Bethel Lutheran Church, Roseville, California

Parents! PARENTS! Parents galore.  Last night, we had our last show before returning to Bethel and before tonight's homecoming concert . The drive from Medford, OR, to Roseville was long, but uneventful.  No car broke down, no one got lost or left behind, no late charges were incurred.  

The setup at Bethel Lutheran Church in Roseville went smoothly, the major problem was how to adjust the program to a really small space. 

After dinner (tacos!), there was enough time left for fun in the lawn, making music together, etc, by the time the concert began, several sets of Common Ground parents, even one grandma and two little sisters, had arrived: Jonathan, Josh, Christa, Alex N. all were lovingly greeted by their families.  

Bethel Lutheran Church, Roseville, is very small by our standards.  Common Ground parents made up a good percentage of the audience.  Maybe thanks to the small sanctuary space, the enthusiastic audience, the bonding that had happened on tour, or the familiarity with the songs and dramas who knows why - but the concert was our best thus far. Everything seemed to come together - enunciation, transitions, smiles, etc. -- and our audience noticed!

The day ended with loading equipment onto the truck, hours of sharing time, and turning huge church's sanctuary into bedroom space.  

Right now the group is practicing for worship where Common Ground will be singing two sings during the offering.  

It was a pleasure to again be able yo travel with Common Ground this year.  Hope to see many if you tonight at our own Bethel Lutheran Church for the homecoming concert at 7:30pm!

Common Ground, Medford, Oregon

Crater Lake
Yesterday was all about recreation, sightseeing, and thrill! After leaving Bend, Oregon, we headed South-West, passing through Deschutes National Forrest and stopping for lunch, views, and small remnants of Winter snow at Crater Lake. The views were gorgeous and the chilly mountain air refreshing!







We then continued South towards Grants Pass, just a few miles North of Medford, nestled by the Rogue River, the scenic backdrop of many a Hollywood movie.

Rogue River
From the relative calm of the valley the river takes a dramatic turn as it enters the coastal range at Hellgate Canyon. From Hellgate for the next 60 miles, we were told, the Rogue takes a wild and scenic trip through the coastal range towards its final destination: the Pacific Ocean.

Donning fashionable black garbage bag attire, we boarded a 3-engine, 1,100 horsepower jet boat that could reach top speeds of 50 miles per hour. Sudden stops an numerous spins resulted in some of us getting soaked pretty well, while others (no names here!) shielded themselves by directing the splashing waters to the folks sitting in front of them. In addition to the thrills of the ride, we saw lots of birds: bald eagles, geese, ducklings, blue herons, buzzards, swallows, turkey vultures, and manyores.



















Medford
After driving a bit into dramatic Hellgate Canyon, we turned around. disembarked for dinner down-river, and eventually headed back to Grants Pass. Some 20 minutes later, we arrived at the Marriott Suites in Medford, our stop for the night.

Common Ground, Bend, Oregon

A Tour of Firsts
This is a tour of firsts. There are more boys than girls, believe it or not. We were, for the first (but hopefully) not the last time in Kent, Washington. Little Rebecca attended her first Common Ground concert. And, for the first time (at least as far as I know), we had to cancel a concert. No, not because of illness - everyone is just fine! Everyone was fine yesterday, too. Halt, make that "everyone, except for the Bethel Bus." The bus had some issues that had to be fixed before beginning the climb up the mountains towards Bend (Bend is at nearly 4,000 feet altitude).

Lloyd Center, Portland, Oregon
Nearly everyone among the group got dropped off at a mall and the bus spend some 5 hours at a nearby dealership. Being at the mall was fun, but eventually we knew the place rather well, too well for my taste. Fortunately, a bookstore and an ice rink were at the mall, providing for hours of entertainment.

Bend, Oregon
We arrived at Nativity Lutheran Church in Bend at 10pm. Even though it was pretty late and the concert had been cancelled, the congregation provided us with a sumptuous meal, including the most delicious bread you can imagine, even by Bay Area and German standards. The boys/men were sent to the spacious youth room for the night; the girls/women got to spend the night in the congregation's amazing sanctuary, spreading out in front of the altar and pulpit area, aisles, and the back. Sleeping bags everywhere!

Nativity Lutheran Church
It is always nice to explore how other churches "do it." Nativity church exudes a spirit of welcome, community service, and hospitality. Located in central Oregon on the Eastern side of the Cascade Mountains, Bend blends technology, higher education, and administration with businesses catering to serious outdoor lovers. In the Bend area, ponderosa pine forrest transitions into the high desert. The unique mix of culture and the outdoors appears to attract active retirees, artists, and younger families alike.

Nativity Church Church is nestled in a forested area among the outskirts of town. The campus is large and filled with evidence of the congregation's noteworthy service to the Bend community.

