The Last of August

Okay. I'm going to try not to be too melodramatic here. Today was a beautiful, somewhat muggy summer day. After a foggy a.m, the sun came out just before noon with nary a cloud in the sky. We got out the wading pool (though with only an inch or two of water in it, that barely qualifies for puddle-jumping, I guess) on the back deck, the boys frolicked merrily with their toys, and after less than five minutes in the warm sun I was "glowing."

Yet.

This is the first really "summer" day we've had in a week or so, with some cool, cloudy days giving us whiffs of a change. The tomatoes are coming in, which is always delicious, but also imminently telling. AND the flies are getting slow and fat. Yes, that's a rather gross observation. But they're not only annoying when they're like this; they're bearers of news that I'm not ready to accept.

We still have twenty-three days of summer left. Technically. After five years in Minnesota, though, I know that the next three weeks could change our encounters with the outdoors fairly significantly. Don't get me wrong; I love autumn. (Check out this quick overview of the solstices and season changes; so interesting!) I always think summer is my favorite season until gorgeous, melancholy autumn arrives. But after last winter, which seemed to last forever--okay, so it wasn't six months of winter. It was closer to eight.--I don't want to let these warm days go.

So, as a fond embrace of the glories of summer, I give you this; a glimpse of our simple afternoon in the sun. So many days like this; so many sweet moments of spilling lemonade, squabbling briefly over toys, getting dirty and WET, and generally having a gentle, lovely time watching two boys enjoy warmth and sun.

 

Giving Thanks for Life.

I've been struggling for a few weeks to deal with some thrice-removed stresses--that is, things that bother me that 97% of the time don't directly affect me or my family's daily life but which still matter to me because they deal with people that matter to me. I know worrying is wrong. Yet I've spent far too much time turning thoughts and comments and incidents over and over in my head, trying to understand them and, in a weirdly existential-cum-physical way, fix them by understanding them.

Then God smacked me with reality and perspective.

A dear, dear friend called last Wednesday. This friend and I have shared countless joys together--college achievements, engagements, marriages, the births of our children. One particularly poignant joy we have had is to share pregnancies--we've been pregnant at the same time with our kids. She just shared with me about a month ago that they were expecting again, so we'd be pregnant together again for the third time. We've joked that perhaps we'll actually hit the same due date someday.

My friend called to tell me that she and her husband lost their third child to miscarriage.

She told me she thought about waiting a day to tell me since we were planning a visit for Thursday. Our visit turned out to be vastly different than what both of us had anticipated--shared joy at being together, shared sorrow at the loss they suffer. And in the midst of our friends' incredible grief, they showed us how to give thanks for life.


Thursday night, my friend's husband led us in prayer. He began by reading Psalm 51. When he reached "in sin did my mother conceive me," his voice broke. Then he prayed with thanks for what God has given us and what He has taken away. And his simple petition reminded me that we are so thankful for all of life, from the long and full-lived to the short and not-yet-visibly lived. We do not see how God will use our friends' precious child's life to His glory. But He loves that child more than we can ever comprehend. And He loves our friends, and their broken spirits, more than we can ever comprehend.

My friend has been blessed with a vocation outside the home in which she serves others. And in the midst of her shock and wordless tears, she was able to see and articulate how God will use their loss for others' gain in her vocation--that she will now be able to better understand and empathize with women she sees and visits with who have also lost children to miscarriage. She essentially was giving thanks for her child's all-too-brief life, for that life will bless her with deeply insightful care for others that she otherwise wouldn't be able to provide.

God is mysterious. His ways are not our ways; His work in our broken world is hidden from us. And we can't even begin to understand or fix our brokenness. So the greatest mystery of all is that He gave His Son's life for ours so that none of us--our spouses, our children both born and unborn--would die. He has numbered the hairs of our heads and all of our days. He loves us with an everlasting love.

Have mercy on me, O God,
   according to your steadfast love;
according to your abundant mercy
   blot out my transgressions.
² Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity,
   and cleanse me from my sin!
 ³ For I know my transgressions,
   and my sin is ever before me.
⁴ Against you, you only, have I sinned
   and done what is evil in your sight,
so that you may be justified in your words
   and blameless in your judgment.
⁵ Behold, I was brought forth in iniquity,
   and in sin did my mother conceive me.
⁶ Behold, you delight in truth in the inward being,
   and you teach me wisdom in the secret heart.
 ⁷ Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean;
   wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.
⁸ Let me hear joy and gladness;
   let the bones that you have broken rejoice.
⁹ Hide your face from my sins,
   and blot out all my iniquities.
¹⁰ Create in me a clean heart, O God,
   and renew a right spirit within me.
¹¹ Cast me not away from your presence,
   and take not your Holy Spirit from me.
¹² Restore to me the joy of your salvation,
   and uphold me with a willing spirit.
 ¹³ Then I will teach transgressors your ways,
   and sinners will return to you.
¹⁴ Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God,
   O God of my salvation,
   and my tongue will sing aloud of your righteousness.
¹⁵ O Lord, open my lips,
   and my mouth will declare your praise.
¹⁶ For you will not delight in sacrifice, or I would give it;
   you will not be pleased with a burnt offering.
¹⁷ The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;
   a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise.
 ¹⁸ Do good to Zion in your good pleasure;
    build up the walls of Jerusalem;
¹⁹ then will you delight in right sacrifices,
   in burnt offerings and whole burnt offerings;
   then bulls will be offered on your altar.

