I wrote this as a devotion for Thursday, June 25, and I thought it bears repeating here for all to read.

Throughout this Covid pandemic and lockdown, when churches closed their doors, we were assured that it was necessary and I’m sure that for a while it was. Then, weeks later, when many of us began to question the wisdom of the lockdown, and the ever changing conclusions taken from the prevailing science of the day, we began to work toward re-opening the church for community worship. Many of us were chastised for even thinking such a thing and were inundated on social media with so many reminders that the “church is not a building,” and the “Body of Christ” is not only found in community worship, as we were urged to blindly stay the course.

While I agree that one can find Christ anywhere, in the woods, on a fishing boat, or at a family outing, these social media statements and memes miss the point of community. As long as we can be safe, we NEED to worship together.

Christian community is sharing a common life in Christ. True Christian community moves us beyond the self-interested isolation of our private lives and beyond the superficial social contacts that pass for “Christian fellowship.” The biblical ideal of community challenges us instead to commit ourselves to life together as the people of God.

We know all too well that maturity takes time. We know less well that Christian maturity also takes time. It’s a process that is revealed in the “each other” language of the New Testament; Love one another, forgive each other, regard each other more highly than yourselves. Teach and correct each other, encourage each other, pray for each other, and bear each other’s burdens.

Be friends with one another, kind, compassionate and generous in hospitality. Serve one another and submit to one another out of reverence for Christ. This list just scratches the surface, but it is enough to remind us that we need the community of faith to grow up in Christ.

Christian community is the place of our continuing conversion. Its goal is that, individually and together, we should become mature, no longer knocked around by the ways of the world, or clever religious hucksters, but are able to stand tall and straight, embodying the very “fullness of Christ.” (Eph. 4:11-16)

COMMUNITY IS A WAY TO SEE CHRIST IN OTHERS.

One of the most important ways the community helps us is by embodying Christ’s continuing presence on earth. When my brothers and sisters love and accept me, I feel Christ’s love too. When I confess my sin and they forgive me, I know that God forgives me too. When they pray for my brokenness, I know that they are sharing in the healing work of Jesus. In our dog-eat-dog, enemies-with their teeth-bared world, when we feel the crush of hostility and the crush of our own failures, to have our Christian community surround us with compassion and encouragement lightens our loads, strengthens us, and gives us the courage to keep on trying.

So when we were working to come back to community worship, we were not being selfish or short-sighted. We worked to create a safe place to worship in community, because we need to be Christ for and see Christ in one another.

Thanks to all of you who worked so hard to make this happen. I hope more and more of you will return soon.

Blessings,

Pastor Cory

Dear Ones,

I was looking at the Ten Commandments (not suggestions) the other day, and I always get stuck on the very first one. I went back to Luther’s Small Catechism to refresh my very old memory.

We are commanded, “You shall have no other Gods.” Should be easy right? Then why do I always have a pit in my stomach when I read that one in particular? What does this mean, Martin Luther?!?!

“We are to fear, love, and trust God above anything else.” Above anything else? Really?

No other Gods! Paul Tillich, a German/American theologian, one of the most (if not most) influential theologian of the 20th century, taught us that even in the 20 century (He would have said 21st if he lived that long) people attach themselves to something that gives their lives purpose and meaning.

What gives your life purpose? Is it family, work, possessions, political leanings, economic theories? Who and what are number one in your life? My body beautiful, or not so beautiful; my having a good time at all costs; buying new things; my health; my future security; my country; my church; my work; my good looks; my youth; my travel; my vacations; my children; my boat; my sound equipment; my car? All of these things invite us to have them at the center of our lives.

And yet we are to fear and love God above all things. Before we go further, I may need to explain that to fear God is to stand before the mystery and wonder of God. To fear God is to stand under the stars at night and consider the vastness of creation. To fear God is to stand by the power of the ocean waves and understand the power of water and of the God who stands over and above and for creation. To fear is to stand in wonder over the population of the world, with its millions and recognize that God knows and cares for each person in the same way that God cares for you.

