Your Faith Journey - Finding God Through Words, Song and Praise

Today, we had a special musical performance of Blessed Assurance by the Faith Bells at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan. Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC

Today, we had a special musical performance of Saved By Grace by the Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan. Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC

Year C – 15th Sunday after Pentecost; Lectionary 25 – September 21, 2025 Pastor Megan Floyd Luke 16:1-13   Grace and peace to you from God and the Holy Spirit, and from Jesus Christ, who, together, offer liberation through reorientation. Amen. *** Jesus says… we cannot serve both God and wealth. …and yet, it is as true today as it was then… that both God and wealth, or Mammon, demand to be our top priority. These words from Jesus are convicting… we cannot serve both God and wealth… they are convicting… because we know in our heart… they are true. …and Jesus… well… he tends to be right. That’s why we’re here, yes? I actually prefer the old translation… instead of wealth, the original Greek uses the Aramaic word, Mammon. Mammon is a personification for the acquisition of wealth… something Martin Luther called in the Large Catechism, the “most common god on earth.” So, it isn’t so much wealth or money alone… that demands our dedication… Jesus doesn’t criticize wealthy people just for being wealthy… and money is a tool we all must use. But it’s the pursuit of money for the sake of getting richer that Jesus condemns… it’s the drive to store up more and more at the expense of others, the persistent need to acquire more and more that takes over our lives. To build bigger barns while others are starving… and then to rationalize our greed and overabundance… this is the Mammon that Jesus warns us against. To worship Mammon is to prioritize the accumulation of wealth… while disregarding the suffering and needs of others. Mammon demands that we look only to our own wants and desires, acquiring only for ourselves alone. Mammon is… isolating. God… on the other hand… demands that we put God above all else, and then look to our neighbor… God invites us to look through the lens of God’s love… and look to the needs of our neighbor first… so that we may flourish together… through relationship and in community. We cannot serve both God and Mammon. So… to illustrate this point… Jesus offers a rather strange parable. And all the authors I’ve read seem to agree that this one is just weird and challenging. It helps, I think, to dig into the context… and recall the economics of Roman-occupied Galilee in the first century. Remember… that the Roman Empire exploited the people's resources and labor through crippling taxation, which was often more than the average peasant could pay. And the rich landlords and rulers were basically loan sharks who got richer by exploiting peasants… offering loans to pay their taxes, but with exorbitant interest rates, something that was in direct violation of biblical covenantal law. So, when the peasants couldn’t pay back the loans, the rich would take ownership of their farm, disinheriting the peasant farmers of their family land… But they would “graciously” allow the peasants to stay on as tenant farmers… who now had to pay both taxes to the Roman government AND a high percentage of their yield to the rich new landowner. So… the rich got richer… and the poor got poorer. It was… an unjust system. Furthermore, the rich tended to live in the south, around Judea… while the peasant farmers lived in the north, around Galilee. The rich landowners wouldn’t go back and forth themselves… that could be dangerous, so they utilized middle managers to collect their spoils. These managers would also add to the debt that the farmers owed, because that’s how they got paid… and the more they added, the more money they made for themselves. It was the manager’s prerogative to squeeze these poor farmers out of as much of their crops… as much of their wheat, wine, and olive oil as possible. The farmers were, after all, expendable… all that mattered was gaining more wealth. Mammon. And so now here we are… Jesus’ teaching… his words for us today continue on from the gospel from last week. Last week’s scene opened with the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, grumbling because this man, Jesus, welcomes sinners and eats with them. Jesus put people over and above social order and expectations. So, he tells the grumbling Pharisees these parables… There was a lost sheep… there was a lost coin… there was a lost son. And then comes our text for today… “There was a rich man who had a manager…” “There was a rich man… who had a manager.” Does it ring a little differently now? This manager is about to get fired for squandering his boss’ property… he’s in trouble for not delivering as much as the rich man thought he should have. He’s about to be tossed out on his butt with nothing… so what does he do? What does he do? Once the hold of Mammon is broken… he has clarity! He realizes… that what he needs in his life are people. Mammon… the pursuit of wealth… drives people away. But for true flourishing… we need