January 2012 Newsletter Article

Though I am small, my God, my all,

you work great things in me,

and your mercy will last from the depths

of the past to the end of the age to be.

Your very name puts the proud to shame,

and to those who would for you yearn,

you will show your might,

put the proud to flight,

for the world is about to turn.

My heart shall sing of the day you bring.

Let the fires of your justice burn.

Wipe away all tears,

for the dawn draws near,

and the world is about to turn.

- Rory Cooney, “Canticle of the Turning,” ELW 723

As our calendars turn from 2011 to 2012, I cannot help but reflect on the year past and look with anticipation to the year ahead. This has been a strong year for us of Lutheran Church of the Savior. We have engaged in new local ministries by volunteering at the Loaves and Fishes Pantry with our sisters and brothers of Sunnyside United Methodist Church, and by building a relationship with Ministry With Community. We continued many of our now-annual traditions, such as VBS with neighboring congregations, our spaghetti dinner to benefit Kairos Dwelling, our involvement with local the Thrivent chapter, our rummage sale and holiday bazaar, and many more.

Christmas 2011

"Have a joyful, hopeful, peaceful, love-filled Christmas, and share it with whoever you can."

Thus concluded my Christmas Eve sermon last night, which focused on the four words of Advent - joy, hope, peace, and love - and how they are the manifestation of all that we have been waiting for, and all that we celebrate today.

This morning there was no sermon, but as I said to the hearty few gathered with Lutheran Church of the Savior, everything I wanted to say is contained in the text of the newer hymn "Love Has Come," by Ken Bible, and set to the beautiful French tune we know as "Bring a Torch Jeannette, Isabella." 

Love has come - a light in the darkness!
Love shines forth in the Bethlehem skies.
See, all heaven has come to proclaim it;
Hear how their song of joy arises:
Love! Love!
Born unto you, a Savior!
Love! Love!
Glory to God on high.

Advent 2: December 2011 Newsletter article

“Comfort, comfort now my people;

tell of peace!” So says our God.

Comfort those who sit in darkness

mourning under sorrow’s load.

To God’s people now proclaim

that God’s pardon waits for them!

Tell them that their war is over;

God will reign in peace forever.

- Johann G. Olearius, tr. Catherine Winkworth, “Comfort, Comfort Now My People,” ELW 256

The words that begin the beautiful Advent carol quoted above come from Isaiah, and open our first reading on the second Sunday of this new church year. The prophet was writing to a people who for nearly sixty years had toiled in Babylon under their imperial captors, a people who had nearly forgotten their God and despaired that they would be slaves forever. Trudging through endless days of servitude, stripped of power and choice, God’s chosen people had little reason to hope that tomorrow would be a brighter day for them or for their children. 

Into this bleakness the voice of God spoke these words of balm to the heavenly host: Comfort my people!

Advent 1: Worship in the style of Taizé at Lutheran Church of the Savior

On Wednesdays this Advent we gather for worship in the style of the Taizé Community in the village of Taizé, France. Begun during World War II, Taizé has become an international, ecumenical Christian community of reconciliation between people. Each year tens of thousands of young people come to Taizé to worship together and experience a simple lifestyle grounded in Jesus’ love and care for all.

Worship in the Taizé style is very meditative, with songs repetitive  so their simple words and melodies can sink into our bones and live deeply within us. This worship includes a long period of silence for prayer and reflection, appropriate during this season of long, dark nights and frantic busy days. To enhance this meditative style, we will gather and leave our worship space in silence. Join us on the four Wednesdays of Advent, 11/30, 12/7, 12/14, and 12/21, to experience this new accent on some very ancient Christian worship. 

Eschatological Ambiguity and the Commonwealth of God

Tonight I have the awesome responsibility of representing Christian tradition at Decoding Judgment Day, part of East Lansing's Jewish/Christian/Muslim interfaith series Beyond Coexistence. In studying up for this - I am by no means an expert on Christian end-times thought - I found a paper I had written in my final semester of theological education at Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago in 2007. I have decided to post that paper here as the basis for my participation in tonight's conversation. Also, I am doing this because what's the point of having a blog if not to try new and frightening things, making questionable decisions along the way? Enjoy.

Eschatological Ambiguity and the Commonwealth of God

Eschatology is theological reflection on the future, on last things. In constructing an eschatology we live in the maddening predicament that we are trying to reflect on the ambiguous future with which we have had no experience. This problem is as contemporary as it is age-old: When we speak of the future, what information is reliable? That of the past? Of the present? Uncertainty about the unknown future mingles with anxiety and fear, and we try to assuage our anxieties by trying to discern the future.