                                                                        ~Psalm 51

Homily for MNS LWML Retreat ~July, 2011

24 Now Thomas, one of the Twelve, called the Twin, was not with them when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the mark of the nails, and place my finger into the mark of the nails, and place my hand into his side, I will never believe.”
26 Eight days later, his disciples were inside again, and Thomas was with them. Although the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you.” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and put out your hand, and place it in my side. Do not disbelieve, but believe.” 28 Thomas answered him, “My Lord and my God!” 29 Jesus said to him, “Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”
30 Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; 31 but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name. (John 20:24-31)

Does God love me?
Why is this happening to me, or to my loved ones?
Am I saved? (For some, doubt even leads us to question our salvation.)
The devil always targets the First Commandment, tempting you to give up on the sure promises of God.
Remain where God has placed you. Pray for patience and understanding in the midst of trial and tribulation. Return again and again to the places God has promised to be there FOR YOU. Hear His Word, receive His Supper. God gives you these things as rest areas as you travel the interstate of life. God’s promises in Christ are as certain as Jesus resurrection from the dead. Do not disbelieve, but believe.

18 For I consider that the sufferings of this present time are not worth comparing with the glory that is to be revealed to us. 19 For the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the sons of God. 20 For the creation was subjected to futility, not willingly, but because of him who subjected it, in hope 21 that the creation itself will be set free from its bondage to corruption and obtain the freedom of the glory of the children of God. 22 For we know that the whole creation has been groaning together in the pains of childbirth until now. 23 And not only the creation, but we ourselves, who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, groan inwardly as we wait eagerly for adoption as sons, the redemption of our bodies. 24 For in this hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what he sees? 25 But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.
26 Likewise the Spirit helps us in our weakness. For we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words. 27 And he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. 28 And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose. (Romans 8:18-28)

In the Name of +Jesus, Amen.

Tardy Commemoration of Samuel: August 20

Commemoration of Samuel: August 20

Sermon for Those People Who Didn't Hear the Gospel at the Church They Attended Today or for Those Who Slept In This Morning

Ninth Sunday after Trinity
21 August 2011
Rev. Jon C. Olson

The “dishonest manager” and “the sons of this world” are wiser than the “sons of light” because they recognize how desperate their situation is and go about their business with a focus and passion for improving it.

Christians are the “sons of light”. Here Jesus gives His Church a warning not to become lazy and complacent. Jesus wants the “sons of light” to be just as zealous and passionate as the dishonest manager in His parable. But what do we find when will we look at our lives? Do we have the same zeal and passion as the dishonest manager? It is easier and less work just to give in to our sinful flesh and selfish desires. And the devil likes and encourages you and I to do it. But you cannot run with the devil, thinking he likes you, for very long. Soon he will destroy you. There is no lasting comfort, no real joy or satisfaction in the things he promises. The evil things, which smell so sweet, seem so attractive, so full of wonderful things, turn on us. They betray us and hand us over to embarrassing diseases, family pain, awkward failures, shame, and haunting memories. When will we learn to stop pursuing the things that hurt us and those around us? Why seek sappy sentiments and shallow praise when God Himself speaks in His Word and invites you to feast upon Him? Why remain comfortable by keeping silent compared to speaking the Truth in love to our family and friends caught up in sinful behavior? Repent. God’s people—the baptized, the confirmed, the members of His churches—often do not consider what they are doing and the risk they are taking. Repent.

Beware. Be on guard. Turn before it is too late. With zeal and single-mindedness, seek your own good. But unlike the dishonest manager, seek goodness not in money or the things of this world. Seek goodness where it may be found - in the promises declared in God's Word. Then go on and liive your life, use the wealth entrusted to you, toward the account you will give on the Last Day.