To fear is to recognize that there is a difference between the creator and yourself and that you will not comprehend the mystery of God.

We should fear and love God above all things. We should love God when we see this mysterious God revealed in the history of Israel and in the person of Jesus Christ. We respond to God with love as we grow in understanding of God’s deep affection for us and for the world. This God, is the only One. All others are exposed to be false in the presence of this God. Other gods (like those mentioned earlier) have power to tempt, capture and control us.

In Baptism we renounce them:

Do you renounce the powers of evil and desire the freedom of new life in Christ?

I do.

Do you profess Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior?

I do.

Do you promise by the grace of God, to be Christ’s disciple, to follow in the way of our Savior, to resist oppression and evil, to show love and justice, and to witness to the work and word of Jesus Christ as best you are able?

I promise with the help of God.

Do you promise, according to the grace given you, to grow in the Christian faith and to be a faithful member of the church of Jesus Christ, celebrating Christ’s presence and furthering Christ’s mission in all the world?

I promise with the help of God.

My parents and God-parents made these promises on my behalf when I was an infant. I affirmed these promises before my God, my family, and my church family on the day of my
confirmation. No wonder I get a pit in my stomach as I reflect on the First Commandment. How I often fall short. But I keep trying.

I guess this is our lifelong journey.

Amen

Dear Friends,

I write this as we are now several weeks into the Covid-19 pandemic. We have not met for several weeks now, and it looks like (for now) we won’t be meeting until the end of May.

If you are fortunate enough to still be working; blessings to you for your work since it is likely that you are an “essential worker,” in jobs that are necessary to support all of us. We thank you for your efforts and pray for your safety. If you are blessed enough that your employer lets you work from home, then you are able to be productive, bring home a much needed paycheck, and still practice safe anti-virus measures. For both of these groups, please pray for those who can’t work, bring home a paycheck, and are worrying about their financial future.

For the rest of us, who seem to have at least a little extra time these days, what do we do with our time?

In last Sundays worship, I mentioned how Jesus gives us a daily agenda as he walks with 2 disciples on the road to Emmaus. In his example:

*He walks with them…stressing the importance of a daily walk with Jesus.

*He talks with them…showing us how important and powerful prayer is.

*He opens the scriptures to them…C’mon people, those Bibles in your homes that didn’t end up at Love Packages need to be opened and used daily; especially now. God can and does speak to you in His Word.

*He breaks bread with them…underscoring the importance of the sacraments. Luther when stressed by temptation would often scream at Satan, “I am baptized. You can’t harm me.” Not only
should we daily remember our baptism, but allow Christ to be with your family as you break bread together. There is power there.

*Finally he sent them back to church…They couldn’t wait to see the other disciples and share the good news of the Risen Christ. And while we don’t currently have the same opportunity to be physically together we can still be the church together. We come together weekly online to hear the word and share in virtual communion, and community.

However, just as important are the efforts of many to “be” the church. To see needs in our community and do what we can to help.

+Some of our men faithfully ring the church bells, promptly at noon, as a reminder to all who hear it to pause for a moment of prayer.

+As a church, represented by our Brotherhood, we showed our appreciation to our health care workers, and those who work at IGA by providing lunch for them.

+Vicki Schumer, Susan Leinicke, and Abbi Esker made masks for the hospital workers. Susan L. and Susan and Abbi are now taking orders for the rest of us, which may be necessary as wearing masks in public will be mandated by the state as of May 1.

+Last Sunday, a food drive was conducted by our group, led by the Bobs (Taylor, Schmoll, and Barton), and the Brotherhood including Jeff Hicks and Judy. Also, thanks to Karen Schau and Karen Taylor for their help. We took donations of food and money (many of the donations came from people outside St Peter) and made the St John’s Lutheran food pantry very happy.

+Representing the Women’s Fellowship, Carol Harms also handed out Upper Room Devotionals to all who donated. As she puts it, “This is a great time to get in the habit of doing daily devotionals. Isn’t it always?” Amazing! From God—to Carol—to us!!! Amen???

