June 2007

From the Pastor

A number of you have asked me if it would be possible to have a copy of a portion of the sermon that I preached on Mother’s Day weekend. While this is not the entire sermon, it is the part that seemed to resonate with many. Here it is:

In the light of the resurrection dawn, God does reinvent his creation and gives us signs of hope sometimes in the smallest of places. God’s unfinished future is often revealed in the relationships we share. Thanks be to God for the gift of new life that is ours in Christ Jesus.

And thank God, too, for the loving, nurturing relationships that shape our personalities and sustain us throughout our lives – our mothers. This is for all the mothers who froze on metal bleachers at Friday night football games instead of sitting in the car so that when their kids asked, “Did you see me?” they could say, “Of course, I wouldn’t have missed it for the world,” and mean it.

This is for all the mothers who have sat up all night with sick toddlers in their arms, wiping up barf laced with Oscar Mayer wieners and cherry Kool-Aid saying, “It’s OK, honey, Mommy’s here.”

This is for all the mothers of Afghanistan, Iraq, and Darfur, who fled in the night and can’t find their children in the morning.

This is for the mothers who gave birth to babies they’ll never see, and the mothers who took those babies and gave them homes.

For all the mothers of the victims of the Virginia Tech shooting, and the mother of the murderer. For the mothers of the survivors, and the mothers who sat in front of their TV in horror, hugging their child who just came home from school safely.

For all the mothers who run car pools and make cookies and sew Halloween costumes. And for all the mothers who DON’T.

What makes a good mother, anyway? Is it patience? Compassion? Broad hips? The ability to nurse a baby, cook dinner, and sew a button on a shirt, all at the same time? Or is it heart?

Is it the ache you feel when you watch your son or daughter disappear down the street, walking to school alone for the very first time? The jolt that takes you from sleep to dread, from bed to crib at 2:00 a.m. to put your hand on the back of a sleeping baby? The need to flee from wherever you are and hug your child when you hear news of a school shooting, a fire, a car accident, a baby dying?

So this is for all the mothers who sat down with their children and explained all about making babies, and for all the mothers who wanted to but just couldn’t.

This is for reading Goodnight, Moon twice a night for a year, and then reading it again, “just one more time.”

This is for all the mothers who yell at their kids in the grocery store and swat them in despair and stomp their feet like a tired two year old who wants ice cream before dinner.

This is for all the mothers who taught their children to tie their shoelaces before they started school, and for all the mothers who opted for Velcro instead.

For all the mothers who bite their lips sometimes until they bleed when their fourteen year olds dye their hair green.

Who lock themselves in the bathroom when babies keep crying and won’t stop.

This is for all the mothers who show up at work with spit-up in their hair, milk stains on their blouse and diapers in their purse. For all the mothers who teach their sons how to cook and their daughters to sink a jump shot. For all mothers whose heads turn automatically when a little voice calls, “Mom?” in a crowd, even though they know their own offspring are at home.

This is for mothers who put pinwheels and teddy bears on their children’s graves.

This is for mothers whose children have gone astray, who can’t find the words to reach them.

This is for all the mothers who sent their sons to school with stomach aches, assuring them they’d be just FINE once they got there, only to get a call from the school nurse an hour later asking them to please pick them up. Right away.

This is for young mothers stumbling through diaper changes and sleep deprivation, and for mature mothers learning to let go. For working mothers and stay-at-home mothers; single mothers and married mothers; mothers with money and mothers without.

So, hang in there, moms. Remember, home is what catches you when you fall – and we all fall. The imperfect love that we share is put a foretaste of the perfect love to come in God’s future.

See you in church.

Faithfully, your pastor,

B. Penrose Hoover

From the Associate Pastor

Dear Sisters and Brothers in Christ,

First and foremost, I want to thank everyone who celebrated with me at the time of my graduation.  Thank you for coming to our open house.  Thank you for your gifts and your cards.  Thank you for the kindness and the love you shared with my family and me.  All of you are a blessing to our lives.

And now, we want to congratulate this year’s confirmation class.  After two years of learning and service, eight young people were confirmed on May 27^th during the 11:00 am worship.  They had learned about the Bible—the Old and New Testaments.  They had learned about the Small Catechism—the Ten Commandments, the Lord’s Prayer, and the Apostle’s Creed.  They had learned about the Holy Sacraments—baptism and holy communion.  They had learned about all things Lutheran—famous Lutherans, Luther quotes, the Reformation, and so on.  They had served as acolytes.  They had served as helpers for Children’s Church.  They had sat in on Board and Committee meetings and on council meetings.  They had helped with the Bingo Night event, the Easter egg hunt, and the Spaghetti Dinner.  They had brought Christmas joy to the residents at the Group Home in Mechanicsburg.  They had done much to learn about their faith and to demonstrate their faith. 

In the Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30), Jesus tells a story about individuals entrusted with resources.  The story shows that some don’t do much with what they have received.  While others are able to do much with what has been given to them.  To them, God says, “Well done, good and faithful servants.”  To our confirmands, we say, “Well done, good and faithful servants.”

Congratulations to Ryan Gill, Perry Harclerode, Josh Lebo, Emily Mendoza, Faith Midgarden, Brandon Potteiger, Alec Rabedeau, and Ryan Smith.  And, now that you have been confirmed, there is just one question that remains—now what?  It is a question we could ask of all of us, when we have turned a page in our lives.  Now what?  It is a question we could ask of all of us, when we awake to a new day.  Now what?  It is a question that provokes us to respond in faithfulness to God.  Now what?

What will we do now that we have greater responsibility in the life of the church?  What will we do now that we have this (whatever “this” may be) under our belts or behind us?  What will we do now that we have been given this new day?  What will we do now that we have opportunity staring us in the face?  Consider all the resources and gifts placed in our laps.  Now what?

How will we serve God?  How will we give witness to the gift of faith in our hearts?  How will we proclaim Jesus Christ?  Let the words of our Lord encourage all of us forward in ministry to the good news of God in Christ Jesus:  “Well done, good and faithful servants.  You have been trustworthy in a few things, I will put you in charge of many things.  Enter into the joy of your master.”

                                                                                                In Christ,

                                                                                                Pastor Joel

Top of Page   Previous Month   Next Month   Good News Grace Newsletter