For there is an account to be given, an explanation, a running through of the events that take place throughout your life. And what will you say to the Almighty? Will you point to your deeds, to your sincerity and good intentions, to your charity and life? Will you make excuses for when you did not keep God’s Word? Will you justify your own sinful behavior? No. You will rejoice and not be afraid. For you will say: "I am Baptized into Christ. He because I could not pay it, paid the full redemption price. His works are mine. I am clean, pure, and righteous. I have come to receive my full inheritance. For the Innocent Blood of the Son of God shed by violent and wicked men has been recklessly poured out for me in mercy and compassion to purge me of my own violence and wickedness. God the Father through His Son, Jesus Christ, has made it so that I might be His own and live under Him in His kingdom forever. He has justified me because I cannot justify myself, He has adopted me into His family of the “sons of light”, and rescued me from sin, death and the power of the devil. He has named me. I have no debts, no dishonor, no guilt, no shame, or regret. I have Christ. The voice of Jesus has called me here. In Him, though my sins were like scarlet, they are as white as snow. Though they were red like crimson, they are as wool—for the Blood of Christ has not stained them. The blood of Christ has instead washed my sins away and made me clean.”

And while we wait that account-giving Day, doing everything in the Name of the Lord with passion and intensity, by its approach and the Hope that is in us—we are generous with all that the Lord has given us to manage. We perform works of mercy, the philanthropy of the Creator through our lives, by giving away the gifts of creation and by offering to the world forgiveness and salvation in His Name without cost or price. All things are brought into His service: music we sing and listen to, art that declares the goodness of creation, jobs that serve others, food to sustain us in this life, recreation (like beach vacations in South Carolina), family gatherings—in short, all of our life. Everything is pressed into the service of this proclamation, this hope: "God, who sacrificed His Son to make us His children, will not abandon us to this fallen world, to the abuse of dishonest managers, to the abuse of our own foolish, selfish ways, or even to the abuse of the devil. God will not send us to Hell. The Father is merciful in Christ. He is faithful unto death. He is coming back to claim His own. We have a Friend in heaven, an Advocate before the Father, whose goodwill has been bought with what is not ours. He will receive us into heaven for He has paid for our sins. We are forgiven."

Our lives, everything we have, everything we do, everything we are hinge upon forgiveness in Christ Jesus. There is nothing else. Let us run with our eye on the prize. Let us be as shrewd and focused as the dishonest manager who looked after himself. Let us come hungry to receive His body and His blood, at His invitation, and feast upon that which is truly good and good for us: the Risen Lord. His Body and His Blood shall free us from the strangle hold of death to the liberation of life everlasting with Jesus in heaven. We are now free to be devoted, to be compulsive, and even obsessed Christians who care for others without concern of what it will cost us. Let us be zealous, extreme, and even radical. Let us not be ashamed, for Christ is our Savior, our future, and our reward. In the end, He is the only account we shall give. In Him, Our Father is well pleased - with you.

HOW many kids did you say?

Thanks to Rebekah for her post "Six" on a blog I read frequently (see CSPPon the right). It's short, so I'm shamelessly reprinting the entire thing here.

Here is how I understand family size (with the caveat that among Christians who have given no indication to the contrary, I am so mired in my own reality as to consider non-contraception to be the default practice. Terribly naive of me, I know, though I mean for it to be charitable):

1=small (may indicate fertility problems)

2=Normal! Way to go!

3=trying for a boy or girl, or a "mistake"

4-5=bigger than normal (indicates mild or moderate parental zaniness, or twins)

But six is where it gets serious. Six kids doesn't happen by accident. Six kids is beyond zany. Six is full-on crazy. Six kids very likely means a weird vehicle. Six is Big.

Six is also where some people (not all) seem to begin considering themselves major parenting experts and get real annoying. I promise I'll try not to do that. (It would be hard to come off as a parenting expert when my oldest kid is eight, anyway--lots of critical stages still not even touched.)

I think six will have some advantages, though. No odd box of raisins left to fossilize in the cabinet. That's been a huge problem with five.

I don't know about you, but fossilized raisins are definitely my motivation for having more kids.  :)

C'mon! What more reason--raisin?--do you need?

I've been ruminating lately on the differing attitudes between people on "appropriate" numbers of children. It never ceases to surprise me when I hear people ask about non-relatives' reproductive intentions. Pregnancy just seems to bring out the tell-all in people, doesn't it?

That aside, I think most people probably accept the norms they're surrounded with. My great-grandparents were in the "crazy" category; several of them had ten and twelve siblings. My grandparents were in much smaller families, either from family disruption or fertility problems or the Depression or any number of things, even a combination. My paternal grandparents were only children. My maternal grandparents had two other siblings (three total). That being said, my dad has three siblings, my mom has four; my father-in-law was an only child, and my mother-in-law has two sisters. Maybe the slightly higher numbers of kids in my small example reflect the post-WWII boom. Who knows?

