Sermon for 4th Sunday of Easter Yr B

4 Easter Yr B, 21/04/2024

Ps 23

Pastor Garth Wehrfritz-Hanson

“Inspirational paraphrases of the twenty-third Psalm”

Today is the 4^th Sunday of Easter. On this Sunday, as you may remember, the psalm is always the same one—Psalm 23. For you and for me, Psalm 23 is likely one of, if not “the” best loved passages of the Bible. At one time or another, both Jews and Christians probably have memorized Psalm 23. 

Psalm 23 is a powerful source of comfort and inspiration. Speaking of inspiration, some pastors who have been inspired by Psalm 23 have written paraphrases of the psalm. For example, recently I came across Pastor Steve Garnass-Holmes’s “Psalm 23—Nine Paraphrases.” Pastor and professor Eugene Peterson also has paraphrased Psalm 23 in The Message, which some of you may have read before. And then there is an older one called “A Sailor’s Paraphrase of the 23^rd Psalm.” 

So with these paraphrases in mind, I’m going to do something a little bit different in my sermon today. Here’s the plan: I will read two of Pastor Steve Garnaas-Holmes’s paraphrases, then I will read the paraphrase from The Message. After that, I will focus on each verse of Psalm 23 and explore different paraphrases of each verse. 

So here we go—two of Pastor Garnaas-Holmes’s paraphrases. The first one I’m reading he calls “Psalm 23—shepherd me.” It goes like this: Shepherd me, Beloved/You provide all I need. A gift/You give me belonging in this abundant Creation./You set me free and hold me safe; I can relax./You breathe life into me. I receive you. Your grace…I receive./Move me in a path with heart./I’ll follow you. Even through fear and danger,/even through death and my fear of it/I’ll follow you, right with you, your hand on my back,/your peace in my gut./Your love…I follow. Give me peace with those who trouble me;/for we feast at your table together, my enemies and I, your beloved./All of us…your beloved./Your blessing fills me up; your grace overflows from me./Your gentle, loving mercy surrounds me like this air, holds me like this earth./I am in you./Forever…in you.

In the second paraphrase of Pastor Garnaas-Holmes, he employs female images of God, which, of course are not accurate to the biblical text, however those of us who are parents, especially mothers, may find this paraphrase interesting. It is called “Psalm 23—My mommy,” and goes like this: God is my mommy./She’s all I need./She gives me a soft place for naps;/she takes me to safe places. When I’m upset she holds me/’till I become myself again./She leads me by the hand. Quite the pair, my mommy and I!/When I’m scared to death/you are right there. No worry. Your strong hand and firm voice save me./You set the table for me and/for the siblings I’ve been fighting with./You wash me up with that gleam in your eye./My plate is full. Your motherly love stays with me every day./I will be your beloved kid forever.

Next I will read Pastor and professor Eugene Peterson’s paraphrase from The Message, which goes like this: God, my shepherd!/I don’t need a thing./You have bedded me down in lush meadows, you find me quiet pools to drink from./True to your word,/you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction./Even when the way goes through Death Valley, I’m not afraid when you walk at my side./Your trusty shepherd’s crook/makes me feel secure. You serve me a six-course dinner/right in front of my enemies./You revive my drooping head; my cup brims with blessing./Your beauty and love chase after me/every day of my life. I’m back home in the house of GOD/for the rest of my life.

Now we will explore each of the verses of the psalm, looking briefly at different translations and paraphrases. Here is the Good News Bible translation of verse 1: “The LORD is my shepherd; I have everything I need.” Here is Pastor Garnaas-Holmes’s paraphrase of verse 1 from “Psalm 23—shepherd me”: “Shepherd me, Beloved. You provide all I need. A gift.” I like both of these renderings of verse 1 because they are both positive expressions of what God gives the psalmist and us: I have everything I need, and You provide all I need. A gift. As you know, there is a big difference between wants and needs. What we need God gives us: love, grace, forgiveness, God’s presence, God’s Word, peace, joy, life now, and ultimately our salvation.

In verse 2, here is Pastor Garnaas-Holmes’s paraphrase from “Psalm 23—With every breath”: “You rest me in the meadow of your presence, I drink from the gentle brook of your peace.” You and I, everyone needs rest in life in order to be healthy and to regain energy to do our work. It is difficult to rest when we are upset, angry or hurt. We can rest well when we know and trust that God is present with us, and when we are in a place that gives us comfort. God’s peace is linked to drinking from a gentle brook. Again a place where we know we are going to be safe gives us peace.

The translation of the REB of verse 3 goes like this: “he revives my spirit; for his name’s sake he guides me in the right paths.” The Message puts it like this: “True to your word, you let me catch my breath and send me in the right direction.” In the physical sense, we get lost when we are on the wrong road. In the spiritual sense, we also get lost if we’re going in the wrong direction. We are grateful to God when our spirit is revived, we catch our breath, and God leads us on the right path, in the right direction so that we please God by doing what is right. 

Here is Pastor Garnaas-Holmes’s paraphrase of verse 4, called “With every breath”:

“The way to life leads through death; you go there, and I willingly follow you, your presence beside me, your wisdom before me.” And in his “shepherd me” paraphrase, he puts it like this: “Even through fear and danger, even through death and my fear of it I’ll follow you, right with you, your hand on my back, your peace in my gut. You love…I follow.” These paraphrases remind me of our baptism in which we share in the death and resurrection of Jesus our Good Shepherd, Lord and Saviour.

We do not have to be afraid of death because Jesus is always there with us. That reminds me of the insight of one Old Testament professor, James Limburg, who has made the observation that the English words in verse 4 translated in the NRSV as “for you are with me,” in the Hebrew text the words are exactly in the middle—there are 26 words before this phrase, and 26 words after this phrase. In other words, perhaps King David deliberately put those words there in the psalm in order to emphasise that God is always with us, no matter what is happening to us. Jesus is always there in our past, present and future. So we have nothing to fear. 

