First Lutheran Church
November 19, 2023 + Pastor Greg’s Last Sunday
Philippians 4:4-9 - Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, Rejoice. Let your gentleness be known to everyone. The Lord is near. Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is pleasing, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence and if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. As for the things that you have learned and received and heard and noticed in me, do them, and the God of peace will be with you.
Matthew 3:13-17 - Then Jesus came from Galilee to John at the Jordan, to be baptized by him. John would have prevented him, saying, “I need to be baptized by you, and do you come to me?” But Jesus answered him, “Let it be so now, for it is proper for us in this way to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he consented. And when Jesus had been baptized, just as he came up from the water, suddenly the heavens were opened to him and he saw God’s Spirit descending like a dove and alighting on him. And a voice from the heavens said, “This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.”
Sermon
“Think About These Things”
Pastor Greg Ronning
Whatever is true, whatever has honor,
Whatever is just and pure, lovely and full of grace,
If there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise,
Think about these things, Think about these things.
In today’s epistle St. Paul encourages us to “think aboutthese things.” He does not tell us the exact things to think about, but only to think about “these things” that are “true,” “honorable,” “just,” “pure,” “lovely,” “grace-filled,” “excellent,” and “worthy of praise.” I suppose there are many things that live up to these qualities, but today I am going to invite you to consider “these things” that belong to the Sacrament of Holy Baptism.
As I conclude my time with you as your pastor, as I retire from full time parish ministry, as I wonder what you might “have learned and received and heard and noticed in me,” and what others whom I have served might “have learned and received and heard and noticed in me,” I hope that the promises of baptism might come to mind. And I hope and trust that remembering your baptism, living out your baptism, and participating in the baptismal life that we share in Christ, - gives you peace. The peace that is the loving presence of God, the peace that quiets doubt and strengthens faith, that peace that surpasses all understanding, - guarding, holding, and caring for our hearts and minds, our very souls.
A few weeks ago, I celebrated the 35th anniversary of my ordination. It’s incredible how time flies. But there is another anniversary that I am also celebrating this year, the anniversary of an event that has marked and shaped my ministry. Forty years ago, I wrote the song, “One More Life.” As I remember, this is how the song came to be. A family at the church where I grew up invited me to sing at the baptism of their child. I started looking for a song a might sing but was not excited about any of the options that I found. And then it happened, in the mystery of music and song writing, - I played a few chords, started humming a melody, tossed about some lyrics, - and all the sudden a song was born.
Since that first baptism it has been my privilege to sing “One More Life” at countless baptisms, a few here at First Lutheran and at The Table, at memorial services, and as part of many a “sermon in song.” It is a song that in many ways, has shaped and defined my entire life in ministry.And it’s striking to me that I wrote the song, that shaped and defined my ministry, before I even decided to go to seminary. Surely the Spirit was at work!
And so it is that today I’d like to sing “One More Life” one more time. The song celebrates the promises of baptism,- the promises of Identity, Vocation, and Community.As I share the song with you, verse by verse with some thoughts, I invite you to -“think about these things.”
One more life, a bright shining light
One more hope, that the world will be all right
You're a miracle child, Love made alive
Water falls from heaven, as God says you're mine
God says you're mine.
In today’s Gospel Jesus is baptized by John, and in that moment … “the heavens were opened,” and “a voice from the heavens said, ‘This is my Son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased.’” Beloved, remember this, this is important, we share in the baptism of Christ, in baptism God also declares to each of us, “You are mine,you too are my beloved.”
Martin Luther taught us to always “remember” our baptism. He writes, “In the morning, when you rise, you shall make the sign of the holy cross, and you shall say: In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.”Whenever we begin the day, whenever we face the existential questions of life, whenever we feel overwhelmed by the world, whenever we feel trapped, whenever we forget who we are, whenever we are made to feel “less than;”We are called to stop and make the sign of the cross, and remember that in baptism, in the waters of baptism, we have been named, claimed,and defined by God. In baptism we are nothing less than a beloved child of God.Luther remarked that as long as he knew he was “loved” there wasn’t anything that he could not get through. To know that he was loved and cherished, set him free, filled him with the enthusiasm of hope, emboldened him with the confidence of faith, and gave him a peace that stilled his soul and directed his pathways.