Service
The are way too many amazing elements of the church campus for me to list here. For example, there are the Food Forrest (fruit & berries for the congregation's food pantry), the Food Shelve, bee hives and bees rescued from a crashed truck, the Common Table Community Garden, the Boys Scouts work area, the Nativity Wood Lot (firewood for those who cant afford it), the Impact Head Start wing, the Prayer Garden, a Prayer Labyrinth, info on the temporary shelter in which the congregation participates, and so much more.

Hospitality
When you enter the sanctuary building, the first thing you notice are reusable name tags ... lots of them! That way, visitors and regulars alike can greet one another by name. The sanctuary itself is spacious, decorated with large, beautiful black-and-white photos of the congregation's different ministries, surrounding the worshippers in their singing and praying, similar to the "Stations of the Cross" one might find in Catholic churches. Everything in the church building feels child-friendly, by the way. One really cute item we found in the back pocket of the sanctuary chairs, for example, were the "scribble cards for kids of all ages" (see photo).

Spirituality
After breakfast and loading the truck, the group walked the labyrinth. After many turns, back and forth, in and out and back in, the path led us to the center. We stayed there, praying for a whole, before returning the way we first had gone in. All that happened in complete silence, so that everyone could use this time to bring questions, concerns, or issues to God. Afterwards, the prayer garden offered more opportunities for prayer, either alone or with one of the Common Ground sponsors. I a so grateful to the congregation for dividing this beautiful space for reflection a d prayer. What a wonderful way to serve the spiritual needs of the Bend population!

Departure
In eight minutes, the group will meet to begin the day with a campus your, a Labyrinth walk, and then head South to Medford. Got to stop writing now, so that I won't have to pay late fees (50 cents per minute !).

Location:Nativity Lutheran Church, Bend, OR

Kent Lutheran Church

Host homes! Showers! Beds! Laundry! Last night, Common Ground performed for the community of Kent Lutheran Church (Kent, WA).

Our local contact was Vanessa Rutherford (nee Hernandez), a proud Common Ground alumna, who single-handedly convinced the pastor and congregation to invite CG to Kent, have us stay at host homes (apparently, the congregation had not done this either!), get them to sponsor dinner, and promote the show to her own and other local churches.

In result, the youth performed to an 80+ strong audience, the largest one this far on the tour! While Kent parishioners proved somewhat reluctant to engage with their visitors over dinner, by the time we left Kent the next morning, they appeared delighted by our youth and were happily interacting with them.




The overall comments on the show were overwhelmingly positive. The attendees seemed to clearly grasp the message of "crystal & dynamite ... bring it!" (to paraphrase this year's theme). People were dancing in their pews to the music. Lots of them sent text messages (telling of instances of brokenness, disappointment, sadness, and anger in their own life) during the concert that subsequently became part if the program when they were displayed on the screen for all to see.

We had some very special concert attendees in Kent: Barb and Dave Larsen, their daughter Emily, son-in-law Matt, and 7-month old granddaughter Rebekka! It was a delight to watch Chris, the proud uncle, parade his niece around the social hall. I frankly can't tell who beamed more: Chris or his dad. What a cutie girl Rebecca has become, provided that she's been fed. :-) this weekend, she'll be blesses as part of the worship at Matt and Emily's church - that's why Dave and Barb were in town (in case you wonder).


My own host family (Marlies & Dirk) opened their home and hearts to four of us (Charlotte, Emily, Mel, and myself). We had the opportunity to take (long) showers, do laundry, drink strong coffee, and eat the most amazing breakfast (thank you, Marlies!).
Even professional medical advice about seasickness was given, as one of the girls didn't do too well after the ferry ride from Seattle to Bremerton. After some ginger ale and some dried ginger, all seems now well, BTW.













Currently, we are heading South towards Bend, Oregon, and Nativity Lutheran Church, a ride of some 5 1/2 hours. I continue to be impressed by the calm demeanor, professionalism, and interest in CG of our driver, Jamie.




A big shout-out to our parents at home! All the hosts I talked to this morning commented on how responsible, talented, polite, and well-behaved (!) our youth are. Parents, you might not recognize your own kids by the time you get them back! Whether you know it or not, you must have done a good job raising your kid(s). On this trip, they are just the most amazing missionaries and messengers to their own message of "Keep Calm and Bring It!" It's a pleasure to be with them and to get to know them better.

Location:Kent Lutheran Church, Kent, WA

Common Ground Tour - Variety Show

I caught up with Common Ground, thanks to Chris and Bailey Freckmann who picked me up at the Seattle-Tacoma airport. After rush hour traffic and dinner with the group, preparations for the variety show were underway
- acts were practiced, lyrics were written down, and skit participants recruited.

