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Pentecost 18 -- September 14, 2008 Dear brothers and sisters in Christ, grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen. Our Gospel lesson today is a continuation of our Gospel lesson of last week. It is about forgiveness. Which forces me to think of all the things I did in my tenure here for which I need to ask for forgiveness. Like the time I was having so much fun during coffee fellowship time that I forgot to come to the second service. That one was only slightly embarrassing, and I'm sure Pastor Joan has forgiven me for that. As I am sure that Peggy has forgiven me for not being able to say the "N" word. I'm not going to tell you about the really big boo-boos. I'm just thankful that this congregation is really forgiving. If we were to take a piece of candy from these jars for each time that I needed forgiveness, we would discover that I have exceeded the four hundred ninety times that Jesus prescribes. I'm human, and I make mistakes. I have experienced a ton of forgiveness from this congregation. Partings are always sad. This is the last time that I will have the privilege to address you. My time here has been all too short. There are so many things I still want to do, so many stories left to tell. As you may have guessed by now, I am more of a storyteller than a preacher. So, at the request of Tammy, Janet and Stacy, I will tell just one more. My first job out of college was as a clerk typist with the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency. I worked in what was called the bullpen. Now this was so long ago, it was before they invented cubicles, so our desks faced each other. My desk butted up against the desk of a man named Frank Stanton. Frank was a short-timer, he was retiring in four months. No one was looking forward to his retirement more than me. As a short-timer, he couldn't be bothered with small things, like learning my name. So he just called me legs. Office hours started at 8:00, but Frank showed up at 9:30. He'd arrive with two newspapers under his arm, flop them down at the desk, dig in his pocket, take out a quarter, flip it at me and say, "Legs, run down to the cafeteria and get me a cup of coffee." Then he would open the first paper, light up the first cigar of the day, and settle in for a few hours of wasting time. He'd go to lunch around 11:30, return around 2:00 with two more newspapers to read. I couldn't wait for his retirement day. It finally came, and all his friends took him out to lunch. When he returned that day, he had had a really good time. He was about three sheets to the wind. He poured himself into his chair, lit up his cigar, and gave me the best advice I've ever gotten in my life. He said to me, "Legs, you're young, and you are not going to believe this, but one day soon, you are going to fall asleep, and when you wake up, forty years will have gone by and someone will be handing you a gold watch, and your life will be over, and you will have missed it. I didn't believe that would happen to me when I was told this, but it did. I've missed my life. Oh, I remember snatches here and there. A few days like the day I got married. And the days my children were born. I remember the day my son got married, it was the day he died during the service. He was kneeling at the top of the marble steps leading to the altar, when he fainted, hit his head, and was dead before the ambulance arrived. But most of my life, the conversations I had, the meals I ate, the everyday things of life, I can't remember any of them. I fell asleep, and I missed my life. "Don't fall asleep legs, don't fall asleep." Then he picked up his paper and began to read. I haven't fallen asleep during my time here. Okay, just an occasional afternoon nap. But most of the time I was with the program, sort of. So I thought I would share with you pictures of the fun we've had, the pictures of you that I treasure and will carry in my heart forever. I have put together a slide show which I will share with you. I don't have any actual pictures, which is okay because I don't have a projector or a screen. But that doesn't make these pictures any less real. First, the wonderful staff that I have worked with. Pastor Joan, this one is for you, can you figure out where we hid that accursed bell you used to call us all together? Dairy Queen runs, cakes, cookies, zucchini bread. Food, always food. Why did Jesus ask that we remember him at a table with food? Because that is where we gather, that is what we share, that is where the stories are told, that is the baseline of our lives together. Stacy's office, can we get one more kid in here? Arlene who we swear is magical, And Karen, whistling down the hall. What an honor to be among this group. What a blessing they are. A picture of the sanctuary, and the beauty of this worship space, all decorated for Christmas, and for Easter. One of the things we do best here is music, so there has to be a picture of the choir, with Sarah directing, and the organists, Cathy, Laurie, Lois and Donna, each bringing their own talents and expertise. Joe with his cello. Music that has moved me more than once to tears. Of course, Ernie, leading the singing, what a treasure and a pleasure. The congregation sounds wonderful under his direction. The beauty of the bell