I like the way that The Message puts verse 5: “You serve me a six-course dinner right in front of my enemies. You revive my drooping head; my cup brims with blessing.” Pastor Garnaas-Holmes’s paraphrase, “Companion of my soul,” goes like this: “You invite me to sit with you at your table, with those whom I fear, and those I despise, and all of my favourite foods. You rain down blessing on me like a shower. My plate is full of blessing. My cup is full to spilling with blessing.” In both of these paraphrases, the LORD is pictured as a generous host and chef. I’m sure you would enjoy a six-course banquet feast with all of your favourite foods, wouldn’t you? I know I would! At any rate, God as host and chef is pictured in this verse as most generous, we will have more than enough. 

In verse 6 of the psalm, here is how Pastor Garnaas-Holmes paraphrases it in his “You rest me”: “You’ve given me to goodness; you’ve married me to mercy for the rest of my life. Each moment is my own house; and you are my dwelling, my home forever.” I also like “A Sailor’s Paraphrase” of verse 6: “Surely sunlight and starlight/shall guide me on the voyage I take, And I will rest in the heaven’s port forever.”

These paraphrases remind me of Jesus’s words of comfort and hope in John 14: where he tells the disciples and us: “Do not let your hearts be troubled. Believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father’s house there are many dwelling places. If it were not so, would I have told you that I go to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and take you to myself, so that where I am there you may be also.” We do not have to be afraid of death. Thanks to Jesus we are going to be with him forever in the perfect dwelling place, where no one, and nothing, will threaten us or hurt us. A home full of safety and protection, love and peace forever. What a wonderful hope and joy we have in these words of promise of Jesus, words which King David, in Psalm 23, also affirms! For that thanks be to God!

End note: To read the paraphrases included herein, consult: Steve Garnaas-Holmes, “Psalm 23—Nine Paraphrases,” published March 5, 2023 at: <https://unfoldinglight.net/2023/03/05psalm-23-nine-paraphrases/> and “A Sailor’s Paraphrase of the 23^rd Psalm,” at: <www.missiontoseafarers.ca/Worship.html>.

A Brief Review of The Everyday, Anytime Guide to Christian Leadership

Author: Walt Kallestad

Publisher: Augsburg, paperback, 96 pages including Foreword, Acknowledgments, Introduction and Postscript

Reviewed by Rev. Garth Wehrfritz-Hanson

Contents

In addition to the Foreword, written by Robert H. Schuller, Acknowledgments, Introduction, and Postscript, this little volume contains 10 chapters, titled: Love Unconditionally, Envision Continuously, Discipline with Determination, Energize Others Enthusiastically, Risk Boldly, Serve Selflessly, Hope Relentlessly, Imagine Immeasurably, Pray Persistently. If you put all of the first letters of these chapters together you get the word Leadership. Kallestad enjoys playing with acronyms throughout the book. 

Brief Observations

Kallestad mentions that two of his leadership mentors are Robert H. Schuller, and Norman Vincent Peale. Hence the tenor of this wee volume reflects their idealizing of possibility and positive thinking. 

In his Introduction, Kallestad makes the claim that there is a leadership crisis in many sectors of society, including the church. He points out the importance of not only being preoccupied with the present, but also the need to focus on the future. 

In each of the 10 chapters, Kallestad has a story involving a master and a disciple, containing a moral related to some aspect of leadership. He also includes a lot of anecdotes to support his claims. He states that when he became pastor at Community Church of Joy there were 252 members, and some didn’t like his leadership so they tried to get rid of him. However, after 15 years, the congregation grew in membership to 7,000. 

One interesting “success” story, based on Proverbs 29:18: “Where there is no vision, the people perish” (KJV), is that of St. Nicholas Church in Strasbourg, France. John Calvin may have been a minister there, Martin Luther preached there, and Albert Schweitzer was music minister. Without a vision, that church was closed. Then a pastor sent his vision for that church to the bishop, and now it is attended by more people than any other Lutheran church in France.

The problem this reviewer has with books like this promoting possibility and positive thinking and the “prosperity gospel,” is that they underestimate the reality and influence of sin and evil. For example, in the case of Robert Schuller, the Crystal Cathedral ended up going bankrupt and was sold to the Roman Catholic Church.  Moreover, Jesus’ call to follow him involves denial of self and taking up one’s cross—a far cry from living the life of luxury.

Gabriel Fauré’s Requiem

Last evening, (Palm-Passion Sunday), the Sanctuary Sounds Ensemble, a 20 member ecumenical choir (of which I am a member, singing bass), sang Fauré’s Requiem at Messiah Lutheran Church. Dr. Joy Berg conducted us, Jane Kristenson was organist, Nansee Hughes-Soprano, and Colden Palo-Baritone were our soloists. 

Fauré composed the Requiem in Latin between 1887-1890. One possible factor that may have motivated Fauré to compose this work—although several are sceptical—were the deaths of his parents. The first performance of the Requiem took place liturgically at the Madeleine in Paris in 1888. At that time, there were five movements; the Offertoire and Libera me (the two movements with a Baritone soloist) were added later. The later seven movement Requiem consists of: Introit et Kyrie, Offertoire, Sanctus, Pie Jesu, Agnus Dei, Libera me, and In paradisum.

Fauré chose to use texts that focus on consolation, with the two beautiful soprano and baritone solo sections, rather than the entire traditional Requiem text.

Since the concert was on Palm-Passion Sunday evening, the beginning of Holy Week, we also sang “O Sacred Head Now Wounded,” and the organist also played a D. Buxtehude rendition of this familiar Holy Week hymn.