MC'ed by Jonathan Meyerholtz and Josh Stolan (!) whose names seem to have become interchangeable during the tour, act followed after act in rapid succession, interlaced with jokes about group members and "revealing" nap photos stealthily taken on the Bethel bus.

I am adding some photos from the variety show, plus my own story that I told, loosely inspired by the poem "Two Dead Boys."





Oh, What a Thrilling Flight!
Ladies and gentlemen, skinny and stout,
I’ll tell you a tale I know nothing about.
The admission is free, so pay at the door,
Now pull up a chair and sit on the floor.

One bright day in the middle of the night,
I left home to go on a non-stop flight.
I boarded a plane from San Jose to Seattle,
together with a herd of rather mad, human cattle.

The cattle were noisy, the cattle were bored,
Some fell asleep, some gently snored.
Many stuck cords into outlets while waiting,
Talked on their phones -- oh-so-important work projects contemplating.

But we all woke up as we saw the approaching crew.
When we saw the six flight attendants and the captain, we immediately knew,
This was going to be,
No ordinary flight, THAT we could see.

For we saw that the captain was blind, and so was his crew.
I am telling the truth, I trust you know that it's true.
When they arrived at the gate, ready to board the plane,
Each one of them carried a red-and-white cane.

When that crew walked off into the cockpit,
They were preceded by a guide dog named Sprocket.
They asked us to take our seats without making a sound,
The stewardess, that is, helped by the hound.

Suddenly, though, a man with no legs came walking by,
and kicked the poor guide dog into his thigh.
A flight marshall came to cart him away,
But the man ran for his life, and is still gone today.

With the captain blind, and the poor hound out of commission,
Who would get us safely to Seattle? we passengers began to reason.
Until suddenly, a sound came out of the speakers into our ears,
The captain pleading with us, desperately looking for brave volunteers.

Is there anyone out there,
Who would dare,
To follow the guidance of my hand,
And fly this plane, bring it down unto land?

So I pondered whether to follow the motto
Of my mother's great-uncle Otto,
who used to proclaim "Out with the old,
And in with be bold."

Yes, I told myself and the crew,
I will do it, and so I flew,
Through the air safely steering this flying beast,
Landing it safely on the Seatac runway, last but not least.

The ride was a bit bumpy,
And even now my throat feels still lumpy.
But I learned from the best,
who assure me and the rest.
"Do not get fluttered,
Do not loose heart,
Be bold, creative, and sing it!"
"Keep calm," God says, "and bring it!"

You might want to check as much as you're able,
With the only eyewitness to the facts of my fable.
If you doubt whether my story is true,
Just ask the blind captain, he saw it too.

Location:First Lutheran Church, Bothell, WA

Where’s the Beef? - "The Bible" Miniseries - Episode 5

Little did I know that when I committed to writing these movie reviews some six weeks ago at the beginning of Lent that I would end up agreeing with a Huntington Beach LCMS pastor by the name of Sam Schuldheisz reviewing the last of the five episodes. But this is what ended up happening!

Almost from the beginning, I felt that this History Channel docudrama presents us with “theology light” or rather “theology too light.” While the five-part mini-series definitely has a narrative plot (“people of faith who trust in God”), I continue to feel that something is sorely amiss in this series.

As a Lutheran, I am accustomed to look for solid undergirding theological themes. Lutherans tend to read the Bible as the gradually unfolding story of God’s “prevenient grace” (which is a fancy theological term for divine grace that precedes all human attempts at embracing of that grace). Both the Old and New Testament, we Lutherans believe, witness to how God initiated relationships with human beings, how God saves us from our own sinfulness and inability to live lives of mercy, love, and justice. First, God gave the people of Israel the Law. When the people failed to obey God’s Law and continued to sin, God became incarnate in flesh to take upon Himself our sins and to reconcile us to Himself. The Law reveals to us our fallen nature; Jesus Christ saves us from our sinfulness and restores us to a right relationship with God.

According to Lutheran theology, this tension between human sin and God’s salvation always remains. Lutherans believe that Christians always remain justified sinners (“saints and at the same time sinners”), despite the salvation that Christ has won for them. No amount of faith and no amount of faithful living can change us completely from sinners into saints.

In my heart and mind, I have deeply embraced this theological tension between Law and Gospel. Any plot that simplifies the Biblical story or lacks theological substance tends to make me feel uneasy or leaves me dissatisfied.

Pastor Schuldheisz, to whose review I am indebted, alluded to an old Wendy’s advertising slogan: “Where’s the beef?” To him, that little question, “Where’s the beef?” not only works well for selling hamburgers, but points to a profound theological question: Where’s the substance and the solid food of doctrine? To Pastor Schuldheisz (and myself) the most glaring problem with the final episode of “The Bible” miniseries was not so much what was said, but what wasn’t said. The solid food of Scriptural doctrine was missing at key points and the main course of Christianity – Christ crucified and risen for the forgiveness of sins – wasn’t on the table after the movie account of Holy Week was over.

To be sure, episode five had some good appetizers: for example, when the camera showed the disciples saying the Lord’s Prayer just as Jesus had taught them. When it came to the main course, though, the overall meal amounted to little more than empty calories. The problem wasn’t so much what was on the plate as what was left in the kitchen. So, here are four courses Lutherans might find missing from the table on Sunday evening.

(1) Thomas’ Confession
When the risen Christ appeared to the apostles behind locked doors, the apostle Thomas – more or less – confesses that Jesus “is back.” We hear Thomas say, “It is you,” but not the words that he says in John’s Gospel: “My Lord and my God!” In other words, Christology was entirely missing from this event. So, where’s the beef?

(2) The Risen Christ and His Teaching
The next major scene zeroes in on the disciples gathered around Jesus at Bethany just prior to His ascension to the right hand of the Father. But does Jesus say anything about the preaching of repentance and forgiveness of sins to all nations? Do we hear anything about teaching Jesus’ doctrine and baptizing all nations in the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit? Do the disciples receive a promise that Jesus will be with them always to the end of the age? No, none of these things are taught. Rather, we hear Jesus say, “Ask for the Holy Spirit and I will send it to you.” Not only are Jesus’ words and promises absent from His ascension sermon to the disciples, but the work of the Holy Spirit is reduced to some kind of bargain and deal between the disciples and God, “if you ask I will send it to you.” Again, where’s the beef?

(3) Peter’s Sermon at Pentecost
In one of the next scenes, the disciples are gathered inside a darkened locked room during the Jewish Festival of Pentecost and are praying the Lord’s Prayer. Suddenly, the Holy Spirit rushes in like a mighty wind, the disciples begin to speak in a number of languages known at the time, and all are left excited at what they just experienced. Again, the problem is not so much what is present, but what is missing from the story: Peter’s Pentecost proclamation of repentance and the forgiveness of sins is skipped over with laughter and excitement over the disciples’ new-found language skills. In other words, the entire substance and center of the Christian faith is lacking from Pentecost in “The Bible.” The mini-series presents us with the base facts of the story and the surrounding context but gives us no meat to chew on. To quote Chris Pastor Schuldheisz, “The big deal at Pentecost was not that the disciples could speak in foreign languages. The big deal at Pentecost was the Gospel being proclaimed to all nations.” Where’s the beef?

(4) The Apostle Paul and His Doctrine of Justification
Finally, the movie spends a significant amount of time on the Saul’s conversion, his work as an apostle, and the growth of the Christian church as a result of Paul’s ministry. Instead of focusing on Paul’s teaching, though, the producers of “The Bible” chose to focus on the person of Paul. Instead of focusing on the Gospel and the justification of sinners, we hear about Paul’s struggles to fit in with the early Christian community. Yes, some of his writings were quoted here and there, especially 1 Corinthians 13, the love chapter. But if all we preach is love and not Paul’s theology of the cross, we are missing the point of his ministry.

The Lutheran reformers rightly taught that the doctrine of justification is the doctrine upon which the church stands or falls. Justification by grace through faith is, indeed, the center of the Scriptures, the very purpose for Christ’s life, death, and resurrection. The fact that this teaching is lacking in "The Bible" by extension also means that the Gospel is lacking. Yes, there are “moments,” hints and implicit or brief accounts of the Gospel, but again, what was there wasn’t as problematic as what was missing. What’s missing? The central article of the Christian faith: justification by grace through faith. Where’s the beef?

Conclusion
In conclusion, let me simply quote Pastor Schuldheisz, who expressed very well what I would say, too: “Finally, the overall problem from my perspective, is that the real Gospel is absent from The Bible precisely because it isn’t nearly as palatable as what was broadcasted in The Bible. Leaving the Gospel off the menu makes Christianity marketable to a wider audience. But what kind of Christianity are we serving up if we take the solid meat of Christ, the Gospel and Justification, the work of the Holy Spirit and the means of grace, and the promises and Words of Jesus for His Church? We are left with a counterfeit and Christ-less Christianity. […] Although The Bible may be more like spiritual candy to be eaten sparingly and with caution, it is no substitute for the daily bread Christ dishes up for His people at the Lord’s Table and in His holy Word. Where’s the beef? Don’t look for it in The Bible, rather, search the Scriptures (the book is way better than the movie anyhow) and find a faithful church where the regular meal being served up is a feast of Christ’s body and blood, His Word and water, and His forgiveness of sins, life and salvation.” Amen!