community. Money isn’t the ultimate measure of things… not in God’s economy! Our neighbor… our relationships and our community… this is where true riches are found. But… this guy… this middle-manager… he’s still locked in an unjust system… he’s still trapped by it, just as much as the poor farmers are still trapped… but he realizes… he realizes that generosity is the best investment. He uses that ill-gotten wealth, gained from exploiting others, to ease the debt burden on his neighbors, and gain social capital in the process. It’s very possible that the amounts he reduced each person’s debt by was the amount of his portion, and the interest that was added onto it. Because… after all, the rich man is ultimately impressed. His manager chose to forego wealth… for the riches of relationships. He used the last remaining shreds of power he had to disrupt the unjust system… and revive the community by reviving biblical, covenantal economic life. He revives the community and gives them hope… by reorienting himself back to God’s command to love God above everything else… and to love our neighbor. He is liberated from Mammon… set free from the addictive nature of chasing after wealth and hoarding resources at the expense of his neighbors’ well-being. And he is transformed… restored into community when he realizes that people matter so much more than money. Because in God’s economy… your neighbor’s needs are bound up with your own. (x 2) Our own true flourishing and riches can only be achieved by working for the well-being of others. We cannot serve both God and Mammon. And that’s that. Jesus leaves some loose ends in this parable… there’s no epilogue… no discourse where Jesus fully explains its meaning to his disciples, who never seem to understand anyway. We are simply left with the wondering… left with the open question of “how much more…” If even this dishonest manager can realize that relationships and people are more important than chasing after money… then… how much more… should the children of light realize that “true riches” have to do with relationships rather than wealth or possessions. How much more? You see… Jesus never says that having money is bad… or criticizes wealthy people for being wealthy. What matters for Jesus… is what you do with that wealth. What Jesus says… is that when we reorient ourselves back to God and God’s commandments… when we love God above all else, and love our neighbor as ourselves… Then it changes our relationships. Our relationships with our neighbors are transformed when we realize that we are all connected… and every person is valuable to the community, and that every person is loved by God. And… reorienting ourselves back to God… changes our relationship with money. Rather than allowing money to become an idol… we understand that money is a tool, and we can use it to help others, so that together, we are blessed. Here’s a beautiful example… in my old church, the men’s group met monthly on a Saturday to make homemade bread and have breakfast together. …No agenda, other than spending time together and making delicious bread. Then they’d offer that fresh, homemade bread to the congregation and collect a free-will offering… and… I know they always held back a few loaves for the single mom who was getting by on pennies. Finally, they used the money they raised to fund microloans through a non-profit program called Kiva, which offers very low—or no-interest loans for entrepreneurs in underserved communities worldwide. As the loans were paid back, which they always were, the men reinvested the funds in other people, giving more and more people the boost they needed to help themselves and their communities. The more they gave away, the more they found they were richly blessed, and they always seemed to have more to give… more to invest in people. And so, out of their abundance, they also regularly gave to our youth program, and to our food ministry… and to so many other ministries. These men were quietly committed to sharing as much as they could, and they delighted in watching how their investments in people always brought returns. Blessing others and investing their money in helping to heal unjust economic systems… was a true joy for them… and their joy was our joy! And this gospel today… this challenging piece of good news… is also a source of joy. Because Jesus came to bring good news to the poor… to set the oppressed free, to restore us to each other… and to liberate us from the bondage of our sin… and Mammon… Mammon is a big one. But Jesus does not leave us to the destruction of our sin… Jesus calls us back, time and time again… back to God and to the source of our salvation. Jesus reminds us that we are commanded to serve only one God, who is above all other gods. A God who loves us and has given us the way of everlasting life… who liberates us… and points us toward the true richness found in relationships and community. So, love the Lord your God with all your heart, and all your soul, and all your mind… and love your neighbor as yourself. Trust in the good news of Jesus and in God’s commands. Do this… and you will be richly blessed. Amen. ________________________________________________________________