Singing Fauré’s Requiem, with various dynamics/nuances, and focussing on proper pronunciation of the Latin text was rather challenging. However, this composition is indeed edifyingly beautiful. 

Book Review: Healing through Prayer

Healing through Prayer: Health Practitioners Tell the Story

Authors: Larry Dossey, Herbert Benson, John Polkinghorne, and Others, with a forword by Peter Downie

Publisher: Anglican Book Centre, paperback, 167 pages, including Forword

Contents

In addition to the Forword, this volume contains 5 parts. The part titles are: Part 1: Science and Spirituality; Part 2: Healing Prayer in Practice; Part 3: The Healing Community; Part 4: The Perspective of Other Faiths; and Part 5: A Healing Program at a Local Church. Each part contains a number of chapters, with a wide array of authors. With the exception of the Forword, each chapter consists of a question and answer format. 

In the Forword, Peter Downie, speaking of the wide representation of healers in this volume, believes that they share one thing in common: “Every healer eventually mentions the need to be filled with good intentions and to keep an open heart and mind towards others” (p. 9).

John Polkinghorne, was a theoretical physicist for 25 years, then became an Anglican minister. In answer to the question: “How do you reconcile your life as a scientist with your life as a priest?” Polkinghorne states: “They are, of course, looking at different aspects of the truth. But they have enough in common, I think, to be friends rather than enemies” (p. 16). Speaking of prayer, he observes: “Nobody can talk about prayer without acknowledging the mystery of individual human destiny” (p. 22). 

At the time of this volume’s publication, Larry Dossey was a best-selling author and medical doctor in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and co-Chair of the Panel on Mind/Body Interventions, National Institute of Health. In answer to the question: “As a scientifically trained physician, how did you become involved in investigating the value of prayer in healing?” Dossey discovered that some patients with fatal illnesses who were prayed for recovered completely. This led him to write three books about intercessory prayer and healing. He goes on to say: “Certainly the great healers throughout history have affirmed the role of love in healing” (p. 35). An Aboriginal healer once told Dossey that the words ‘deliver us from evil’ in the Lord’s Prayer are: “…one of the most powerful forms of protection going, and you don’t even realize it” (p. 38). 

Dr. Herbert Benson teaching medicine at Harvard University when this volume was published, has observed three degrees of healing: i) healing is curing a disease; ii) healing is accepting a disease; iii) healing can be mental/psychological, helping to alleviate physiological symptoms. He says that belief is powerful for good and for ill. One example he cited was a pastor who was allergic to flowers. A woman at one wedding brought a dozen plastic roses. The pastor ended up in the hospital with an anaphylactic reaction. Later, the woman told him the flowers were plastic.

Pauline Bradbrook speaks of the love and support that she experienced when she was prayed for by many people when she was diagnosed with cancer and had a mastectomy. Speaking of healing, she observes: “The word healing is related to holiness, and it means learning to live in a holy state with whatever the condition is” (p. 90). 

Anglican minister, Trevor Denny is a committed advocate of healing ministry: “Every church should be a healing centre where people come to have peace, relaxation, and support groups, and where prayers are made for healing” (p. 109). He emphasises that the ordained ministry involves preaching, teaching and healing. 

In Part 4: The Perspective Of Other Faiths, four non-Christian faith traditions are included—Judaism, Islam, Buddhism, and Indigenous. In answer to the question: “Is prayer for healing part of the Jewish tradition?” Rabbi Ronald Weiss, Director of Chaplaincy services for the Toronto Jewish community, and chaplain for the Jewish Hospice Program, identified 3 aspects of prayer: Thanksgiving—ho-da-ah; Praise—shevach; and Requests/petitions—bakashoat. He stated: “There’s a prayer called Misha Barach in which we invoke God’s blessing on those who are ill” (p. 129).

The final part of this volume focuses on the healing ministry at Christ Church Cathedral in Vancouver. Clergy and laity organized a healing team, and prayer for healing, laying on of hands and anointing were offered at the Thursday eucharists, and eventually at the Sunday liturgy. This part also includes information on how to set up and train a healing team, as well as the theological and spiritual foundations of healing ministry. 

At some point in life, most likely every human being experiences some kind of illness or disease, and can benefit physically, mentally/psychologically, emotionally, and spiritually from prayer. 

For readers interested in healing ministry, this volume is a valuable resource. 

Book Review: Called to Serve

Called to Serve: Reflections and Memories of a Prairie Pastor

Author: Darryl Roste

Publisher: Marjorie Zelent, paperback, 260 pages, including Acknowledgments, Contents, Prologue, Introduction, 29 Chapters, For Further Reading, Unpublished Articles and Five Selective Books, plus Foreword, and Words from a Colleague

Reviewed by Rev. Garth Wehrfritz-Hanson

Brief Observations 

I was grateful to learn that retired colleague, an ordained pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Canada, Darryl Roste, had recently published this memoir, and was able to purchase a copy from him. 

In his Introduction, Darryl states whom he primarily wrote his memoir for—his children and grandchildren, and secondarily, his other family members and friends.

Each of the 29 Chapters of this volume begins with a quotation from various authors and biblical passages. 

Darryl grew up on a farm near Preeceville and North Prairie, Saskatchewan. He is the eldest of six children. The house he and his family lived in, by today’s standards, would likely be regarded as substandard. In his younger years, there was no running water, no indoor bathroom, and no electricity. He and his other siblings learned the Protestant work ethic at a young age, and had to help out with farm chores, seeding and harvesting, and so on. Darryl can remember harvesting and haying before they had a combine or baler. In his early years, he can also remember walking to a nearby one-room school. 

