Message from Pastor Karyn for August 2024
“We are to fear and love God, so that we do not tell lies about our neighbors, betray or slander them, or destroy their reputations. Instead we are to come to their defense, speak well of them and interpret everything they do in the best possible light.”
When I was a new pastor, I had a friend who would always try to find the best possible way to explain someone else’s behavior. She would, as we came to call it, eighth commandment something. It was annoying a good amount of the time, to be perfectly honest. Mostly because sometimes you need to work your way through some emotions before you can get to a place where you are a better version of yourself. Those emotions don’t always allow you to interpret everything someone does in the best possible light and the last thing you want to hear is someone doing it for you. Am I right? Except those days of being frustrated with my friend’s very noble attempts was a training ground of sorts for where the Holy Spirit would lead me nearly 20 years later as I delve deeply into what it means to love all people. Now, my most worked on skill, to be curious instead of judgmental or harmful or mean, is directly tied to practicing the eighth commandment.
NEW! Wednesday Night Study Group
Starting with a look at
Luther’s Small Catechism
7pm Wednesdays
starting Sept. 18
Luther was on to something when he wrote his explanations to each of the Ten Commandments. There must have been something in him left over from studying the law that wanted to really get to the true meaning of these guiding principles God gave to that ragtag band of slaves that would become the Israelites. I appreciate Luther turning each commandment on its head and talking about what we should do instead of simply leaving it at what we shouldn’t do. There is much less wiggle room this way. I can’t simply say, “Well, I haven’t killed anyone today, so I’m good.” Instead, I have to ask myself if I have done the work of helping and supporting my neighbor in all life’s needs? (See Luther’s explanation to the fifth commandment). To say that the study of the commandments and Luther’s understanding of them has changed my life is not over stating things. It has influenced everything from how I do my shopping to how I view climate change and how I understand Jesus’ call to love God and love my neighbor as myself. It doesn’t stop there, of course, Luther’s understanding of the Lord’s Prayer, the Apostle’s Creed and the sacraments are also rich in wisdom that moves far beyond his own time. As adults, we also bring a richness of experience to our learning as we revisit what we learned (and perhaps memorized) in Confirmation.
This fall, Pastor Stanton and I will lead a 10-week class that takes a look at Luther’s Small Catechism, examining this foundational document and how it can help us live more fully and more deeply into what it means to be a Jesus follower who identifies as Lutheran. I hope you join us, starting on Sept. 18 at 7pm. There is no better time than now to return to the roots of our identity as Lutherans.