My parents had three (twins first--that's me and my sister) and then my brother; my in-laws had two (Papa and his sister). In my very unofficial opinion, I think these numbers probably reflect the norm for the times. Of all the hundreds of kids I knew growing up, I only knew a handful who came from families with more than three kids. I was always fascinated by families with four kids or more. As I've gotten older, I've noticed that most of those families that have more kids are mixed; that is, the parents were married before and their children aren't biologically related. Maybe that phenomenon partly fuels the fascination of families with more than three biological children. One mom! One dad! Many babies! (+ a little reproductive technology) = Perfect Recipe for Reality Show Success!  

In our rural area, people in my generation seem to be having, on average, three or four biological kids. In fact, I read in a recent novel that "four is the new two" with kids. I don't know if this is true, but it seems to be, at least with those younger-ish people I know who are old enough to have been married and procreated quatro times. At any rate, there's several people in our congregation who came from or have had families of six, eight, nine, twelve children. When there's a lot of examples of "big" families around, it doesn't seem so weird to have more than three.

No one's asked us--yet--if we're "planning" on having more kids. I'm thinking that day is coming...soon. Especially because now we know we're expecting a girl.

But doesn't a girl need a sister? :)

Flashback Tuesday, Part II: "I'm Tree!" Birthday for P

Here come the trucks... and the candy! A parade just for MY birthday!

"I'm the birthday boy! I'm tree!" So announced P on his birthday (and for a few days after). P's birthday weekend was a grand-slam-trifecta for him, due to the convergence of his big day on Friday, the Water Tower Festival parade on Saturday, and a first visit to the movies to see Cars 2 during its premiere Sunday. Or maybe it was the fire truck balloon, the fire chief, hat, playing Candy Land, jumping on big inflatables, going to the park, and eating candy, cookies, and cake that really made his weekend. Life is sweet at three; whether P was regaled with simple pleasures or fancy really didn't matter because so many things bring him joy. What a joy for us, then, to witness and share!

Grandpa and Grandma E really had fun with the boys during P's June birthday weekend. I've stolen some pics from my mom's blog (see more of hers here); the rest--sad excuses for pictures, because Papa was at the LWML national convention in Peoria, and thus missed out on all the birthday fun AND manning the camera--are mine.

Post birthday mess. I love it. True happiness exhibits itself in the wild impropriety of strewn paper, ribbons, and balloons.

S: "So, um.... when can I play with that?"

About to tackle Candy Land! Grandpa is EXCITED. Not sure about S.

P: "But can't Finn McMissile get to King Candy's Castle, too? And aren't you done yet with that camera, Mama?"

YUM! Birthday cupcake! Notice the cars parked just so.

They're COMING! P was so excited about the parade he shrieked from the curb. People around us couldn't hide their smiles.

Will I get a parade like this when I'm "tree"?

 

Fire trucks--always a highlight.

Taking a little walking break.

This float featured a replica of the Water Tower of said Festival. No matter how mundane the object, a water tower on a parade float is not something you see often.

Coming back from another trip to the park!

What a sweet, special boy.

Flashback Tuesday, Part I: First Birthday for a Little Big S

And the chocolate just keeps on melting! Photo lifted from Mom.

 Now that we've reached S's 15 month and P's three-year (one month late) checkups, it's time for me to post pics about their birthdays. There's no time like the present, I always say! Or did somebody else say that? :)

Sadly, I don't actually remember much about S's first birthday because I was in the throes of early pregnancy, and, well, there's really not much more I can say. Good thing Mom took copious notes and many great pictures; read her account and peruse her gems here and here.

At any rate, S enjoyed his first birthday--playing with boxes and wrapping paper, eating his cupcake (but only after devouring chocolate-chip cookies--see below), cuddling with loved ones. He's a great one for backing up like a tank into someone's crossed-legs lap. Then he grunts when he sits down. "Ugnh." It's priceless. I still can't believe our "baby" is now walking--practically running, talking--"park" and "dog" are the latest, bringing me books to read to him, and so obviously a toddler now and NOT an infant. But here he is on his first birthday!

Helping Daddy...

All ready to open cards and presents and eat... what is that? And we always look this ready in pictures!

Ooooh. This might not end well...

P "helping" to get gifts for S... guess who was most excited about the presents?!

Weebles!!

Christmas wrapping paper!! My favorite!

P kept us on track when S was happily playing with packaging, or whatever else happened to be on the floor.

It's the Weeble Bus!!

Guess who manned the cameras?

Playing with boxes. The ultimate first birthday experience.

Birthdays are SO fun.