Today, we had a special musical performance of Panis Angelicus with a solo by Cody Boyan at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan. Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC

Today, we had a special musical performance of Holy Thy Name by the Faith Lutheran Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan. Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC

Sermon 9-14-25, Ex 32:7-14, Lk 15: 1-10   The scripture for today really caused me to lean into my identity as a chaplain – and a word of warning – a chaplain will likely leave you with more questions than answers… The role of a chaplain is to ask questions that support others in remembering and reconnecting with their own coping strategies and belief systems One question that today’s scripture brings up is What is the nature of God?   /        /        / This is a question that I often explore with patients I think of the 50-year-old woman with newly diagnosed triple-negative breast cancer – a very aggressive and difficult-to-treat cancer -- who finds the courage to ask “Is God punishing me for something?” as she comes to terms with how every aspect of her life is now upended and at risk /        /        / What is the nature of God?   This is an age-old question that humankind continues to wrestle with Not only among various religious traditions But also within Christianity Maybe especially within Christianity This disagreement is understandable – as we have two conflicting examples of God’s nature in scripture today. In Exodus, the Lord says to Moses: “…Now let me alone, so that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them” (Ex. 32:10) /        /        / Then in Luke Jesus likens God to one who continues to seek, welcome and rejoice over humankind – especially those who have “been lost” Throughout scripture we can find examples of God’s nature to justify whatever perspective we choose to hold As we can with most issues Is God slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love or punishing sinners in judgement? Perhaps the more challenging debate lies within the questions about ourselves What do we believe?    How do we live out those beliefs? How do we respond when we inevitably bump up against life circumstances and people who challenge those beliefs? /        /        /        / I utilize psychology and sociology often as a chaplain, and draw upon those studies as I reflect on theology – the study of God – today Anthropomorphism is placing human attributes on things or beings that are not human We do this with our pets all the time, imagining their mood or desires We do this with plants and trees, imagining the grass is crying out in despair after days without rain – or rejoicing after the rain finally comes It’s easy with these examples to recognize how we’re likely projecting ourselves onto our dog or cat or lawn But what about with God? Might we also project ourselves onto who we wish God to be? /        /        /        / So I read and reflect upon today’s scripture with the awareness that anthropomorphism and projecting are real I also reflect on them from an Internal Family Systems perspective which acknowledges that we have different, and sometimes competing parts of ourselves that influence our thoughts and behavior This acknowledges how at times there is a part of myself that wants my enemy to suffer AND a part of myself that wants to extend compassion to my enemy /        /        /        / Going back to the reading from Exodus with this perspective I think about Moses Moses who at the beginning of his call story begged God to pick someone else – anyone else – to do this work Moses who realized the difficulty of his call and lamented the grumbling and complaining of the Israelites to God Moses who continually turned around and devoted himself to guiding and teaching these people who kept messing up and falling short of “the plan” Moses who today implored God to return to God’s good nature – and changed God’s mind /        /        /        / The Israelites built the golden calf and began worshipping it instead of God This is the famous example of idolatry that Abrahamic traditions reference But, it also demonstrates humankind’s greed – And desire to possess and control God /        /        /        / If God seems to stretch us too far out of our comfort zone Let’s project onto God traits that are more like us Let us make a god into one we can understand And abide And feel better about worshipping /        /        /        / So we hear this anger from God in the book of Exodus over the people worshipping the golden calf and breaking the covenant They break their promise to worship only God They cannot keep their end of the bargain And God is angry – so angry God plans to burn wrath hot against them and consume them! But I wonder Is this God’s anger Or Moses’? Moses - After years of serving in this role that he didn’t really want Teaching and guiding and nurturing these people Literally participating in saving their lives While being on the receiving end of their grumbling and disobedience I wonder if Moses is angry /        /        /        / Fast-forward about 1200 years and the religious leaders are grumbling The Pharisees are grumbling about Jesus who cannot be controlled Jesus the Christ cannot be predicted or contained Jesus’ love is bigger than what the law holds as he welcomes those outsiders Jesus, one with God, is despised and rejected Jesus persists in showing compassion to sinners Those who aren’t keeping the covenant promise with God /        /        /        / Jesus gives us yet another window through which to glimpse the nature of God Through his own actions And with two parables One about a shepherd and one about a woman These are two other groups in addition to the tax collectors that the Pharisees looked down upon And here Jesus likens God to both a shepherd and a woman       /        / Jesus draws us a picture with his story of God who rejoices over those who return to God – and calls a huge celebration! /        /        /        / What is the nature of God? Jesus is trying to show the Pharisees that their righteousness has become a barrier to their ability to experience God Perhaps the merit of following the law is not the most important thing Somehow keeping track of right and wrong is preventing them from sharing in God’s love and celebration “there will be more joy in heaven over one sinner who repents than over ninety-nine righteous persons who need no repentance” (Lk 15:7) The wild thing is that in these parables we know that neither sheep nor coins can repent There is no criticism of the sheep who wandered off, wondering what was it thinking and how long it wasn’t paying attention to where it SHOULD have been going It’s laughable to blame a coin for getting lost in the couch but I suppose we’d likely blame the caretaker of that coin for being so irresponsible God is rejoicing over what the Pharisees would have called worthless sheep and coins Who cannot even repent Which begs the question -- can we repent? /        /        /        / In spite of Moses’ – or God’s anger In spite of ignorance and sinning and irresponsibility God keeps the covenant God keeps God’s promise God continues to show humankind mercy And Jesus is calling the Pharisees – and us - out God calls us out of the human nature of judgement and criticism And toward God’s celebration /        /        /        / What is the nature of God? Maybe deciding we know the answer to that question is like building another golden calf Maybe focusing on God’s nature is yet another way to avoid confronting our own nature What parts of ourself want to burn hot against someone What parts of ourself feel justified in the good works we do What parts of ourself continue to notice the short-comings of others What parts of ourself criticize our own mistakes or times when we chose poorly What parts of ourself limit our ability to celebrate and rejoice for keeping track of all our own faults and all that’s wrong in this world /        /        /        / What is the nature of God? I do know that I want God to be slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love when I’m looking into this woman’s tearful eyes listening to hear fears about not seeing her teenage daughter graduate from high school I also recognize the part of me that wants God to be a flaming hot wrath consuming the one whose actions and words seem so wrong And because of that I know that I have to let it go – and let God be God And refocus on my call and challenge as a Christian To continue to wrestle with the enormity of God’s love To believe that God keeps God’s promise even when I can’t keep mine To give love to myself and to my neighbor in ridiculous and generous ways And in the midst of it all, celebrate and rejoice with God Amen.  