The death of Darryl’s dad when he was only 16 years old made life very difficult for him and his family. From what he can remember, his dad never told him that he loved Darryl, so that left him wondering if he really had loved him. Family and community and church members helped out the Roste family as much as possible after the death of Darryl’s dad. 

Darryl goes on to share some of his educational history and experiences at Lutheran Collegiate Bible Institute, the University of Saskatchewan, and Lutheran Theological Seminary in Saskatoon, and later furthering his learning with Clinical Pastoral Education, and Pastoral Counselling, and a Doctor of Ministry program with St. Stephen’s College in Edmonton, which he did not complete. He met Rita Salte at LCBI, and later they would become husband and wife. 

Prior to beginning his first call to serve Tilley and Rolling Hills congregations in Southern Alberta, Rita and Darryl enjoyed a holiday touring several European countries, and visiting with Rita’s relatives in Norway. Pastor Darryl, in his first call, shares some aspects of his ministry, including: the differences between the “Gloomy Danes” and the “Happy Danes,” being a resource pastor at Camp Kuriakos, teaching confirmation, providing pastoral care, and so on. 

As the memoir continues, Darryl shares, with honesty and integrity, a wide range of events and insights from his calls to serve other congregations as well as to teach at Canadian Lutheran Bible Institute. Among them were: the blessings of studying, teaching and preaching God’s Word, and administering the sacraments, officiating at funerals for those who died tragically and providing pastoral care and counselling for the families, confronting an antagonistic church secretary, learning that his son was gay and changing some of his former theological convictions, supervising interns, celebrating important rites of passage and milestones with family, friends, and parishioners, growing in God’s grace and realizing that meaningful ministry is rooted in one’s relationship with God, as well as loving, caring, healing, relationships with others.

In a couple of stories, Darryl describes what he calls “God moments,” (see pp. 221-224 and pp. 228-229) mysteries seemingly beyond rational explanations. 

One of the chapters I appreciated most—since, like Darryl and Rita, my wife and I are a clergy couple—was “Chapter 22 A Year of Interim Ministry in Viking.” Of special interest for me were pages 184-186, where Darryl speaks briefly about factors clergy couples face while in the process of seeking calls.

I think many, if not most or all pastors would discover several parallels in their parish ministries with those of Darryl’s. There is, of course, both regrets and much to be grateful for as a called and ordained pastor. Pastor Darryl puts it well when he says: “In the final analysis, the key to the value of my life is that my life and work has mattered to God and was not lived in vain. I often wished I could have drawn more people to a life with God within the church and to a vital relationship with God” (p. 255). 

Book Review: Concise Encyclopedia of Preaching

Concise Encyclopedia of Preaching

Editors: William H. Willimon & Richard Lischer

Publisher: Westminster John Knox Press, hardcover, 518 pages, including Preface, Contributors, and Acknowledgments

Reviewed by Rev. Garth Wehrfritz-Hanson

The Editors 

At the time this volume was published, William H. Willimon was Dean of the Chapel and Professor of Christian Ministry at Duke Divinity School. He was an editor-at-large for The Christian Century and served on the editorial boards of The Christian Ministry, Pulpit Digest, and Leadership. His books have sold nearly one million copies and include the Westminster John Knox Press books Acts (Interpretation series), Preaching About Conflict in the Local Church, andPreaching and Leading Worship. He is regarded as one of the most highly respected preachers in the English language. He also served as a United Methodist bishop, and has become a prolific author of over sixty-five published books and thousands of periodical essays.

Richard Lischer was Professor of Homiletics at Duke Divinity School. He served on the Executive Board of Societas Homiletica, an international organization of homileticians. He was also on the advisory councils of the journalsInterpretation and Word and World. He is the author of A Theology of Preaching: The Dynamics of the Gospel, The Preacher King: Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Word That Moved America, Theories of Preaching: Selected Readings in the Homiletical Tradition, Marx and Teilhard: Two Ways to the New Humanity, and Speaking of Jesus: Finding the Words for Witness. Altogether, he is the author or editor of fifteen books and has contributed chapters in many others. His reviews and essays appear regularly in The Christian Century. Prior to teaching at Duke, he served as pastor of Lutheran churches in Illinois and Virginia. 

Brief Observations

Professor Willimon and Professor Lischer are to be highly commended for this comprehensive, ecumenical volume. There are almost 200 contributors, from a wide range of denominations—both Protestant and Roman Catholic, female and male, homileticians, theologians, pastors, biblical scholars, and historians, and more. Moreover, the volume includes a wide array of topics, as well as brief biographies of many of the most influential preachers over the centuries. For example, there are entries on everything from Anti-Jewish Preaching (written by Willimon), to Baccalaureate Sermon, to Children’s Sermons, to Delivery of Sermons, to Experimental Preaching, to Form, to Funeral Sermons, to Gospels, to History of Preaching, Theology of Preaching, and so on. Additional articles worth checking out are a series on: Homiletics and Preaching in Africa, Homiletics and Preaching in Asia, Homiletics and Preaching in Germany and German-Speaking Europe, Homiletics and Preaching in India, Homiletics and Preaching in Latin America, Homiletics and Preaching in North America (with scant reference to Canadian preachers and preaching), Homiletics and Preaching in Scandinavia. 

One of my favourite topic articles was Form, written by Thomas G. Long. In this article, Long suggests interesting affinities involving the narrative sermon form, the “problem-resolution” sermon, and the “law-gospel” sermon especially favored in the Lutheran tradition (p. 150). 

The brief biographies of preachers, from ancient to contemporary, are also wide-ranging. For example, everyone from Huldrych (Ulrich) Zwingli, to Ellen G. White, to Paul Tillich, to Sojourner Truth, to Phoebe Worrall Palmer, to Origen, and so on. Not only are editors Willimon and Lischer to be commended for the number of women contributors who wrote articles for this volume; they have also included a few—unfortunately not enough—women preachers’ biographies. Moreover, many of the preacher biographies also have brief excerpts from the preachers’ sermons, which hopefully inspire readers to pursue further research. At the end of each article, other resources are also cited in order that readers, if so inclined, may consult them.