You're a miracle child, Love made alive
Water falls from heaven, as God says you're mine
God says you're mine.
One more heart, begun by You
One more soul, and hey, all things are new
And soon you'll know your name, love's made its claim
Heaven will be calling you, and you'll never be the same
You'll never be the same
Verse two reminds us that we all have our own unique calling in life, that we have all been gifted in ways that can make a difference in the world around us. Our calling, our vocation, is lived out when we discover, in the words of Frederick Buechner, “the place where our deep gladness meets the world's deep need.”
I’ve always believed that what set First Lutheran Church apart as a community of faith, the thing that always ends up making the difference here in this place, the thing that drew me to you in the beginning, was its sense of vocation. First Lutheran, at its very heart, is the church that feeds people. What a blessing it is to have a passion and joy - that intersects with one of “the basic needs” of many of our neighbors.
I spent most of my years in ministry in “campus ministry.” Vocation was at the heart of my ministry every day, helping young people discover their calling, inviting them to consider what they might do with their one precious life. How their gifts, talents, and dreams might make a difference. And I’ve tried to continue that theme here in this place, for the advent of vocation is always upon us. In fact, I have come to believe that perhaps our greatest vocation, waits for us in the second half of life. So it is that I invite you to consider again and again, over and over, where does my passion and joy connect with my neighbor in need? And don’t be afraid to chase after that which God has called you to do! Heaven continues to call you, heaven continues to make all things new, heaven is ready to write another chapter in your life, your baptism continues to make a difference, “You’ll never be the same.”
“One More Life” continues with a third verse. A verse that over the years, as my faith has matured, has become the most important verse. When I recorded the song, I introduced a harmony voice at this point, helping to move the song from an “Individual” place to a place of “community.” Somewhere along my life’s journey I came to the realization that faith was not a private thing, but a community thing. I didn’t know this truth when I wrote the song, but the song seemed to know it all along.I’d like to invite Julie up here, the harmony, to sing verse three with me.
And you'll never be alone, when you feel lonely
You'll always be loved, yeah, you're part of a family
Something's happened today that can never fade away
When God comes down from heaven,
God's here to stay, Here to stay
Verse three reminds us that we will never be alone, “You'll always be loved, yeah, you're part of a family.” In our culture that overvalues individuality we are reminded that the strength and power of faith, the support we need to live out our vocation, and the place where we are reminded of our identity; is in the life of the church, the faith community, the beloved community, the place where faithful people do faithful things, - the very body of Christ.
The Lutheran Baptismal Liturgy ends with the whole congregation saying, “We welcome you into the body of Christ and into the mission we share: join us in giving thanks and praise to God and bearing God's creative and redeeming word to all the world.”
I have learned over the years, that you cannot be a Christian all by yourself, no matter how hard you try. The nature of our faith, the nature of baptism, is corporate. And what a joy it has been to be a part of this family of faith, to be reminded by you that I am beloved, to have my calling in life valued, encouraged, and confirmed by you. I thank you for the gift of community, the place where faith is experienced.
May you all continue to care, love, and support each other, continue to dare to talk about vocation, continue to help each other discover new joys and passions, continue to listen for the breaking in of the Holy Spirit. And let us always remember, that we are not alone! Together,-“in Christ, with Christ, and through Christ,”- we are the Body of Christ.
In one more life, one more life,
One more life, one more life
You're a miracle child, Love made alive
Water falls from heaven, as God says you're mine
God says you're mine
And one last promise, - the promise of grace. “Water falls from heaven.” “God comes down from heaven.”“God’s here to stay.” The direction of God, the direction of the Gospel, the direction of love, is decidedly in our favor, - God comes down to us! God always meets us where we are, even where you are right now. The grace, mercy, hope, and love of God comes to us!
Never forget, you are nothing less than the beloved children of God.
Think about these things and the God of peace will be with you.
Think about these things and the God of peace will be with you.
Think about these things …
“One More Life”
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YNmH69hlMTs&list=OLAK5uy_mWqkF2AvrbciYiSLO5BMuYuHZqoG76C4o&index=1