Today, we had a special musical performance of Heavenly Sunlight by the Faith Lutheran Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

Year C – 13th Sunday after Pentecost; Lectionary 23 – September 7, 2025 Pastor Megan Floyd Deuteronomy 30:15-20 Psalm 1 Luke 14:25-33   Grace and peace to you from God, our Creator, and from Jesus, our Savior, who urges us to choose life, so that we may live. Amen. *** These are some challenging words from Jesus today. …Reminds me of the good news from a few weeks ago, when Jesus said he did not come to bring peace, but division… these words make me catch my breath. Yet they are part of the Good News and have been set before us… and so today, we will wrestle with them… together. “Whoever comes to me and does not hate their family, and yes, even life itself, cannot be my disciple.” Is Jesus really telling us that… hate… is a mark of discipleship? Isn’t God supposed to be all about love? Isn’t the greatest commandment, above all the others… You shall love the Lord, your God, and then… you shall love your neighbor as you love yourself. Yes! Jesus did say that! …and it wasn’t new information… he was drawing from Deuteronomy and Leviticus, which his listeners would have known. And what about the fourth commandment… You shall honor your father and mother? How are we to follow God’s commandment to honor our parents if Jesus states that we cannot become his disciples unless we hate them? We call the gospels Good News… but Good News… isn’t always easy to hear. And yet… it is still good. It is good because it comes from God, who is, indeed, all about love. But it requires us to make choices… choices between life and death… blessings and curses. Choose to fear and love the Lord, your God, above all else. The one who created you, who loved you into existence, desires for you to put God and God’s commandments before everything else. Following God has always been about loving God above all else… because we are so loved. And we know… we know… that following God’s will for us… that following God’s commandments does, in fact, lead to a full life blessed with love and abundance… …it leads to communities that care for the needs of others, where all people are valued and supported, and where everyone has enough. Even though God desires for us to choose this life and these blessings… it still comes with a cost. See, the common thread between our texts today is God’s desire for us to first recognize all that God offers us… all that God has laid out for us to consider… and then to make the choice, the only choice… that leads to a flourishing life. …not just for us alone, for we are not meant to be alone… but a flourishing life as communities that have chosen to love God above all else. Choose life… so that you may live… but count the costs of this life of discipleship so you don’t make this choice blindly… and you will know …that what God offers is good. We know all about making choices… and we know all about making sacrifices for those choices. There are the little choices we make every day, like choosing a healthy lunch over fast food, because we know that while that burger and fries might taste great in the moment… if that was all we ate, every day… we wouldn’t feel so great. And generally what you choose to eat for lunch doesn’t become your whole identity… it doesn’t demand that you put everything and everyone else as secondary. That would be crazy. But there are choices we make… sacrifices we make… that require this of us… like for example… the choice to play youth travel sports. Working in youth ministry, I regularly lamented the rise in popularity of youth travel sports. Maybe some of you have had your kids involved in travel teams, I don’t know… And if you did and loved them, you might get angry with me about this… But here’s my perspective from the ministry side of things. Whenever one of my church youth joined a travel team, it was pretty much the death blow to whatever life of faith they and their family had been developing until that point. Participation in travel teams demanded that everything else be sacrificed. First, the family had to invest thousands of dollars every year for their child to be on the team, which wasn’t even a guarantee they’d play. And, it was a travel team, so every weekend, the family would be traveling for games… and over the years, it seemed that weekends alone weren’t enough, so they started planning for other games during the week. These teams insisted that for the athlete to be successful, every available moment needed to be devoted to the travel team. The team was the highest priority, and if you challenged that, you couldn’t be on the team. And so, these kids sacrificed a lot. They sacrificed any opportunity to be involved in anything else with their school or friends. They sacrificed their grades as they struggled to balance school and their commitments to the team. And they sacrificed their faith, and any relationships their family had been nurturing at their church… all of this was sacrificed on the altar of youth travel sports. And for what? …for the hope that someday they might play professionally? I suppose… it occasionally happens, but not usually. Everything in their world became focused on themselves and the game… Their parents supported it, or often even pushed their kid to do it, because they thought they were giving them the best chance to get ahead in this life… in this culture. And… it always broke my heart. Always. Because, in my observations… once a family chose to sacrifice everything for youth travel sports… sacrifice everything for their child’s individual teenage success, it was almost impossible to bring them back around to the importance of their faith community. There would be no more opportunities to show them the incredible transformation in ourselves and in the people around us when we choose, not to live just for ourselves, but to live for God and others. There would be no more opportunities to show them how much loving others, as God loves us, is actually one of the most beautiful blessings of all. And no more opportunities to walk with them on their faith journey, when the doubt creeps in, or they get angry with God about something that happened… To be able to offer the kind of reassurance that can only come from the people in your faith community who are with you on that journey, and can speak into your experience. Now please understand… I know that youth travel sports are not really the problem… and I’m sure not all of them are as intense as the ones I encountered. They are a product of our culture that tells us every day that if you aren’t focused on your own personal gain and success, then you’ve already lost. But that’s actually contrary to God’s desire for us…we weren’t created to be alone… we weren’t created to toil away as individuals. We were created to succeed and flourish as a people when we love and honor God first, and love and honor our neighbors… when we follow God’s commandments. By prioritizing God and the collective needs of the community over our own, we discover what God knew to be true all along… we discover that our hearts and lives are transformed, and we are abundantly blessed. This life of discipleship… this life of following Jesus… leads to an abundant life… but it comes with a cost. We must be willing to put God first in our lives… before all else… and to trust that God is faithful and true in God’s promise… that what God has set before us is life and prosperity… and death and adversity. And God wants us to choose life, and that life is good. So the mark of discipleship is not hatred for your family… no… the mark of discipleship is love for God above everything else. And when you love God above all else, it becomes your identity… and it becomes the lens through which you look at everything and everyone around you… so you see the world as God sees it. You see the world through God’s lens of perfect love. It’s a breathtaking view… a costly view, and the choice is yours to make… and the Good News is… God is going to keep putting this choice in front of you. God is going to keep putting this choice in front of you, no matter how far you have wandered, and no matter how much you have decided that the life of discipleship is too hard. The Good News is… God isn’t going to give up on you… because God loves you, and really wants you to choose life. Amen.