That said, I do wonder why—even though they were contributors—there were no biographies on such contemporary women preachers as, for example, Elizabeth Achtemeier and Barbara Brown Taylor.

Also, two influential male preachers missing in this work are Frederick Buechner and Walter Wangerin, Jr. 

I don’t know how much time the editors of this volume had to check out the details of the preacher biography articles. In one case, Leslie Dixon Weatherhead, the contributor, Stephen Odom, neglected to mention that Weatherhead was somewhat of a controversial preacher, since he regularly attended spiritist séances, allegedly incorporated other elements from other religions and spiritualism into Christianity, and regarded “creeds and confessions of faith” as “museum specimens.”

In conclusion, Professor Willimon and Professor Lischer have edited a most worthy reference work that will benefit, inspire and instruct seminary students, pastors and homileticians. However, another similar, contemporary volume is required to include more women preachers from the early centuries, right up to the present day, and the editors probably should be women. 

A Brief Christmas Reflection

A Brief Christmas Reflection

“The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness did not overtake it.” (John 1:5, NRSV) “The Life-Light blazed out of the darkness; the darkness couldn’t put it out.” (John 1:5, The Message)

This year, as Christians around the globe prepare to celebrate Christmas, and worship Jesus the Light or Life-Light, tragically there is far too much darkness in the world. 

The war in Ukraine continues, and it doesn’t look like peace will prevail in the near future. The country is being destroyed by the Russians, with their constant violation of human rights by deliberately bombing schools, hospitals, and civilian residential areas. Then there is the oppression within Russia because of the Putin dictatorship—anyone who disagrees with the state’s party line about the war is regarded as a criminal. What about opposition leader Alexei Navalny, where is he? According to a CBC report: “Colleagues say Kremlin likely shunted him off to a remote penal colony to silence him during the election.” What election? The choice given is Putin and Putin. 

The situation is just as bad in the war between Israel and Gaza. Of course Israel has the right to defend itself. Yet, how many innocent Palestinian civilians must continue to die and be seriously injured for Israel to put an end to Hamas? What about the future of the Palestinians once the war ends? The peace process between the Israelis and Palestinians is most likely going to be a long, dragged out one. 

Then there is what seems to be a civil war in Myanmar—the military regime continues to oppress their citizens. What about the opposition political leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who is in prison on many bogus charges by the junta, and the other National League for Democracy party leaders?

In addition to these disturbing situations, there also seems to be a growing number of right-wing dictatorships and tyrannical governments around the world. Way too many people in way too many nations lack the basic necessities of life, while a few affluent people live extremely self-indulgent lives. The rich grow disgustingly richer at the expense/the unjust suffering and oppression of the poor. Moreover, even in the nation south of us, it seems that the former president is able to buy off/bribe lawmakers to postpone the serious allegations against him. Will his money prove him innocent of all charges? Will he actually run for president and win? Goodbye to democracy in the USA if that happens. 

The fossil fuel companies and corporations, as well as the oil-producing nations seem to care less about climate crisis and ongoing global warming. Once again they called the shots at COP28. Why do COP conferences even meet in countries that continue to promote fossil fuels, and deny their own people adequate human rights? What use are COPs anyway? Nations do not seem to be able to live up to them, and they are not nearly binding enough so as to have to deal with the consequences if violated. 

One could go on. Yet, there is light in the darkness. Jesus the light of the world is still shining in the midst of all of this darkness. One example from Israel: An Israeli is troubled by the suffering of Palestinian civilians. So he drives ill Palestinians to medical centres, placing his own life in danger. He wants Israelis and Palestinians to live peacefully alongside one another. Corey Fleisher in Montreal removes hateful graffiti free of charge. He founded a movement which is now worldwide, Erasing Hate. In the city that I live in, recently Augustana Campus (formerly Camrose Lutheran College), was delighted to announce that 3 anonymous donors gave a generous gift of $2 million to establish the Cora Martinson International Scholarship for students. Martinson taught at CLC around 90 years ago, and served as dean of women. She was also a missionary in China and Hong Kong. 

So Jesus the light is still shining in the darkness. The darkness cannot overtake him. That’s why we too are able to do even the smallest of things that can and do make a difference for those who suffer from the darkness. A visit, a phone-call, running an errand like taking someone to a doctor’s appointment, providing a meal to someone who has recently lost a loved one—maybe even inviting them over for Christmas dinner if they don’t have family close-by. These and countless other small acts of love and kindness shine light in dark places. 

May Jesus the Light shine brightly within, around and among you this Christmas. 

Sermon for Christ the King Sunday Yr A

Christ the King Sunday Yr A, 26/11/2023

Ps 95:1-7a 

Pastor Garth Wehrfritz-Hanson

“Worship Christ our King with joyful, thankful hymns of praise”

Today is Christ the King Sunday—the last Sunday of our present church year. Our psalm for today is Psalm 95:1-7a, which is a hymn of praise. However, it is also (according to my NRSV Lutheran Study Bible, pp. 849-850) an enthronement psalm, a festival psalm, and a liturgy. It is an enthronement psalm because it celebrates God as a great King. It is a festival psalm, since scholars believe that it was sung during all three of Israel’s major festivals. The rabbis who wrote the Mishnah in the 2^nd century A.D. stated that Psalm 95 was sung during the New Year’s festival. The Greek version of Psalm 95 connects it with celebration of the Sabbath. Psalm 95 is also regarded as a liturgy, and some scholars believe that the Jewish people started singing it as they processed into the Jerusalem temple. Pastor and Professor Eugene Peterson may have thought of it this way when he wrote verses 1 and 2 of The Message, which goes like this: “Come, let’s shout praises to GOD, raise the roof for the Rock who saved us! Let’s march into his presence singing praises, lifting the rafters with our hymns.” I like Peterson’s phrases “shout praises to GOD, raise the roof,” and “lifting the rafters with our hymns.” I think these phrases emphasize going all out, giving God everything we’ve got in worshipping the LORD. 