choir. What a blessing the ministry of our music team. The confirmation class of '08. We worked so hard on looking good during the service, marching in together, side by side, correct pacing, sitting and standing as one. Me and my obsession with practice, just once more. Only to have all the preparation blown out of the water when we were asked to come up individually, not as the practiced group. The looks I got from them! What a treasure, what a blessing! The first communion class, tasting the bread and the wine, deciding which would be easier to drink with everyone watching. A picture of the dedicated group of guest instructors who helped make the bread, decorate the glasses, learn the significance of each of the elements. And the parents, who learned as much as the students did. What an honor, what a blessing! The Summer Stretch gang, who unloaded 10,000 pounds of food at the food shelf, and then found out what a lousy mini-golfer I am. And the look of shock and surprise on my face when I got that hole in one. The laughter, the fun, the blessing. Here come the children down the aisle for the children's sermon. The scariest part of the whole worship service. Children are wonderful judges of what is true and right and good. Every Sunday, the challenge of beating the odds against chaos breaking out, the joy of so much delicious innocence, so much trust, as we explored God in our midst, them not knowing or perhaps not being aware of what joy they bring just with their presence, both to us and to God. What a treasure and a blessing they are! Here's a collage of all the people who were kind enough to take the time to stop by my office, or drop me an e-mail or a letter about that Sunday's sermon, to tell me what a difference it had made in their lives. The stuff that preachers live for. What a blessing. Bill's Bookworms, this was taken the night we imported a Catholic to help with one of the authors. Together we plumbed the depths of the mystery that is God. We thought deeply, laughed loudly, and came away well fed, by more than just the cookies. We were truly blessed. Another collage of all the people I had the honor of visiting in hospitals and homes, bringing communion, bringing a smile, bringing comfort, bringing hope, bringing the assurance that they were not alone. I loved visiting each and every one of them and came away with much more than I brought. They were a blessing on my ministry and my life. Women's Bible study, "Come to the Waters" in our Memorial Garden. Does anyone know who had the extra camera and took the other pictures? What a great place the Memorial Garden is! What a perfect place to be refreshed by God's word. Truly a blessing. The Stewardship Team, hard at work, searching for the best way to educate the congregation as to what stewardship is, not just money but a way of living in grateful appreciation for the abundance God has given us. And finding ways to share that abundance with the world. What a wonderful job they have done. What a wonderful experience to go through that process with them. What a blessing on my life and this congregation. A collage of the kindnesses I've been shown. The dinner fairy, the hugs, the pats on the back, the words of encouragement. The blessing of welcome and hospitality. The beginnings of the Creation Care team. Looks small right now but growing in numbers every day, As people boldly come forward, each with a deep love for a part of God's creation, each willing to work for the good of the earth, to heal the planet and the peoples. What a blessing! All the people, prairie refugees, who are now in the north woods but carry with them the print of the prairies, who have said, I'm from New Ulm, I'm from Pipestone, I'm from Worthington. All those who share my heritage. Being greeted at the door with "How's my favorite Norwegian?" And "Top of the mornin to ya." Okay, that's Irish, but in our hearts, we are all Norwegians. What a blessing! Serving this congregation has been more than a joy, more than a honor, it has been a blessing. Many of you have been kind enough to ask my plans, where I will be going next, and I can honestly say, I haven't a clue. I don't know what the future holds for me as you don't know what the future holds for you. But I do know who holds my future. I have told you many times, that God is not only a God of the past, and the present, He is a God of the future. He will provide. One of my favorite prayers is the one about how we go forth, not knowing where we are going only that God is leading and that his hand is guiding. He leads us, and he blesses us every step along the way. He has blessed me with the time I have spent in this congregation. I would like to ask Darrel, the pres, to come forward at this time, I still don't do well at last names. It is a tradition among preachers where I have served before, and hopefully will become a new tradition here, in this place, to give to the congregation a token, a small remembrance of what you have received from them. What I have received from this congregation has been a blessing. And so I would like to present to the congregation a numbered print of "The blessing" painted by Richard Judson Zolan. Thank you for the blessing you have been. Amen. Rachel Flogstad-Heise,
Pastoral Assistant |
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