Today, we had a special musical performance of Precious Jesus with a solo from Deb Borton at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan. Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC

Year C – 12th Sunday after Pentecost; Lectionary 22 – August 31, 2025 Pastor Megan Floyd Proverbs 25:6-7a Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16 Luke 14:1, 7-14   Grace and peace to you from God, our Creator, and from Jesus, our Savior, who invites us to share in the gift of a meal, for which we can never repay. Amen. *** It is remarkable to me how often the Holy Spirit swirls around us with opportunities to practice the radical love that Jesus invites us into… And there are a couple of exciting ones that I’ll tell you about in a bit…. These opportunities were awesome when I first heard about them, but even more so after thinking about how they fit with our scripture today. The Spirit is feisty like that… I love it… but before I tell you about them… we need to talk about Jesus… and his lesson on table manners. Drawing from the old wisdom found in Proverbs, Jesus tells these Pharisees and leaders not to claim the most prestigious spot at the table, where you might have to lower yourself if someone higher in the social hierarchy arrives. But instead… choose the lowest spot, so that you might be honored when asked to move higher. “For all who exalt themselves will be humbled… and all who humble themselves will be exalted.” What Jesus leaves hanging in the air… is that if they intentionally choose the lowest spot… so that the host will honor them… choosing to humble themselves so that they may be exalted among others… then they have missed the point. …they have missed the point. The game of honor and shame… of social hierarchy and status… of being humbled or exalted before others… is not how the kingdom of God works. Jesus tells us to forego the shuffling around for status altogether and instead, invite those who cannot return the favor… to give to those who cannot give anything in return. Do not invite the elite of society to your dinner party. Instead, invite those whom our society pushes to the edges… the ones whom society would like to forget exist. Jesus’ word for us today… is to step away from the cultural expectation of social climbing and quid pro quo… to stop jockeying for status and prestige… Share a meal with those with whom no one else would dare share a meal … those who have no food to offer you in return. This is what Jesus himself did… time and time again… revealing to us the values of God’s kingdom. When you look upon those who have nothing to offer you… and recognize that in the eyes of God, you are equal… and you are both loved beyond measure… That is where God’s blessing is revealed… that is how we glimpse the face of God in our neighbor. Not by lording our status or privilege over them… but by recognizing that we are siblings through Christ. And just as I am reminded today of the radical hospitality that Jesus calls us to extend… I also remember that we are the ones who have nothing to offer… and yet, Jesus invites us to such a meal… We are the ones… whom Jesus has invited to come and share the meal of bread and wine… a meal that comes with the promised presence of our God, and the full and great cloud of witnesses from all time. We are the ones whom Jesus has invited to receive this incredible gift… for which we cannot ever repay, and for which we are only worthy to receive because Jesus has declared us to be worthy. We dine on such a meal almost every time we gather for worship… …and so, our Savior, Jesus Christ, is calling us to do for others, as he did for us… as Jesus continues to do for us. Jesus is inviting us to live in a completely different world within our culture… inviting us to embrace the values and ideals of God’s kingdom… inviting us to claim the blessing that is found by extending grace and hospitality to those whom others would just as soon forget. And to not only see ourselves as equal to them under God’s eyes… But to connect with them in such a way that their suffering becomes our suffering, their hunger becomes our hunger… their pain becomes our pain… so that together, we might break the causes of oppression, poverty, and harm. Because when our neighbor is suffering… it’s personal. It was counter-cultural then, and it is counter-cultural now… Jesus has been inviting us into something new, and something better… this whole time. Our text from Hebrews tells us to remember those in prison as if you were in prison… remember those being tortured as if you were being tortured. That’s a level of connection that most of us would rather avoid… Yet, we are urged not to keep those in need at arm’s length. They are our siblings in Christ, and God loves them as much as God loves us. This idea… completely topples the social hierarchy… and shreds the practice of jostling for the seat at the table that will earn you the most prestige. Invite those who cannot invite you in return… give to those who cannot repay your kindness. This kind of generosity… is the true source of God’s blessing. Still, I confess… that it’s easy to say… harder to do. However… we know that God’s Holy Spirit is with us on our faith journey, and this week was no exception. So, this is what I wanted to share with you… These opportunities seem Spirit-inspired. The first is something that our pantry team has been working on… they have been blessed with an abundance… and have been looking for ways to bless others beyond the visitors to our pantries… with that abundance. After much due diligence, they have connected with a group called Homeless Angels in Lansing. Every Sunday night, all year long, they serve a dinner in a park in Lansing where anyone can come and eat. The meals are sponsored by various organizations, and volunteers help serve the food. Along with the meal, they often have donated hygiene products and bags with non-perishable foods that folks can take with them. This is where our pantry team comes in. Out of their abundance, they will provide food items for our high schoolers to pack into easy-to-carry bags on September 21st, which is our first high school youth group night. Then, on Sunday, Sept. 28th, Gretchen and I will deliver the bags and stay to help serve the meal. We want to start building a relationship with this group and the neighbors they serve. …and by the way, this is an open invitation. If you’d like to join us, please do! Our hope is that our new High School Youth Group will be able to come and serve with this group at some point in the future. The other opportunity came from a conversation I had with Randy… he and Jamie volunteer at the Mission in Lansing on the fourth Thursday of every month. I know some of you have joined them from time to time… but Randy was telling me that they have moved into their new location… and now have the capacity to serve 300 at mealtimes. …and together, we lamented that there was a need to serve 300 at mealtimes. But the increased capacity means an increase in the need for volunteers to help serve those meals. And so here again… is another opportunity to serve and share a meal with those who cannot repay… These are both opportunities to share life with those whom Jesus would have given preference to… to share in their humanity. Jesus consistently gravitated toward those who were on the edges… toward those who are so pushed down that they couldn’t see the light. Jesus meets them in that space… and loves them… reminds them that they are beloved children of God… reminds them that they bear the image of God and they are worthy of God’s love. Jesus meets them… just as Jesus meets all of us wherever we are… and loves us… and calls us all to share God’s love… to share God’s invitation. And…. to give preference to those who cannot return the favor. For in doing so… in letting our guard down and allowing ourselves to share in the full humanity of our neighbor, whom God loves… Jesus knows that we will be blessed. Not because we have a higher place than them or a better seat at the table… or because we can congratulate ourselves on being so generous… that’s missing the point. We are blessed because when we look into their eyes, we glimpse the face of God. And the best news… The Holy Spirit will not stop showing up with opportunities for us to join in the work of bringing close God’s Kingdom. It’s an open invitation… so come to the party. Amen.

