May 27, 2007
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The Norwegian
Lutheran Memorial Church The Danish Nikolaj Frederik Severin Grundtvig is the greatest Pentecost hymn writer in the Nordic countries. “We are God’s house of living stones, Built for his own habitation” we sing in the famous “Built on a rock, the Church shall stand” (LBW365). The motif is picked from 1.Peter 2:4: Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God's sight, and like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house. We have done an experiment today, a little twist. Each worshiper has been equipped with a stone. Stones can be dangerous things, if they are used in a negative way. They can be deadly. But stones can also be positive, i.e. as building materials. Even as pieces of jewelry they can be used, when they have a consistency, color and form that is beautiful. The stones in the basket have different colors and different shapes. Perhaps you found your favorite color? Take the stone you picked in your hand now, hold it and feel it! It is polished and formed. It feels smooth. Because it has been ground against other stones over a long time, the sharpest corners have been polished away. This can depict us human beings. We are being polished towards each other. By being together, talking together and cooperating, the sharp edges are being rounded off. The polishing prosess can from time to time be hard, causing pain. But the result is positive. Some of the nicest things I see, are older couples that during a long life have learned from each other, ”polished” each other, even refined each other. One of our neighboring parishes back in Norway, Giske by Ålesund, has an old marble church, built as early as 1130. The walls are more than a meter thick, made of natural stone. If you start studying the church wall, you will notice that the marble stones are very different in size and shape. Each of them goes into the wall, fit perfectly to the others, so that the wall becomes whole. This is a nice picture of the Christian church as a spiritual thing. We humans are very differently created and equipped. We both have different educations and unequal experiences of life. The differences between the members of a congregation can be experienced as a strain from time to time. Differences can be challenging, or even threatening. But instead of having negative thoughts about our differences, we can choose to see them, not only as enriching, but what they in fact are, God-created. The Creator brought forth a fertile variation, to the best for the fellowship. To make the congregation function well as a whole, he created us differently, equipping us unequally. And he gives us different gifts of grace to minister towards Him and each other. We complete each other. None of us are good in everything. But together we are good! Therefore we need each other. And each one is necessary to make the fellowship whole. You are willed by God. You are important. Let the stone you have in your hand, remind you about that. And when you come for holy communion today, please bring your stone and place it on the table in the middle of the aisle. Place it where you want to, in the circle around the cross. It underlines that you have a function in this fellowship, where the cross of Christ is the core thing. Without you, the fellowship is not whole. You are a living stone in a living temple, being built to the glory of God. The Bible uses different metaphors to describe the fellowship in Christ that the congregation forms. The vine with the branches, the body with its limbs and organs. Today, on Pentecost day, I choose to focus on the apostle Peter’s picture of living stones, being built into a spiritual house. Paul also touches on this in 1.Cor 3:9, where he names the Christians in Corinth God's building. Consider that expression. The Greek word behind this, does not mean the same as a finished building, but in fact a building project. That is a nice picture of the Church of Christ on earth, we are God’s ongoing building project! This means that God has not finished building his church.. He has not finished sending his Spirit, either. As we confess in the Nicene confession: We believe in The Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son..” This is an ongoing process. That the Spirit proceeds. But the foundation is fixed. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ (1 Cor. 3:11) When something is being built, it is important to start in the correct way, and have the right direction. We have recently built a new veranda deck at our house. The first guests that had dinner with us on our new deck, was the previous pastor couple here, Trude and Jens Dale. It was in fact a festive thing to have that meal last Tuesday, in nice summer temperature! And above all, my family and I are grateful for all the skilled help we got from congregation members that have building experience and carpenter knowlege! I saw how important it was to start correctly, by stretching cords, and digging holes for the foundation. An inspector from the municipality had to approve the start. He is also comming back to inspect the final product. As the building of living stones is being built, there is no inspection. But there is an Advisor being sent, to remind us and encourage us. The Holy Spirit is a very gentle person, so we have to listen carefully to his advice. Pentecost is a beautiful festival. It is the Holiday of light. Have you thought about the development there is between the three annual Christian holidays? God’s son came to this world in the deepest dark-ness. He was born on Christmas night. In the early Easter morning he rose from the dead. Finally God fulfills his plan for salvation on Pentecost day by pouring out his Spirit and power on the believers. So, there is a progression, starting at Christmas night, going via Easter Morning, and ending on Pentecost day. This means more and more light! As the children of the light, we can feel that the night has come to an end. Everything is being done by the Spirit. We received him as a gift in our baptism. He is there for us. Still the Bible encourages us, all the time to get filled by the Spirit. And ask for the Spirit, when we sing ”Come, oh, Holy Spirit, Spirit of God’s peace. Send your wind to cleanse me, like the pounding seas.” We all the time need to ask the Spirit to fill us and guide us. Pentecost has arrived: The era of the Church in this world. God has a giantic building project going on in the world, his congregation, built up by living stones. Each of us has our place in his building. The Spirit is at work. He still has a lot to teach us, and remind us about all that Jesus has told us. Philip had been together with the Master for 3 years, but had not finished asking the fundamental questions. He wanted to see the Father. He hadn’t grasped that the Father and the Son were one, and that if you have seen the Son, you have enough. The Spirit, that proceeds from the Father and the Son, is with us and in us, to continue, and fulfill the good deeds both in each one of us and in our Christian fellowship. In the text for today, Jesus said that in his name, greater works should be done than he himself did. During his earthly life, he was limited by time and space. But now he continues, and by the Spirit, he expands his work through the believers, through his church. I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Father may be glorified in the Son. The kingdom of God is spread, and grows. To the glory of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, who was, is and will always be one, true God from eternity to eternity. Amen
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The Norwegian Lutheran Memorial Church · 924 E. 21st St, Minneapolis, MN 55404-2952 · (612)874-0716 |