Hearing the Cries: Faith and Criminal Justice, ctd

Hearing the Cries:

Faith and Criminal Justice

Hearing the Cries: Faith and Criminal Justice is a study written by the Criminal Justice Task Force of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) and published by the ELCA. It is an invitation to join this church’s moral deliberation on a major social issue that not only affects millions of our neighbors whom we are called by God to love and serve, but also many in our congregations. Your participation is crucial.

Enter into this important conversation on October 29^th as we welcome Judith Roberts, ELCA Director for RacialJustice Ministries, to lead an introduction and conversation on this Study. Copies of Hearing the Cries will be available, along with instructions on offering feedback to the Task Force by November 11^th 2011.

Saturday, October 29^th

10:00 am to Noon

Lunch to follow

Please RSVP to andrew.tengwall@gmail.com for lunch

LutheranChurch of the Savior

3616 East G Avenue

Kalamazoo, Michigan

For more information, contact Pastor Andrew Tengwall at andrew.tengwall@gmail.com

October 2011 Newsletter article

As saints of old their first fruits brought

of orchard, flock, and field to God,

the giver of all good, the source of bounteous yield,

so we today first fruits would bring,

 the wealth of this good land, of farm and market,

shop and home, of mind and heart and hand

- Frank von Christierson, “As Saints of Old,” ELW 695

Sarah and I were married this month, in a unique and powerful worship service featuring original music, vibrant preaching and a marriage ritual ancient in form and modern in content. We celebrated with a great party and a just-as-great afterparty, joining loved ones from far and near in an event for which I will always be grateful.

One of the great unexpected blessings of this time was the fact that so many of our loved ones chose to donate to causes dear to our hearts instead of simply buying us a gift. We wanted to offer this opportunity, but had no idea that so many friends would take us up on the opportunity to share our joy with organizations trying to do God’s work in the world. We received at least 25 donations, to organizations ranging from Lutheran World Relief and the UN World Food Programme who feed the hungry around the world to the Gay Lesbian Straight Education Alliance that strives to end bullying to five different aspects of the ELCA to the most formative organization for my own faith and life, Lutheran Volunteer Corps. It is truly a blessing to know that people love us enough to give to those in need around the world.

This brings me to think about our financial stewardship for the coming year. This month we will begin our annual reflection on our walk with Jesus, and how we can respond to God’s grace and mercy by sharing what we have with God’s church for the sake of the gospel and the world. When Jesus walked this earth with his disciples, he often talked about money and possessions. If money was a part of Jesus’ first walk on this earth, it should be a part of our walk with Jesus today.

My own stewardship for 2011 has been disappointing, I’m afraid. In 2010 I made a mistake with my taxes such that I needed to make up the difference in early 2011. Between that and the costs of a wedding and an as-yet-incomplete move to Battle Creek with Sarah, I have only been able to half-tithe this year. I am excited that 2012 will bring enough stability that I will once again be able to tithe, giving 10% of my income directly to the church in honor of all God has done for me, and giving to other vital causes on top of that.

Everything we have is a trust from God, given to us to care for and manage. What we do with our money is very much a part of our relationship with God. On the last three Sundays of October we will read a bulletin insert and hear a talk in worship and receive a letter from the congregation. All of these will focus on our walk with Jesus, and how money plays an important part in this walk. 

Then, on Sunday, November 6^th, each member of Lutheran Church of the Savior will have the opportunity to complete an estimate of giving card. On this card, each of us will indicate our plan for giving for the coming year. This will not only be a plan for giving to Lutheran Church of the Savior, it will also be a plan for how we will walk with Jesus in the coming year.

Pastor Andrew

Campus Ministry at Western Michigan University

So it came to pass recently that I became the President of the Board of Lutheran-Episcopal Campus Ministries at Western Michigan University. Pretty exciting stuff, especially in that I don't entirely know what I've managed to sign myself up for.

Of particular interest is the impending lecture series LECM is sponsoring with the Department of Comparative Religions at Western on Religious Perspectives. This year the series focuses on Islam, and our first speaker from a Sunni perspective will be at Fetzer Center on Friday October 14th at 7pm. See the LECM link above for details. These days it is vitally important for people of faith to learn from one another.This series provides an excellent chance for us to learn about our brothers and sisters of faith as well as to meet people from a variety of backgrounds interested in interfaith efforts.

Also exciting is LECM's Sunday evening worship, featuring music from the Taizé community in France in a contemplative celebration of the Eucharist. Another time I'll tell the story of how centrally formative Taizé has been in my own spiritual life, but for now suffice to say you should check this out. We at LCS will be worshiping in a Taizé style on Wednesday evenings during Advent, and I am very excited for that opportunity as well.