Today, we had a special musical performance of Kum Ba Ya by the Treble Maker Singers at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan. Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC

Year C – 11th Sunday after Pentecost; Lectionary 21 – August 24, 2025 Pastor Megan Floyd Isaiah 58:9b-14 Luke 13:10-17   Grace and peace to you from God, our Creator, who commands us to honor a liberating Sabbath. Amen. *** One of my colleagues shared a frustrating story this week… she has two small children who sit on the floor near the front of their sanctuary, and they quietly color while she leads worship. They aren’t making any noise or hurting anyone. And the kids are actually paying attention… just like someone who knits a scarf during a meeting… they’re just not paying attention in the same way that some of the adults think is appropriate. So those adults are giving her a hard time about it… and they’ve even suggested that maybe she should tell her kids to go color in the narthex or the nursery. These adults would rather there be no kids in worship… than to tolerate what they consider to be… the disrespectful behavior of coloring while hearing about God. …it’s almost as if the leaders from the synagogue where Jesus was teaching are now members of my colleague’s church… and they still don’t get it. Now… I don’t mean to throw shade over her people… because none of us are without fault. That’s why we all need God’s grace and mercy.   But what I hear in these texts today… from both Isaiah and the gospel, and from my colleague about her experience this past week… is that God’s people have been struggling to follow God’s commandments… for thousands of years. It’s not a new problem… but that’s not an excuse… because we are only hurting ourselves. How often have we given preference to rituals and traditions over radical hospitality and true welcome? How often have we opted for the appearance of righteousness instead of doing the work of true reflection, repentance, and change? …or opted for the appearance of clean and orderly city streets, sweeping away the problem… instead of addressing the system that created the problem? How often do we smooth over a wound or treat only the symptoms… instead of addressing the root cause of the illness? It’s not a new problem… this failure to follow God’s commandments… but we’re only hurting ourselves because, as Isaiah tells us, our joy and delight in the Lord… our joy and delight in this life… is connected to following these commandments… and to truly follow… we need each other. And we know this… we know this deep in our core… that this is true. God knows who we are… and knows what we need for a full and flourishing life. It’s already been given to us. But we’re stubborn. I want to give you some context for our text from Isaiah… it takes place after those who had been exiled to Babylon were allowed to return home and begin rebuilding Jerusalem and the temple. …so roughly 500 BCE If we had begun reading Isaiah 58 at verse 1, we would have heard that the people are frustrated because they have been fasting and crying out to God, but they feel God is ignoring them… Isaiah tells them that God is not ignoring them, but has, in fact, been paying very close attention… and is… not pleased. You see, they fast… while also committing injustice and abusing their workers, committing violence and causing harm to the poor and the oppressed. They give the appearance of humble worship on the sabbath… while looking only to their own interests. God… is not pleased… and declares… this is NOT the kind of fast I want! This is NOT how you honor the Sabbath! So… starting at Isaiah 58:6 [NET version], God declares… 6 This is the kind of fast I want:   I want you to remove the sinful chains, to tear away the ropes of the burdensome yoke, to set free the oppressed, and then to break every burdensome yoke. 7 I want you to share your food with the hungry and to provide homes for the homeless, oppressed people. When you see someone naked, clothe them! 8 Then your light will shine like the sunrise, your restoration will quickly arrive; your godly behavior will go before you, and the Lord’s splendor will be your rear guard. 9 Then you will call out, and the Lord will respond; you will cry out, and the Lord will reply, ‘Here I am.’  