Faith Story

Faith Story shared by Lori Strauss

Jen goes to Seminary

Good Morning. My name is Lori Strauss and usually I share announcements about evangelical outreach or my own faith adventures. Today I’m going to talk about how our congregation’s generosity transforms the lives of Good Shepherd members.

 

Many of you probably know Jen Moore and her husband Noah and possibly their chameleon named Caroline, a fat-tailed gecko named Nancy, and two cats named Mack and Professor Snugglepuss.  Noah now lives in North Carolina and Jen Moore is studying to be a pastor at United Lutheran Seminary in Philadelphia.

 

I asked Jen if I could share how Good Shepherd supported her journey to become a pastor—here’s what she said.

 

Noah and I joined the church in 2004. Since the beginning, the church has nurtured my spiritual gifts by encouraging me to join council, assist in worship, and attend Synod Assembly. These are just a few projects that have been formational to my own internal identity as a leader in the church.

 

The most tangible and direct nudge I’ve gotten along the way has come from Pastor Jen, who is a keen listener and who recognized almost right away that a few of us had been thinking about pastoral ministry.

She started a vocational discernment group. I think that was the first time I heard other people name gifts they saw in me that I didn’t realize I had, and it made me think about this call in a different way. Pastor Jen also encouraged me to push out of my leadership comfort zone. I’m thinking especially of the faith she (and others) put in me to direct the choir, which wasn’t something I thought I could do.

 

While I’ve been in seminary, Good Shepherd has supported me emotionally and financially.  The Tirzah Women’s Circle and the Sunday School sent care packages. And individual members helped by purchasing one or more of my books at the beginning of each semester, or loaning me their own copies.

 

 

 

 

I have a full scholarship and housing allowance from the seminary, so the financial support I receive from Good Shepherd takes care of most of the fees that would have to come out of pocket. That frees up my limited income from my campus job and ministry site to cover personal expenses.

 

This tangible support always makes me feel so loved and is a huge help! Mostly, this support feels like an affirmation of this call.

 

Seminary is 4 years and Jen is in her 2^nd year. Next summer, she will begin a year-long internship in a congregation, hopefully near home in North Carolina. After a final year of coursework, she will graduate in the spring of 2020, and join Noah in North Carolina, where she hopes to receive a call to a congregation.

She believes that all this would not have been possible without the generosity of this congregation. You may have noticed Jen’s name in the stewardship letter that reached your mailbox last week. She is just one of many member stories we could have shared today.

Our weekly contributions paired with our genuine care and support transforms the lives our Good Shepherd members and builds our capacity to represent the Jesus we all admire.

 

 

#GoodTrouble

Mark 13:24-38

December 3, 2017

 

I follow the civil rights icon and congressman from Georgia,

John Lewis, on Twitter.

Lewis often closes his tweets with a hashtag: #GoodTrouble

 

For example,

John Lewis‏Verified account @repjohnlewis May 4

More

56 years ago today, I was one of 13 original participants who set out on the Freedom Rides to end segregated buses in America. #goodtrouble

 

 

John Lewis‏Verified account @repjohnlewis Jul 7

More

56 years ago today I was released from Parchman Penitentiary after being arrested in Jackson, MS for using a “white” restroom. #goodtrouble

 

 

John Lewis‏Verified account @repjohnlewis Sep 6

More

Each and every person has a mission, a mandate, and a moral obligation to speak up & stand up for those left out & left behind. #goodtrouble

 

And on this past Friday,

John Lewis‏Verified account @repjohnlewis Dec 1

More

62 years ago today, Rosa Parks stood up for what is right, what is fair, and what is just, by sitting down on a Montgomery city bus and refusing to give up her seat to a white passenger. Her actions took raw courage and helped ignite a movement. #goodtrouble

 

When he was interviewed about how he came up with the hashtag, #goodtrouble,

Lewis said that it came from when he was a boy growing up in Alabama.

He’d ask his parents why there were signs across town over drinking fountains and restrooms

which said, “Whites only.”

 

His parents replied, “That’s just the way it is.

Don’t get in the way. Don’t get into trouble.”

 

But Lewis continued, “Dr. King and Rosa Parks inspired me to get into trouble – good trouble.”

 

Today we turn to the gospel of Mark…

The first Sunday in Advent is the beginning of the church year,

and for the coming year our gospel readings will largely come from this gospel.

In Mark’s gospel, Jesus comes into the world to get into some good trouble….

 

We heard a passage from the 13^th chapter of Mark –

sometimes called the ‘little apocalypse,’

but the entirety of the gospel is an apocalypse –a ‘revelation.’

The gospel is an apocalypse not in the movie sense of a spectacular ending of the world,

But in a broader sense – the gospel depicts a cosmic struggle

between good and evil; God and Satan.

Mark’s Jesus comes in the midst of that struggle to reveal where God stands;

And then to get into some ‘good trouble.’

 

A couple weeks ago, a group of us from Good Shepherd,

met with a group from Ezher Bloom Mosque in Fairfax.

 

A couple of days later, I got an email from Yazur, one of the men from the mosque.

He is interested in learning more about the Bible and wanted to know where to start.

 

I suggested to him what I would suggest to you if you’d like to learn more about the Bible –

start with the gospel of Mark.

 

Start with the gospel of Mark –

It’s the shortest gospel and the one which was written first…

But more than that, Mark’s gospel is more than a collection of memories about Jesus.

Mark is particularly interested in addressing the question, “Who is this Jesus?”

 

I listened to the entirety of Mark earlier this week,

And when you listen through the whole gospel instead of piece by piece,

You hear things you might miss otherwise.

 

This time I heard that throughout the early chapters of Mark,

people are asking a lot of questions about Jesus,

wondering who he is.

 

The crowd, the disciples, and the religious leaders

are all talking about him, watching what he’s doing,

and then asking each other about what they see….

“Why does he eat with sinners?”

“ Who is this man who speaks with authority?”

“Who is he who forgiveness sins?

“Why don’t he and his disciples follow the religious  laws?”

 

Who is he and why does he do what he does?

That’s what those around Jesus want to know in Mark.

 

And how does Mark answer these questions?

One of the clearest answers Mark gives is that Jesus is a revolutionary –

He’s here to make some good trouble.

 

Jesus is more revolutionary in Mark than in any other gospel.

The very first verse is “The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”

 

Notice that there is no verb in this verse –

It’s not a sentence – but it could well be a title for the entire gospel –

 

“The beginning of the good news of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.”

In a part of the world were the coins say that Caesar is the Son of God,

this is very political – even treasonous!

 

Jesus comes from the very beginning of Mark’s gospel to bring trouble – good trouble.

(Tidings of good news of good trouble.)

 

Chapter 13, a portion of which we just heard talks about a cosmic unraveling –

The sun and the moon losing their light;

Stars falling…

 

But the key in this passage is that Jesus says no one knows when this will happen –

Not even he – not even the Son knows!

Perhaps this is because he knows it’s happening already….

It’s begun with him.

 

Already, through Jesus, God is breaking in to the world,

challenging the empire and bringing good trouble.

 

God still breaks into our world brining good trouble.

We’ve heard news of them recently…

 

The women who have courageously told their stories about sexual harrassment

are creating some trouble – good trouble.

 

Our own Tud Steene as he talks about homelessnesss and gentrification

and the lack of affordable housing in Alexandria

is creating some trouble – good trouble.

 

But perhaps what’s most revolutionary, is that Jesus not only breaks into our world,

But he breaks into us, making good trouble within us….

He challenges our false beliefs that seem to be amplified this time of year

That we are not loved, valued, or worthy of respect.

That we’re not good enough.

 

Chaplain Liz Milner of Santa Clara Penitentiary in California

works with a number of men and women who carry such false beliefs.

She’s discovered that poetry can help her inmates challenge them

and identify some good trouble going on within themselves.

 

She’s asked them to write poems about Advent themes of hope, freedom, and waiting.

Each week of Advent, I’ll share one of these poems.

 

Today’s poem is about ‘hope’:

 

By D

I am from the front yard.

I am from gunshots, running from cops.

I am from a broken home.

I am from a weed plant smokes that if you hit it you would choke.

I am from BBQs that end in fights and cops come and someone goes to jail tonight.

I am from where the fear of God is not number one.

I am from soups and beans were what we had and if you cried you got slapped.

I am from drug task kicking in the door.

I am from gunshots at our house, cops coming, someone hit.

 

But that’s not the end of my story…

 

I am to a loving wife.

I am to showing my wife that I am worth her love.

I am to being better than I was.

I am to God’s loving hands.

I am to never hurting my family again and making up for what I have done.

I am to better days where people see people for people not color or race and gangs see people not red or blue.

I am to the best I can be, not and until I meet God.

 

Mark’s gospel reading ends with Jesus’ words: Keep awake.

Keep awake – watch.

Where is God bringing good trouble into our world?

Where is God bringing good trouble into you?

 

Amen.