If that wasn’t enough, I’ve talked with many who are looking out for their neighbors, making grocery runs and trips to the pharmacy for those who are the most vulnerable.

These are examples of being the church as God intends us to be. There are more opportunities out there, and we will discover  them, if we look at our neighbor through “God’s Eyes.” We can accomplish this through a daily walk with Jesus, praying daily, blowing the dust off our Bibles and delving into the Word, remembering our baptism and community, and working together as the church (even if we are separated) to do God’s work.

Call me if you have an idea, or see a need.

Pastor Cory

Dear Friends,

When I find myself, on my annual Lenten Journey, this close to the cross I often contemplate that  wonderful gift from God, which is God’s Grace.

As I often turn to my favorite book, “Crazy Talk, A Not-So-Stuffy Dictionary of Theological Terms,” I am delighted to introduce to you “Duh.” The thing about Duh, is that Duh just doesn’t get it. No matter how well you explain it, or how clearly you paint the picture, Duh just doesn’t get it.

We all know people like Duh. Truth is, we all have a little Duh in each of us. The following is a conversation between Duh and God.

But first, this definition of Grace: The Free gift in which God gives all—eternal life, forgiveness, purpose, meaning—to human beings, who respond by trying to earn it. One time God was trying to explain grace to Duh:

Duh: God, the Bible says we are “justified by your grace as a gift” (Romans 3:24). Since I want to be justified, how do I get this grace?

God: Well, Duh, grace is not something I give you so that you can be saves; it is the way that I save you. Grace is the way that I accept you, the way that I love you. Grace means that I love you not because of anything you do, but just because I love you. Grace means that I save you from death and give you eternal life as a free gift—you don’t have to do anything in order to be saved.

Duh: Okay. I get that I don’t have to do something to have a relationship with you. But what if I have done something really bad—like committed murder, or adultery, or burned down my neighbor’s house just because. What if I have broken every one of the 10 Commandments many times?

God: Same thing. Grace means that I love you even if you have done something really bad. Grace means that there is nobody who has done anything so that I still don’t love them. Grace means that even adulterers and murderers are my children.

Duh: So I don’t have to do anything to be saved, and there is nothing I can do to stop you from saving me. But what about after I am saved? Don’t I have to quit sinning?

God: Duh, I know you pretty well. I know that after I save you, you’ll try to change. But I know that until you die, you’ll still be a sinner who sins. I love sinners—I sent my Son to die for sinners, for heaven’s sake!! Grace means that there is nothing you can do to make me stop loving you.

Duh: But what about repentance and faith—don’t I have to repent and have faith?

God: Faith is the way you receive a promise. My grace is a promise: the promise of eternal life, forgiveness, and a relationship with me. The only way to receive a promise is to believe it.  Repentance is similar: it is what happens to you when my word reaches you and you realize that you need me. So faith and repentance really aren’t things that you do. My word creates them.

Duh: So you are saying I don’t have to do anything.

God: Duh!!

Dear friends, always remember in good times or in our current struggles, God loves us, God is with us to see us through our trials, and God’s wonderful gift of grace abounds!!! Armed with God’s grace, hang in there, go in peace to love and serve the Lord!

Thanks be to God!

Brothers and sisters in Christ,

The Psalmist writes:

God is our refuge and strength
     a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,
     though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
though its waters roar and foam,
     though the mountains tremble with its tumult. Psalm 46:1-3 (NRSV)

We are living in very scary times. The world we know has been upended and is not feeling very comfortable, to say the least. As we face these uncertain times, allow me to remind you that God is with us. Everywhere and always. God is our refuge and strength. So, this is a time when we must intentionally stay connected to God.

I know it is difficult to stay connected to God while we are distancing ourselves from each other. I’ve often quoted a seminary professor of mine who says, “Christianity is a team sport.” I believe this with all my heart and it hurts to suspend worship here at St. Peter. However, our local, state and federal officials have asked for our cooperation. Now is not the time to think that we are the exception. We are asked to keep our distance from each other and to limit meetings to very small groups.