That… that is the kind of fast our Lord desires… that is how we honor the Sabbath… not only today, but on all days… Not by worshiping our rituals and traditions… or by declaring that our sanctuaries are no place for creativity and color… We honor the Sabbath by doing our best to love others as God loves them… by loving them and working for their liberation in precisely the way that God and Jesus and the Spirit have been telling us since the time of Moses. We don’t honor the sabbath by rounding up the homeless and shipping them out to another place… we honor the sabbath by feeding and housing them… and freeing them from the burdensome yoke of poverty and oppression. That is Sabbath liberation! We don’t honor the Sabbath by locking away everyone who breaks the law, no matter how minor the infraction. We honor the Sabbath by addressing the systems that drive someone to be desperate enough to commit crimes. That is Sabbath liberation! In Deuteronomy, we hear that we are to keep and honor the Sabbath… to keep it holy… for you once were slaves in Egypt, and the Lord God freed you. The Sabbath is made for liberation… from toil, from bondage, from hunger… not only for us… but for all. But how easily we forget… in our gospel, Jesus freed that poor woman from her infirmity that kept her bent over for 18 long years. Jesus freed her from the infirmity that Satan used to keep her bound up and isolated from her community… alone and ashamed. And the religious leaders have the audacity to be indignant… they don’t get it… They cannot honor Sabbath liberation for themselves… while this woman, their neighbor, is still suffering under bondage. Our liberation… our true Sabbath liberation… is communal. And once we understand this… once we understand that, as Dr. Lilla Watson once said, “…your liberation is bound up with mine.” …only then does our true light shine… When we understand that our true Sabbath liberation is bound up with the liberation of the whole community… then … the Lord will guide us continually… Then… the Lord will provide for us even in parched places, and make our bones strong, and like a spring of water that never fails… When we understand that our true Sabbath liberation is communal… then we become repairers of broken walls… and restorers of livable streets. When we understand that our true Sabbath liberation is communal… Then our senses are awakened, and we recognize the work of the Holy Spirit in and through all the ways that neighbors are working together to put the needs of the full community ahead of their own selfish desires. Communities will be rebuilt, and areas that have been impoverished and deserted will flourish. Neighbors will know and care for each other for generations. Many in our culture today would call this some kind of woke, socialist agenda… but this way of living is much bigger than that… this way of living was God’s design for us from the beginning. When we do this… when we decide to trust the Lord, our God and really lean into what God desires for us… Then… our Sabbath liberation becomes a delight… and a joy. This is how God asks us to honor the Sabbath… by breaking the chains of oppression… and by not tolerating injustice. The results are the reward. But hear this, friends… the work of breaking the bonds of sin and injustice to bring about full and true Sabbath liberation… is ongoing work. God knows this… and we know it, too. And so, you must also observe Sabbath rest… a holy pause… a time to stop and reflect on all God has done, and dwell in the JOY of the Lord! You do not honor God by making your productivity an idol… or by forgetting that this work against injustice can only be accomplished together. You do not honor God by trying to do it all by yourself. The Lord, your God, commands you to take a holy pause… and notice that you, and those around you, are part of a community. So, as you rest from your labors, encourage others to rest, too. Make it possible for them to do so. Worship the Lord, your God, and give thanks for all God has done for you. And if it would help you to feel more relaxed and connected… you are more than welcome to sit up front here and color. Amen.     _______________________________________________________________________ Dr. Lilla Watson (b. 1940) is a Murri (Indigenous Australian) artist, activist, and educator from Queensland, Australia. Her full quote is, “If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time, but if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.”

Today, we had a special musical performance of Shout To The Lord with a solo by Zachary Hereza at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan. Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC

Year C – 10th Sunday after Pentecost; Lectionary 20 – August 17, 2025 Pastor Megan Floyd Jeremiah 23:23-29 Luke 12:49-56 Grace and peace to you from God, our Creator, and from Jesus Christ, who guides our feet in the way of true and costly peace. Amen. *** So… this is a comforting gospel passage. The word of the Lord, everyone… Thanks be to God. These words from Jesus we have read today seem so contrary to Zechariah’s proclamation in the beginning of Luke, that Jesus will be the one “…to guide our feet in the way of peace.” (Luke 1:79)… They seem contrary to the words of comfort he offers his disciples… “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you…” (John 14:27) Why then… why… does he say here that he does not come to bring peace… but rather, he comes to bring division and fire to the earth? Why? …what happened to Jesus as our good and loving shepherd?  …our strong vine… our bread of life? I love that Jesus… but I suppose… Jesus also said he is the way… and the truth… and the life. But following The Way… does not guarantee prosperity or health… following The Way of Christ does not ever guarantee that the path will be safe from outside harm. But if you value truth… and life… then the Way of Jesus is worth the earthly cost… it is worth the pain that can come when those you love… choose not to join you in your discipleship… …when they choose, rather, to cling to the systems of sin and oppression... to cling to hatred and bigotry… prejudice and violence… When they choose to cling to the very systems that Jesus came to destroy. Then yes… Jesus’ words will cause division. Just as the prophet Jeremiah proclaimed… “Is not my word like fire, says the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?” (Jeremiah 23:29) Do you trust the Lord, your God, to break what needs to be broken? Do you trust the Lord, your God… to guide your feet in the way of costly peace? Do you trust the Lord, your God… to break open your heart… and set your heart ablaze with the fire of the Holy Spirit? Do you trust your Creator? “I have come to cast fire upon the earth, and how I wish it were already ablaze!” (Luke 12:49) These… are challenging words… but the Good News of Jesus Christ should challenge us… The Good News of Jesus Christ should provoke us to break down the walls of sin and shame that we cling to… The Good News of Jesus Christ must break us open so that the dawn from on high will shine upon us… and love… true love… God’s true life-giving love… can grow. Jesus knew… that this Good News… was worth dying for… surely for us, it is worth the discomfort of being re-cast… re-molded… re-formed by God’s love. Have you ever watched an artist blow glass? …whenever I have had the opportunity to witness this art, I am captivated. It requires training, skill, and strength… an artist’s eye for color, shape, and detail… and a willingness to work with materials that could destroy them… molten glass… and raging fire. And yet, the artist knows that by pulling together all the broken pieces and subjecting them to the fire… and then by using the very breath from their own lungs… something new and beautiful will be made. Still… nearly every time I have watched glass blowing, I have seen them also break the glass. Sometimes on purpose because it wasn’t working out like the artist intended… and sometimes it just happens. Sometimes, after hours of sweat and toil and love and care… the creation falls away and breaks. And the artist, too, is shattered… but broken glass… is part of the art that is glass blowing. Broken pieces… are part of the process of creating. Broken pieces are not the goal in glass blowing… they are a byproduct… Just as division… is not Jesus’s goal or purpose… but division will happen because of his mission. Jesus’ mission is to let the fires of God’s justice burn… a refining fire that turns over our systems of sin and oppression… turns over our world, and upsets hierarchies we’d rather keep intact… And for those who cling to and benefit from sinful systems… who cling to and benefit from inequality and exploitation… Jesus brings a hammer to break them into pieces. But for those who are oppressed… hungry… exploited… victims of violence, discrimination, and abuse… Jesus brings a word of liberation and …peace. The peace that Jesus brings… is a life-changing peace… a truth-telling peace… It is a peace that breaks us open, so that we might be made new… refined by the fire of God’s justice… and redeemed by God’s love. And… we are ALL called into this saving peace through our savior, Jesus. But make no mistake… this is not a passive or gentle peace. It is not, in the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., “…a negative peace, which is the absence of tension…” What Jesus calls us into is “…a positive peace, which is the presence of justice.” It’s the kind of peace that comes when every mouth is fed… the kind of peace that comes when children are safe at school… the kind of peace that comes when tyrants are torn from their throne… the kind of peace that comes when all of God’s children, no matter their color or gender or identity, can live and grow and thrive, free from persecution. Lord, “…let the fires of your justice burn… wipe away all tears, for the dawn draws near…” And he said… “I have come to cast fire upon the earth, and how I wish it were already ablaze!” (Luke 12:49) I said at the outset that these words seem contrary to Zechariah’s proclamation in the beginning of Luke, that Jesus will be the one “…to guide our feet in the way of peace.” (Luke 1:79)… But …we often forget to include the line before it… verse 78… “By the tender mercy of our God… the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death …to guide our feet in the way of peace.” (Luke 1:78-79) The dawn will break upon us to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. Perhaps Jesus’ words for us today… are not so contrary after all. For God’s word and God’s promises come to us all… and it is joyfully good news to those who are oppressed… And for those who prefer a negative peace… who prefer the mere appearance of peace while others suffer… then God’s word is a refining fire… But a refining fire can purify and make new… so indeed… Jesus’ words are good news… if… if we are willing to be challenged. Jesus’ words are good news… if we are willing to be provoked… if we are willing to sit in the discomfort of knowing that we have contributed to systems built on sin. But God’s word can make us new… God’s word can make ALL of us… new. So trust the Lord, your God, to break what needs to be broken… Trust the Lord, your God… to guide your feet in the way of costly peace… Trust the Lord, your God… to break you open and set your heart ablaze with the fire of the Holy Spirit… Trust your Creator… and know that real peace… the real peace that Jesus died for… is, for you… and it’s worth living for. So let our prayers, both spoken and in song, be honest and true… Receive our prayers, O God, as we call out to you to break open our hearts… and bring us face to face with the fire of your justice. And we give you thanks, O Creator God, for your promise to pick up the pieces of our broken selves… and re-mold us into something beautiful… something crafted to shine your love upon others. We trust you, O God, we trust you with our lives. Amen. _______________________________________________________________________ Written with gratitude for the theology and commentary of Debie Thomas. (2019) MLK quote taken from “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” (1963)

Today, we had a special musical performance of How Can I Keep From Singing with Men of Faith with Addie Thompson on Flute at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan. Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC