A Part of the Grand Story

Tomorrow we inaugurate the 44th President of the United States. This event is always filled with meaning...and a wonderful demonstration of the health of our democracy. Once again, we will show the world that the people of the United States have chosen a new leader. And the old leader will step away from power and the bright lights to live as a citizen.

One of the things that makes this inauguration particularly meaningful is that the new President is African American. Standing in the shadow of the Lincoln Memorial, Barak Obama talked about how American is still a place where anything is possible. For a large segment of the American population, whose heritage includes being enslaved, the fact that the President is African American carries with it a depth of emotion that is difficult for most white Americans to understand.

One of the things that it highlights is the fact that each of us wants our lives to be somehow connected to the "grand story" of our times and of history itself. We yearn to have significance in the world. We want our lives to count.

There are several tragedies in life. The first is to think that our lives are insignificant. That we are not important enough, strong enough, smart enough or talented enough to make a difference in the grand scheme of things. We live our lives on the sidelines, never getting involved, never taking risks to make things different than they are today. The end result is a life of boredom and shadow living.

The second tragedy is to decide that there is no real "grand story." The result is that we live without context, and without a need to make an impact in anyone's life. We choose to live selfishly, doing what benefits ourselves and gives little thought to other people. We'll cheat and lie and claw our way to what we want...all at the expense of others. It's an "eat drink and be merry for tomorrow we die" mentality. Such a person contributes little to the lives of others. A society of these people will only survive if the fences are tall and strong, because there will be no trust and no desire to know one's neighbor.

The third tragedy is invest one's life in the wrong "grand story." Think of those who invested their lives to create Nazi Germany or Stalinst Russia. These people generally felt that the time like they are causing humanity to "progress" when in actually they were ruining the lives of others. The destruction these people leave in their wakes staggers the imaginations. This is the tragedy of the instigators of 9/11.

This week we will be looking a the true grand story that we are all invited to be a part of. In Romans 8:18-25, Paul waxes almost poetic as he describes the reality of life. He speaks of the beginning and end of the story and helps us understand our important and vital role in the plot of this story. In fact, we have lead roles in this grand drama.

Come this Sunday and discover more.

What a Week...What a Church

This past week has been one of those weeks that makes me glad to be a part of Nashwauk Alliance. In some ways, it was a terrible week. The chairman of our Trustees, Bill Hansen, suffered a massive stroke a week ago. Fred and Sandy instantly drove down to Duluth to be with the family as I started the prayer chain. I spent Saturday with the family and came home Saturday night emotionally drained.

During Sunday's service I got a phone call that Bill was fading...fast. We changed the direction of the service, and again the Whytes drove down to Duluth and were there with the family as Bill went home to be with Jesus.

The funeral arrangements were well handled by our deaconesses and a crew of people who set up tables and chairs, brought food and took care of all of the details.

As I step back and look at all that was done, I have to say that I am proud of the people here. I'm glad that the elders took a step of faith and called Fred to be Assistant Pastor. His smile, concern and wonderful way with people was much used by God this week. The deaconesses and other volunteers who gave of the their time in order to minister to the Hansen family were inspiring. The building seemed to pulse with the love of Christ.

What really amazes me is that this was happening on top of everything else that was scheduled for the week. Bible Studies, Release Time, the Ladies Ecumenical Dinner, setting up for 2 weeks of non-stop prayer, a Board Meeting...the list goes on and on.

There are times that the Lord really blows my mind. Frequently he does it through the people of this wonderful church.

Thanks for being you.

Karl

Why Can Things Be So Hard?

Over the last several weeks we have been looking at the incredible provisions that God has made for us. We have see how our Lord's death and resurrection defeated the power of sin. We have learned how the Holy Spirit has been given to us to guide and empower us in holy living. Last week we looked at how God has adopted us to be a part of his family and discovered what an amazing person our Heavenly Father truly is.

I don't know about you, but in some ways I have felt like a football player, getting more and more excited to run out onto the field and play the game. I know we are going to win! In fact, there have been times I could imagine running out of the tunnel through the corridor of cheerleaders and see the giant paper team banner stretched out ready for us to burst through. Romans 8 has been great!

Now in Romans 8:17 Paul brings up suffering.

Perhaps there is a brick wall on the other side of that paper banner.

Or maybe we need to discover more about the nature of living the Christian life. We need to learn something about suffering. We need to learn that while we will emerge victorious, the "game" we are called to participate in is not for the faint of heart. It is going to demand extraordinary amounts of courage, persistence and fortitude. Courage, persistence and fortitude seen most clearly in our Lord Jesus.

Join us this week for an amazing journey into God's Word.