In Christian history, Psalm 95 was, and still is included as the psalmody in the daily office called the Matins, also known as Morning Prayer. (See Lutheran Book of Worship, pp. 132-133, andEvangelical Lutheran Worship, pp. 299-301). The Matins/Morning Prayer is usually sung daily by monks in monasteries. When I was a seminary student, we also quite often sang Psalm 95:1-7a during Matins/Morning Prayer.

So this psalm underscores the importance of worship. That reminds me of one of my parishioners, years ago, when I was serving Grace Lutheran Church in Medicine Hat. One day I was visiting Ray, and he told me the following story.

When Ray was a young boy, he was sitting with several other boys in the front pew during worship time. The boys were fooling around, and not listening to the pastor. Then Ray was tapped on his shoulder by his dad, who whispered to him to come out with him to the narthex of the church. Once in the narthex, Ray’s dad opened the door and said, “You can go home now.”

Ray replied that he would be good for the rest of the service if he could go back in. His dad, very wisely responded by stating: “This is not about being good, it’s about worshipping God. We come to church to worship God. When you’re ready to do that, you’re welcome here at the service.” 

Ray decided that he’d leave. He walked back home, which was about 3 miles. During that time he pondered what his dad had said. After that, he willingly went to church for the right reason, and he went pretty much every Sunday until his death. 

Coming back to our psalm, in verses 1 and 2, God’s people are invited to worship with these words, in verse 1, and repeated again in verse 2: “let us make a joyful noise….” A wise person once said: “Joy is not the absence of trouble, but the presence of God.” Joy is being in God’s presence—that means we can always be joyful, since God is always present with us, even as we face troubles, pain and suffering. 

In our psalm, joyfully worshipping God is also connected to thanksgiving. Once I found a nickel in the sand at the beach and thought myself lucky. I searched through the sand, hoping to find more treasure, but was not successful. Then I saw a man with a magnetic device on the end of a stick, which he used to draw metal objects out of the sand. He told me he often found coins and sometimes even jewelry. What it taught me is that we can search through life without getting much from it, but a thankful heart can be like that magnetic device. It draws the best things out of life. We worship in God’s presence with thanksgiving because of who God is, and what he has done, and continues to do for us. 

The psalm tells us that we worship God because he is: “the rock of our salvation, a great King above all gods, our Maker,” and our Shepherd. 

Rock is a symbol for God’s strength, protection and stability. As our great King, God’s power rules over everyone and everything—he is King of kings, and Lord of lords. As our Maker, the psalm reminds us he is the Creator of the depths of the earth, the heights of the mountains, the sea, the dry land—and of course everything else, including us. So as Maker of the whole universe, we are exhorted to worship, bow down, and kneel before our Maker, with joy, thanksgiving, awe and wonder. 

In verse 7a, the psalm reminds us of our covenant relationship with God: “For he is our God, and we are the people of his pasture, and the sheep of his hand.” So God is our Shepherd-King. Unlike the earthly kings who, more often than not, abuse their power and authority by oppressing their people—Christ our Shepherd-King is different. His power and authority as the Good Shepherd-King is rooted in sacrificial and unconditional love and servanthood. Just as a shepherd gains the love and trust of sheep by giving them food and drink, protecting them from predators, and mending their wounds—so Jesus our Shepherd-King cares for each one of us by forgiving us, and promising to be with us always, and showing us how much he loves us by dying on the cross, and being raised from death, and promising us that he is preparing an eternal home for us, where we will be with him in the fullness of his loving presence eternally. So, how fitting it is that today, in Christ’s presence, we worship Christ our King with joyful, thankful hymns of praise. 

That reminds me of the following story. A body is not crippled ‘til its heart has ceased to praise. Louis Albert Banks tells of an elderly Christian man, fine singer, who learned that he had cancer of the tongue and that surgery was required. In the hospital after everything was ready for the operation, the man said to the doctor, “Are you sure I will never sing again?” The surgeon found it difficult to answer his question. He simply shook his head no. The patient then asked if he could sit up for a moment. “I’ve had many good times singing the praises of God,” he said. “And now you tell me I can never sing again. I have one song that will be my last. It will be of gratitude and praise to God.” There in the doctor’s presence the man sang softly the words of Isaac Watts’ hymn, “I’ll praise my Maker while I’ve breath,/And when my voice is lost in death,/Praise shall employ my nobler power;/My days of praise shall ne’er be past,/While life, and thought, and being last,/Or immortality endures.”¹

May we too worship and praise Christ our King, God our Maker, and the Holy Spirit as long as we have breath! 

1 <http://sermonillustrations.com/a-z/p/praise.htm&gt;.

Sermon for 25 Pentecost Yr A

25 Pentecost Yr A, 19/11/2023

Ps 90:1-8, 12 

Pastor Garth Wehrfritz-Hanson

“Life is short, live a full, meaningful, wise life, with the time God gives you”

Psalm 90 is chosen by some people and pastors to be read at funerals. Indeed, it is an appropriate psalm for funerals, since one of the important messages of Psalm 90 reminds us that life is short, therefore live a full, meaningful, wise life, with the time God gives you. The superscription of Psalm 90 states that it is: “A Prayer of Moses, the man of God.” If this psalm does go back to the time of Moses, then it is one of the older psalms. The opening two verses certainly would have been a prayer that Moses could have prayed—given the fact that he and the Israelites were wandering in the wilderness, without a home for 40 years. The NRSV states that: “LORD, you have been our dwelling place in all generations.” Instead of “dwelling place,” the REB renders it like this: the LORD has been “our refuge throughout all generations.” The GNT puts it like this: “O Lord, you have always been our home.” Most likely Moses would have found great comfort in trusting that the LORD was his true home, dwelling and refuge. So too, for you and me, ultimately God is our true, eternal home, dwelling place and refuge. 

As the psalm continues, Moses contrasts the shortness of human life with God who is eternal. Moses, during those 40 years of wandering in the wilderness witnessed the deaths of the Israelites—some of them most likely had a short life, and died young. 

How long do you think you’ll live? What is your life expectancy?

One day in seminary, Dr. Elliot made this statement: “Most people have a pretty good idea of how old they’ll be when they die, and the likely cause of death.”

He was a psychologist. He taught Pastoral Care and Counseling. Sure enough, he went around the room and asked every student to say how old they thought they’d be when they died, and what the cause of death would be. Some predicted a fairly short lifespan, dying of cancer or a heart attack, because that ran in their family; others predicted a ripe old age, because that ran in their family.

Someone once said, “The secret of longevity is to have old parents.” How long do you think you’ll live? God is eternal; we are not. In the grand scheme of things, our time on earth at best is but a blip on the radar screen. 

When it comes to death and dying, we all live with a certain amount of denial. Oh, we know it’s going to happen; still, it’s hard to fathom. Whether we think we’re immune or invincible or that it simply doesn’t apply to us, it’s hard for us to take our mortality seriously. 

Only God is eternal. No one knew this better than Isaac Watts, who wrote his hymn, “O God, Our Help in Ages Past,” which is a paraphrase of Psalm 90.

“Time, like an ever-rolling stream, bears all our years away;

They fly forgotten, as a dream dies at the op’ning day.

O God, our help in ages past, our hope for years to come,

Still be our guide while troubles last and our eternal home.” (#632 Evangelical Lutheran Worship)

So, what can you do about it? I heard a preacher say one time: “Plan for tomorrow as if you’re going to live forever; live today as it were your last.” Moses prayed simply, “So teach us to count our days that we may gain a wise heart.”¹ Or as the REB renders it: “So make us know how few are our days, that our minds may learn wisdom.” Or as the GNT puts it: “Teach us how short our life is, so that we may become wise.” 

One Christian who took the words of Psalm 90 very seriously was the founder of the Methodist Church, John Wesley. 

Nearly every minute of Wesley’s long life was carefully planned. For 60 years he always rose at 4:00 A.M. and almost always went to bed promptly at 10:00 P.M. For 50 years he preached at 5:00 A.M. He learned to use every small piece of the day for learning and prayer. He read and wrote while riding horseback. How did he do it? “I rode with slack rein,” he explained. In the more than 40 years he spent on horseback, Wesley traveled more than a quarter of a million miles and preached 42,000 sermons.

His incredibly disciplined life allowed him time to write history books on England and Rome as well as volumes on logic and health. He prepared grammars on Greek, French, and English and completed an excellent English dictionary. He even wrote hymns, though brother Charles was the master hymn writer, penning more than 6000 hymns of beautiful poetry, often for an illiterate public.

At age 77, Wesley’s vigour remained. He rode 100 miles in 48 hours, a feat he duplicated 10 years later. He complained at 83 that he could not write for more than 15 hours without hurting his eyes. At 86 he traveled throughout Ireland for nine weeks, preaching 100 sermons in 60 towns, often in the open air.

Though we will remember him for his writing and his vigorous stands on social issues (he was very vocal in his opposition to slavery), Wesley will be best remembered for his organizational genius and his passion to know and experience the love of God. “We are saved by faith,” he declared thousands of times. “God is gracious and loving.” This message and his fervent desire for people to live righteous lives is a word that the church in our own day still needs to hear.²

Moses, in praying this psalm, realized that even though life on this earth can be short in contrast to eternity, God still has a plan and a purpose for us. God wants us to love and serve him and our neighbour even in old age—which Moses did up til his death at 120 years. 

Psychologist Erik Erikson has written that people approaching the last chapters of their lives have to choose between stagnation and generativity. He defines stagnation as thinking only about ourselves. How do I feel? What aches? Who calls me, and who ignores me? Generativity is worrying about the next generation and what sort of world we are leaving them. Needless to say, generativity is the healthy choice. It pulls us out of ourselves and gives us a role to play in the world.³

May we share the gift of wisdom with the young, by encouraging and nurturing them in the faith. A wise heart and mind is a gift from God. It involves being aware of God at work in the world and in our lives—teaching us through prayer and a willingness to keep learning, how to live in accordance with God’s will for us, valuing each day, each month, each year as a gift from God to serve and love our neighbours. 

I would like to leave you with this inspiring quotation, attributed to musician Pau (Pablo) Casals, when he was 93: “Age is a relative matter. If you continue to work and to absorb beauty in the world, you find age does not necessarily mean getting old. At least not in the ordinary sense. I feel many things more intensely than ever and for me my life gets more fascinating.” 

1 Philip W. McLarty, “A Matter of Life and Death,” at: <https://sermonwriter.com/sermons/psalm-901-7-a-matter-of-life-and-death-mclarty/&gt;.

2 Wm. R. White, Stories For Telling: A Treasury for Christian Storytellers (Minneapolis: Augsburg Publishing House, 1986), pp. 62-63.