We need to prepare  ourselves for the possibility of not being together for Holy Week or Easter worship. You have no idea how difficult it is for me to even write this. Be assured that we will be ready to bring worship back as soon as the situation changes for the better, and it is appropriate to do so.

In the meantime we are exploring ways to stay connected using technology when it is possible. Knowing how technology challenged I am, I will ask the “Techo-Geeks” among us (you know who you are) to come up with ideas to keep us connected. The Internet has made many options available to us that we have not had in the past.

The following suggestions came from Bishop Jeff Clements of the ELCA Northern Illinois Synod:

1. JOIN TOGETHER IN PRAYER. Can we please stop and take a moment to pray for St. Peter UCC, the Illinois South Conference, and the United Church of Christ? Take a moment at noon each day to pray for our members. Pray for yourself. Pray for the ill, the frightened, the vulnerable, and the poor. Pray for the dying. Pray for world leaders and our own elected leaders. Pray for our healthcare workers. Pray for researchers. Pray for the unemployed, underemployed and laid off. Pray for all students from college to kindergarten who have been forced away from school. Pray for your pastor or whomever leads your congregation.

Will you join me in prayer each day at noon beginning tomorrow and continuing until this crisis is over?

2. PRACTICE SOUND FINANCIAL STEWARDSHIP. Our congregation is not prepared for a financial crisis. Our ability to do ministry is dependent upon your regular gifts. We will remain strong only if we continue to practice first fruits, proportionate giving. While we are away from corporate worship, please give electronically or mail your weekly contribution to your faithful church. Let’s maintain our gifts to food pantries, DuBois, Kindercottage, Hoyleton, and all of our 5 for 5 charities that we normally would give to.

3. DON’T LET SOCIAL DISTANCING BECOME SOCIAL ISOLATION. The doors will be open here and I will be available. If you are homebound and need some assistance, call me or Darlene and we will get one of our volunteers to assist you. Also, if you are able, take all the precautions to prevent the spread of illness, but check on your neighbors. If you head to the grocery store, shop for someone who cannot. A crisis such as this quickly exposes those who are the most vulnerable. This is how we continue to be the church. Be a source of encouragement and help to others.

Will you join me in loving our neighbors and encouraging others?

Thank you for your faithfulness. Know that we will get through this together. God bless and keep you.

Pastor Cory

A teen-age boy told his parents he was going to run away from home. “Listen,” he said, “I’m leaving home. There is nothing you can do to stop me. I want excitement, adventure, beautiful women, money, and fun. I’ll never find it here, so I’m leaving. Just don’t try to stop me!” As he headed for the door, his father leaped up and ran toward him. “Dad,” the boy said firmly, “you heard what I said. Don’t try to stop me. I’m going!” “Who’s trying to stop you?” answered the father, “I’m going with you!”

I know—it is a bad joke. But the point is a good one. The point is this:

Humans are always declaring their freedom, wishing for more “space,” announcing that they belong only to “themselves.” We want to be free from the enslavement of the kitchen, or from confinement of a job we don’t like.

Airplane companies claim to set us free, and pharmaceutical companies say the same (despite all the crazy side effects). There are deodorant companies which promise to set us free from the worry of underarm wetness and odor; a certain toothpaste declares we can be set free from dull teeth. Then we are promised freedom from pain by Tylenol, Advil, Motrin and others. Ron Popeil, when selling a rotisserie oven, tells us that we can “set it, and forget it!!” Then we have the freedom to spend time with our families and make our lives better.

Ultimately, we want freedom to sleep at night with a clear conscience, freedom from fear of death, and above all, freedom from the terrors of judgment day.

Lent is the season of confessions and of freedom in Jesus Christ. It’s the season of conversion and re-creation by grace. The humbling disclosure of our souls that we are sinners, without excuse or explanation, opens us up to the real work of Lent. And it’s this Lenten work that defines the penitential aspect of the season. Lent doesn’t compel us to stay in a cesspool of shame or to sit in a permanent soiled state of guilt. It shows us our freedom by grace. Lent points us to the way of love and pushes us to pursue it and to labor tirelessly to live it more fully in all we do.

