comfort in a time of need. God is the warm bowl of soup for an empty belly. God is bread and wine given and received kneeing or standing elbow to elbow next to a beloved sister or brother in faith. God is hope. God is promise. God is love. The world is topsy turvy. We cannot comprehend or make sense of much of it. But, God is steadfast. That is true and can be trusted. Blessings! Pastor Geib What was it about being adults as children that had us not able to wait until we grew up? Was it the sense of freedom? The ability to make our own choices? Wear the clothes or the styles we wanted to wear? What were we thinking??
This past week was one of those weeks I was simply done with adulting and all the responsibilities that go along with it. I had returned from vacation and continuing education tired, and exhausted. By the time I arrived home, I wanted nothing more to do than unload the car and go to bed. Never mind Bonnie and Shadow were clamoring for attention -- and food. The next morning, I learned why I was so tired and exhausted -- I tested positive for covid. Covid was not on the post vacation to do list. It meant changing plans quickly for Sunday services. My deep gratitude to Holly Gainor and Jason Spickler for pinch hitting at the last minute Saturday morning. It meant cancelling lunch plans with friends, and it meant not being able to visit Vaughn in skilled care. Thankfully, this second round of covid was mild. It was still miserable, but mild. I was able to talk with Vaughn, and tell him it would be a few days before I would be able to see him. A couple of hours later, the skilled care facility called, sharing they thought he had a heart attack and were sending him to the hospital. I was a little scared. OK, a lot scared. I couldn't be there with him, and both our adult children were dealing with health crises in their families as well. God heard our prayers: symptoms were related to a uti Vaughn has. Two days later, the microwave decided to go on the fritz while trying to cook an ear of corn (A colleague joked the microwave caught the corn-a-virus). The next day, I discovered the water heater had a leak and needed to be replaced. This was my last straw. I needed to make decisions that seemed hard: spend money on a service call for the microwave, or buy a new microwave? A service plan for the water heater, or ignore it until it gets too worse? I wanted Vaughn's presence to make the difficult decisions, to sit home and wait for the water heater to be repaired, to remind me to breathe, and take a deep breath, that in the words of Julian of Norwich, "All will be well, and all will be well." Only he wasn't -- and isn't. So I called home, and got my parent's voicemail. The next day my Mom called to tell me she too had tested positive for covid. Ugh! This is it. I'm done adulting. I'm ready for a vacation in the middle of the ocean, with no internet or cell phone. I know I just returned, but I'm ready to sit under the unpredictable plant (see Eugene Peterson's book), and have an adult beverage. Complaint and whining aside, I was reminded by several, of God's grace. Yes, there are and will be weeks where it feels as though everything is falling apart at the same time. There are weeks where it will feel as though nothing can be done correctly, that there will always be more needing time and attention than what is necessary or what can realistically be done. Even in the middle of weeks like these, where we declare to anyone who will listen our doneness with adulting, is the reminder from Romans 8 (paraphrased because of this week): I am convinced that neither fried microwaves or leaky water heaters, or the inability to visit loved ones in skilled care, or being a distance away from loved ones with covid can separate me from the love of God in Christ Jesus. God loves me in the rough moments of life. God loves you in the rough moments of life. God loves you, me, and the entire world -- always and forever. Maybe you're done adulting -- temporarily. Maybe life is super overwhelming at this point in time. Maybe world news is just too much to read or listen to. Whatever leads you to not want to adult anymore, please know you are not alone. You are loved. God loves you and so do I. One of the musical artists my Mother listened to when I was growing up was Neil Diamond. He had a song that began with the line "Hello, Again, Hello."
It's been awhile -- a long while since anything has been posted on Zion's website. Even though we may have been silent online, we haven't been silent in person or in the community. We continue to partner with the East Donegal/Conoy Food Bank, helping our neighbors in need. We continue to offer Prime Time once a month for seniors in the community who enjoy food and socializing with others around Bingo. We continue to sponsor Tools 4 School, to be held this year on Saturday, August 12th. We're continuing to tend to the seeds of faith sprouting among us. We're here. To that, we say, "Hello, Again, Hello." If you're visiting Zion's webpage for the first time, hello. We're glad you're here with us. If you're visiting to see if content has been updated, hello! We're glad you're here. Join us as you are able -- in person or online! Check upcoming events and join us, especially for our upcoming Connecting with God through the Arts series beginning in July. Hello, again, hello. We're glad you're with us today! May God's peace be with you! (This is the sermon preached on Sept. 11th, 2022. It is printed here due to problems uploading the service for this day.)
Jesus chooses distracted people to teach the lessons of his parables. To be distracted means having difficulty focusing or concentrating. Outward distraction can have severe consequences – such as the warnings not to text and drive, or talk on the phone and drive. Inward distraction –beliefs or perspectives preventing us from seeing the larger reality and bigger picture exist as well. Over the past several weeks, we’ve encountered many throughout Luke’s Gospel who have been distracted. They have been distracted by Jesus’ presence, and the reality Jesus’ message runs counter to what they know, understand, and experience as the reign of God. The distraction begins with Martha and Mary when Martha prepares dinner for Jesus and is frustrated at Mary’s lack of help. Jesus reminds Martha and Mary of ‘one needful thing’ truly important: taking time to spend with God. After this exchange between Martha and Mary, Jesus encounters several groups of religious leaders and Pharisees distracted as well. They are distracted by their understanding of the letter of the law – the way practices and rituals in the temple and in life are handled. They are distracted by who sits in the best seats at a banquet. They are distracted by who is invited to the banquet. who is healed, when this healing takes place, even how this healing occurs. They are so distracted by their own understanding of the scriptures they have a difficult time seeing and hearing the good news Jesus brings with him: Jesus comes to seek those who are lost. To help them understand this, Jesus tells them a parable, or two, beginning with the question ‘which one of you?’ It’s not a question to put anyone on the spot, or cause any of them to squirm uncomfortably on their pillow while eating. Instead, it’s a question intended to help Jesus’ audience break through and free from their assumptions, and conditions of purity and tradition to see the bigger and broader perspective of God’s plan of salvation for everyone. Jesus continues these questions with examples. If a lamb was missing from the flock, the shepherd would leave the others to find the lost sheep. If a coin went missing, the entire house was searched from top to bottom. As one owned by pets, there have been a couple of times one of the cats has gone missing. Most of the times, it’s been because of really good hiding places. At least one missing pet was a matter of escaping the house without us realizing it. That sinking feeling in the pit of the stomach over a missing and lost pet – it’s hard to ignore. In that moment, the first concern is the safety of the lost pet: where they might have gone, whether or not they are safe, how long have they been missing. So would a shepherd do that for a lost sheep. And as one who sometimes misplaces important documents, or forgets where her keys are, or her favorite pair of sunglasses, there are those moments where the house, is turned completely upside down until the lost item is found. With both a lost pet and a lost document, there is much rejoicing – to the point of wanting to celebrate and throw a party. Jesus tells the parable to help the Pharisees and religious leaders understand his mission and purpose while on earth: to find that which is lost, to find that which is distracted, reuniting, bringing focus, and restoring all into right relationship with God. Jesus turns the world upside down in this understanding and practice. To have all be welcomed, to have all be restored is indeed gift and grace, and part of God’s incredible love for the entire world. Jesus tells parables to distracted disciples. Much in the world lately has left us feeling distracted: concerns over loved ones, illness, the economy, the state of the world around us, and so much more. We may feel because of these distractions, we have lost our way. Dear friends in Christ in mercy, in love, Jesus looks for us. Searching high and low, near and far, Jesus never gives up searching for us when we are lost. In our distraction, we may not always realize we are lost until we are found. Back in August during the annual meeting of the Lutheran Deaconess Conference in Vancouver, Washington, news was learned a beloved Deaconess sister and her husband had not been heard from in two days. After visiting family and camping in Ohio, the couple left to make their return trip to Canada. The problem was no one in the family had heard from them. This was unusual because the couple always checked in with their family in their travels. The cell phone went straight to voice mail. Emails hadn’t been answered. Messages on Facebook weren’t being read or replied to. As a last resort, family reached out to others who might have an idea of their whereabouts. Various state police departments and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police were called in. News of the missing couple spread quickly through the conference. Whatever joy from the past few days of being together in person for the first time in three years, four years disappeared. The joy was replaced with fear, worry, questions we didn’t want to ask, but knew somehow, in some way, they needed to be asked: Had something happened? Were they alright? What could have gone wrong? Lord have mercy, Kyrie elesion, on them, their family, on those searching, on us. More than a few prayers were prayed that night for the deaconess not with us, and now, suddenly lost from the community. The following morning, the conference began with worship. Physically, there were many bodies in the room, but mentally – our hearts, our minds weren’t turned to God. We were distracted: worried for the safety and well-being of the lost deaconess and her husband. We wondered. We worried. We waited. We prayed: Were there any updates? Any word? What could have happened? Were they okay? I know there was a sermon that morning. I heard it, but with apologies to the deaconess who preached, I honestly don’t remember what the point of the message was. What I do remember is after the sermon, after the hymn of the day, an announcement was made: those who had been lost were found. The conference room erupted in shouts of joy, applause, tears of relief, hugs, exclamations of “Praise God!” or “Thank you, Jesus!” It didn’t matter we were in a banquet room at a conference center. It didn’t matter others walked past the room, wondering what in God’s green acres had happened to spark so much joy and celebration. The cloud of distraction was removed. The assisting minister took a moment of silence to center herself before offering a prayer of thanksgiving for the entire assembly. Technology is a good thing – as long as it co-operates, and as long as one is in a geographical place to allow technology to be used. Before leaving Ohio, they bought an inexpensive cell phone to use on their return trip to Canada. Inexpensive was exactly that – cheap, and unable to connect to cell phone service in the areas they were traveling through. Several campsites they stayed at didn’t have reliable or strong enough internet access, making sending and receiving email messages difficult, creating worry and panic for loved ones. They did not realize how much grief and worry they had caused their children, and loved ones, or to those in attendance at the conference. When they heard the story, heard how their grown children called various state police departments, and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police, they decided to exchange the cheap cell phone for a better working phone. They were also embarrassed by the unexpected attention received. Mixed in with the embarrassment was also relief. Relief knowing many had held them in prayer. Relief knowing multiple agencies began a search near and far, high and low for them. Relief knowing they were cared for more than they realized. ’Rejoice with me’ Jesus says. The unintentional lost sheep have been found. The distracted lost sheep has been redirected. The missing coin, the missing important document have been found and restored in their proper places. YOU, distracted, worried, missing from the flock precious child of God are found, loved, and returned. Thanks be to God! Amen. I have a love/hate relationship with Ash Wednesday.
I love Ash Wednesday because of the memories of unexpected joy and humor of previous years: a colleague who whispered for me to lift my bangs so he could places ashes on my forehead, or the year three congregations gathered together in a festive mood, only to have the mood quickly change with the somber reality of why were gathered, or the joy of watching young children watch as the cross is traced on their forehead. And, there are years I do not like Ash Wednesday. At all. I don't like it because no matter how far in advance I try to look ahead, or begin to prepare, this day arrives with a sense of catching me off guard and never being fully prepared. I didn't want Ash Wednesday to come this year. In fact, I wanted to, tried to avoid it, pretend even that it wasn't on the calendar. But I couldn't, and I can't. It's here, placing us on the beginning of another Lenten journey, and moving closer towards the cross of Christ. Ash Wednesday this year comes against the background of so much going on in the world: effects of a lingering pandemic on multiple fronts, war in Ukraine and other places around the world, global warming, climate change, and so much more. The heaviness of these concerns mixes with the weight of Ash Wednesday, and why it is we hold this day meaningful. It also provided opportunity to rant and vent to God: Do we really need one more reminder of our mortality? The answer that always returns is "Yes" -- and here's why. Through the centuries, the Church has endured moments of uncertainty, and times of conflict. In these times, it has also provided strength, comfort, assurance, and hope. The Church reminds us, too, of the reality we profess in the Creeds: the hope and the promise of the resurrection and the new life we have in Jesus. We need this day -- again -- to remind us -- and ground us as we begin our Lenten journey: to turn our hearts back to God through prayer and repentance. to admit and recognize the attitudes, behaviors, beliefs, practices and thoughts that prevent us from fully loving our neighbors as ourselves. to be a better neighbor to the poor, homeless, refugee, hungry, addicted, lonely, or the forgotten in our communities. to turn our very lives back to God, the Creator, who turned nothing into something, and in turning nothing into something, declared everything to be good. This declaration of everything being good includes every one of us. Normally, we don't think of dust as being good. It can -- and does -- tickle our noses and make our eyes dry and scratchy. Yet dust and dirt -- common elements were used by Jesus to bring healing. If Jesus can do that with dust and dirt, how much more can and will Jesus do that for us? As we begin a new season of Lent, may it be a time of turning back to God with all our hearts. In this turning back to God, may there be reminders of being dust of the earth, made in goodness.
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AuthorSPastor Richard Geib Archives
September 2024
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