3 Harold Kushner, Living a Life That Matters (New York: Alfred A. Knopf, 2001), p. 132. 

Book Review: Prophets Of Love

Prophets Of Love: The Unlikely Kinship of Leonard Cohen And The Apostle Paul

Author: Matthew R. Anderson

Publisher: McGill-Queen’s University Press, Volume 15 in a Series on Advancing Studies in Religion, hardcover, 182 pages, including Acknowledgments, 11 chapters, Notes, Bibliography, and Index

Reviewed by Rev. Garth Wehrfritz-Hanson

The Author 

The Rev. Dr. Matthew R. Anderson is an ordained pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church In Canada, and he teaches biblical studies at Concordia University and St Francis Xavier University. His PhD in Religious Studies (New Testament) is from McGill University (1999), with a specialisation in Paul. Recent books, in addition to this volume, include: Our Home and Treaty Land (co-authored with Raymond Aldred, Wood Lake 2022); Pairings: The Bible and Booze (version francaise: Apocalypse et gin tonic; Novalis 2021/2022). His forthcoming book is The Good Walk (University of Regina Press, 2024). Matthew’s musings on pilgrimage and decolonisation can be seen in his blogs https://somethinggrand.ca/ and https://unsettledwords.com/, his open-access article “Aware-Settler Biblical Studies” (Journal of Interdisciplinary Biblical Studies, 2021), and his podcast “Pilgrimage Stories from Up and Down the Staircase”:https://podcasts.apple.com/ca/podcast/pilgrimage-stories-from-up-and-down-the-staircase/id1525283078.

While reading this volume, Matthew, for this reviewer, comes across as a creative, insightful academic sleuth—examining the evidence from diverse angles/perspectives, and then drawing conclusions, which, at times, are paradoxical, rather than being either-or, they are both-and. Reading this volume reminded me of trying to put together a large puzzle, connecting all of the pieces in order to see the whole picture. Indeed, Matthew makes a lot of connections that some readers—including yours truly!—may not be aware of; that is perhaps why the title has this phrase: The Unlikely Kinship of….

Matthew wrote this volume for all the scholars, mostly women, who inspired and influenced his views of Paul and Leonard. He especially dedicates it to Dr. Agata Bielik-Robson, professor of Jewish studies, University of Nottingham.The 11 chapter titles include words or phrases from Leonard Cohen’s writings, as well as inform readers of the diverse perspectives on Paul and Leonard. At the end of each chapter, there is a “Text Meditation” section, and a “Further Reading” section. In the “Text Meditation” section, readers are invited to listen to one of Leonard’s songs, and then think about and compare excerpts from Paul’s and Leonard’s writings. 

In chapter 1, Matthew provides readers with background concerning how his feet ended up on Leonard Cohen’s coffee table.

In chapters 2 to 11, Matthew examines Paul and Leonard from several diverse perspectives, including: Leonard and Paul within Judaism, their preoccupation with Jesus, their attitudes toward and relationships with women, their asceticism, their masculinity, their beguiling rhetoric, their having no choice, their mysticism, their witnessing to brokenness and redemption, and their long afterlives. 

According to Matthew, Paul could be belligerent, whereas Leonard could be diplomatic. Paul’s attitude toward sexual relationships was different than Leonard’s. Paul advises sex within marriage, whereas Leonard has been described as ‘a ladies’ man’ and in his lyrics there is ambiguity about whether he is referring to sexual relationships or the divine, or connecting both of them. Paul, in his writings, seems to have remained celibate, whereas Leonard was involved in a number of sexual relationships, and he could also at times be misogynistic.

Regarding asceticism, Paul, unlike Leonard, did not deliberately deprive the body. For example, Leonard was a Zen monk for a number of years, and the master would require the monks to sit and meditate for long periods of time, without giving them bathroom breaks.

According to Matthew, there were also a number of similarities shared by Paul and Leonard. Both Paul and Leonard were religious Jews. Matthew, accepting the emphases of the “Paul within Judaism” group of scholars, cites three reasons supporting this viewpoint. One of which is that after Paul’s Damascus road encounter with Jesus, Paul never left Judaism. In Leonard’s case, Matthew makes the point that even though he became a Zen Buddhist monk, he never regarded that as a religion. Rather, he still considered himself within Judaism.

Both Paul and Leonard: wrote from a mystical perspective, both were disciplined in their faith and practice, both were popular and unpopular in their Jewish communities, both became famous in the non-Jewish world, both were ambiguous about women, both were inspired by Jesus, and both were drawn to the God of Israel, both loved the Hebrew Bible and were well-versed in it, both remained Jewish right up until they died. 

Both Paul and Leonard speak of having no choice regarding their calling. In Galatians 1:15-16, Paul speaks of his call in a similar way as the prophets Jeremiah and Isaiah. Leonard, in one of his songs, states: “I was born like this, I had no choice.” Like other biblical prophets, both Paul and Leonard realize that as prophets they will experience suffering. Both connect weakness, brokenness and suffering with the divine presence and divine purposes. 

Both Paul and Leonard were masters of persuasive speech. Their words express in powerful ways what countless other human beings think and feel. Who isn’t moved by Paul’s ode to love in 1 Corinthians 13? And in endnote 27 of chapter 10, Matthew quotes Max Layton, son of poet Irving Layton as saying this about Leonard: “the greatest psalmist since King David.” Freedman, Leonard Cohen, 192, points out that Cohen’s Book of Mercy (1984) was self-consciously modelled on the psalms” (p. 155). Speaking of endnotes, although it can be tedious to read them, I humbly advise readers to do so, since Matthew makes plenty of valid points in them, and provides further significant background information on such subjects as the ancient world’s view of gender, conjugal duties prescribed in the Torah cited in Talmud Kethubod 61b, the Jewish tradition of Merkabah (chariot) mysticism, and more. 

All who enjoy listening to Leonard Cohen’s music and reading Paul’s letters will certainly benefit from and appreciate this volume. I would give it a 4.75 out of 5!