I mentioned last Sunday how important it is for me to give up all the fun apps I had on my phone. I miss them so much, I now realize how dependent I am on these games and how much they enslaved me into wasting so much time each day.

I encourage all to take and faithfully use the Lenten devotionals we have provided, not only for adults, but also for our children and families. Devote some time each day to prayer, self-reflection, and giving of alms. Almsgiving is not just a fancy, Catholic word and not simply extra money to the church or charitable items given to other organizations, but also patience, kindness, a generosity of time, and peace to those closest to us. And we exercise meekness in admitting we need these from others and graciously accept them when they’re offered.

I speak often of our Lenten journey. Our journey is the living out of our confession. It is allowing our God-Light shine for others. It’s the reason for the ashes. It’s the work of Lent. Let us all, young and old alike, journey together.

Pastor Cory

In our lectionary readings for the last couple weeks we watched Jesus choose his disciples. As one who struggled with my sense of call to ministry for 30 years, I am amazed (and a little bit jealous) as I see the disciples drop everything and immediately follow Jesus in what has been called “radical discipleship.” Youth doesn’t always appreciate the consequences of their choices; instead, they usually discover this much later. How does one know when one is called, and (most important) to what ministry one is called? When in doubt, I always go to my favorite resource, “Crazy Talk” for the answer.

Vocation: The thing you do that was given to you to do in the way you do for the benefit of those you are doing it for.

Got that? Vocation—Not to be confused with vacation (taking a break from things) or vacuation (getting stuff out of your system)—is the thing(s) you are called by God to do, with gifts and talents God has given you, to which you commit your passion and excitement and energy for the sake of God’s creation.

The word comes from a Latin term, vocare, meaning “calling”— which implies a caller: God. God calls more than just pastors. God calls each of us, gives many gifts, and gives us a lift up by means of the Spirit. Actually, we all have more than one vocation. Our Christian vocations include our jobs, our roles as family members, our roles as friends, as neighbors, as citizens, and so on. Vocation is all about loving our neighbor and serving in God’s name.

Friends, we all are called by God for something. As a pastor friend of mine is fond of saying, “An inactive Christian is an oxymoron. In my last sermon I quoted Frederick Buechner who wrote, “The place God calls us to, is the place where our deep gladness and the world’s deepest hunger meet.” What is your greatest passion?  Where does this intersect with the needs of the world? That’s where and to what God is calling you. Meeting people where they are. Taking an interest in who they are and what they most need in life. Guess what? This is the most effective evangelism. I challenge you all in 2020 to live this calling. This will build personal bridges with others, which Jesus can cross. Amen

Dear Friends,
I was reading an article from Christian Globe when preparing my sermon for this Sunday. It reminded me that we as Christians are responsible to “keep Christmas well” throughout the year.

However:

It’s hard not to feel a little let down on the day after Christmas.

A few days after Christmas one pastor was noticing that all the Christmas decorations at one of the local pharmacies had been removed. These decorations already had been replaced with Valentine’s Day trinkets and cards. Red boxes of candy, teddy bears with big hearts on them, red candles for romantic lighting. The clerk behind the counter was complaining to another of her co-workers, “I hate Valentine’s Day,” she said. “I never have a boyfriend and I hate Valentine’s Day.”

The pastor goes on to comment with these words, “Nothing is as over as Christmas when it’s over. The empty boxes, the pretty paper on the floor, the stray tinsel from the tree with which the cat has played and left abandoned on the sofa, the empty cartons of eggnog stuffed into the trash bag. Life has come back to normal, whatever that is, and it means that the diversion of the past few weeks, the frenzy and fuss, the lights and glitter are packed away once again like the star at the top of the tree; taken down and carefully wrapped, padded and protected in its ample box. And what is left? Fighting around the world, homeless people sleeping in door stoops, hungry people begging for food, drive-by shootings in St Louis or Chicago, worries about health, kids that concern us, jobs that wear us down. We’re back to where we left off before the holidays . . . Like the folks who were left in town after the Lone Ranger had been for a visit, we may ask out loud, “Who was that masked man?” Or better said, “Who was that babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, left lying in a manger?”

Well, we haven’t moved that far from Christmas yet. We’re just a few days past celebrating Christ’s birth. But there is the inevitable letdown. So much was packed into the four weeks of Advent. We can talk about keeping Christmas all year long, but who could handle it? We don’t want the clogged streets around the mall all year. And who could maintain the pace of eating? In fact, many of us are already planning our diets to begin January 2.

Actually, we need a little respite from all the busyness, don’t we? We read this week how Mary and Joseph weren’t allowed to reside permanently in Bethlehem and neither can we. It’s time to get back to the real world…

However, perhaps this year we can make the real world a little more real for us this coming year. The “real world” becomes a little more real when we become more involved with the hurting around us. At the Blue Christmas service this year I described a friend who spends her adult life as a social worker helping the homeless. Because of a few financial setbacks, she was going to be homeless herself. She was blessed by people in this congregation who helped her catch up on her rent before she was evicted.

I was told that it was a blessing to be able to help. “All we need is someone to show us the need,” they said.

I’ll make a deal with you all. If you are willing to play around in the “real world” with me, I’ll show you what the “real world” looks like in 2020. Amen??

Sincerely,

Pastor Cory Hartz

Saturday, December 21st at 7:00 p.m.

The end-of-year holidays can be a painful time for some of us. It may be the first Christmas without a loved family member who has recently died; it may be a time that holds a different life change or a time that has always been difficult.

We hear the constant refrain on radio and television, in shopping malls and churches, about the happiness of the season, about getting together with family and friends. It reminds many people of what they have lost or may have never experienced. The weariness of ill health, the anguish of broken relationships, the insecurity of unemployment, the pain of isolation – all these can make us feel very alone in the midst of celebrating and spending. In times like this our spirits can sink, as the days grow shorter. The darkness we see around us as we move toward the winter solstice can feel like a darkness growing deeper around us. When that happens, we need the space and time to acknowledge our sadness and concern. We need to know that we are not alone.

Do you or someone you care about need encouragement for the days ahead of us? St. Peter United Church of Christ will have a special “Longest Night” service on Saturday, December 21st at 7:00 p.m. (You may also hear services like this called “Blue Christmas.”)

Come out and join with us in sharing and hearing prayer, scripture, and music that acknowledge that God’s presence is for those who mourn and those who struggle – and that God’s Word comes to shine light into our darkness. After the short service we’ll have light refreshments. Everyone is welcome!

Pastor Cory Hartz

If you are comfortable in this world, then I encourage you to ignore Advent. Christmas is the holiday for you. For you waiting and hoping are not really all that worthwhile at best, and a total waste of time, at worst. So instead, why don’t we all just jump to the fun stuff?

Advent only makes sense if you want (or need) something else, something bigger than yourself to hold onto. If you need to believe that as wonderful as the sun, the moon, and the stars may be, when they fall away it will be because a new, brighter, more perfect light has come and we no longer need these things, then Advent is time well spent.

Advent is a special time when we anticipate our favorite stories about Jesus’ birth, but if we do it right, it’s also a time when we look at ourselves and our world and decide we shouldn’t be comfortable. We shouldn’t be comfortable that people are starving a stone’s throw away and that their starvation will last
long past the holiday season when people are feeling generous with canned goods. We shouldn’t be comfortable that we stand as a divided country, politically, economically, racially, and that those on both sides of the political aisle are responsible. We shouldn’t be comfortable that violence seems to be increasing at an alarming rate, and all those on either side of the debate wants to do is accuse the other of not caring.

For us Christians, the alternative is to trust in the kind of king, who gets born in a stable, and laid in a feeding trough, who teaches that people who trust in God should not be concerned about their status or well-being in this world, and who gets strung up on a cross for telling the truth to people who were
completely comfortable with the world as they knew it.

This advent, join me as we journey toward Bethlehem, and ultimately toward Jerusalem, and honor the one who graciously makes us uncomfortable and leads us to joy!

Blessings on your Advent journey.
Cory