May 15, 2016

“When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. Divided tongues, as of fire, appeared among them, and a tongue rested on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other languages, as the Spirit gave them ability.” Acts 2:1ff

You know the story of the caterpillar and chrysalis, right? When the caterpillar has eaten enough leaves, as if on cue, it begins to form the chrysalis, or cocoon. Now I never thought much about the caterpillar and the cocoon and what happens inside. I just figured the caterpillar sprouted wings and antennae, and other body parts of the butterfly. Ahhhhhh, how wrong I was. You see, if you take a chrysalis that is one day old, and cut it open, what do you think you will find? To be as non-scientific as I can, what you find is goo. What was once a caterpillar has dissolved into goo – a mix of cells and formerly caterpillar stuff. The process of metamorphosis, the chrysalis, is a complete change, it appears. Through the process of metamorphosis, nothing of the caterpillar remains as it changes into the butterfly. But how? Of course, quite a while ago this idea of the chrysalis and what happens inside got scientists thinking. They wondered how complete was the metamorphosis process. Does anything remain or is everything, everything – everything about the butterfly new? So this got one lady thinking and she did a study. She took some caterpillars and she exposed them to a foul smell and some shocks – over and over again they were forced to smell this foul smell and then would get shocks. Eventually the caterpillars learned to hate that smell. They hated it. Then the caterpillars went through their chrysalis transformation and the butterflies emerged. Now remember, through the chrysalis stage, the caterpillar literally completely transforms – breaking down what was familiar into a completely unrecognizable mess of cells and other liquid stuff, to become the butterfly. But when these butterflies emerged from the cocoon, they too immediately hated that smell – from the moment they came out of the chrysalis. So what am I saying? Not everything was lost in their transformation. This memory, this experience of hating that smell before their change remained. Their transformation did not obliterate everything…and that is a profound thought – especially when you think about the resurrection – and on a smaller scale, but just as important, our transformation as people of Christ, right now.

But let’s talk some more because that is not all that they discovered. They looked closely at the caterpillar before the chrysalis stage. A scientist took a caterpillar and he sliced open the back of the caterpillar, and do you know what he found? He found the beginnings of the wings and antennae of the butterfly stored inside that caterpillar before, before the goo of the chrysalis. Now this really blows our minds when we think about transformation. Even before his change, the caterpillar carries part of his future self, and it survives the transformation. How could that be? Well, they discovered that the caterpillar wraps up those wings and antennae into a tight ball and attaches it to the chrysalis before he liquidates himself. You know, it is no wonder that the metamorphosis of the butterfly has captivated people for thousands of years. Before the human intellect could make sense of what was happening inside the chrysalis, the cocoon and corresponding transformation was used as a symbol of the tomb and resurrection of Jesus. So, let’s carry this forward to you and to me. Like the caterpillar, do you and I possess, inside of us part of our transformed future self? And will we carry the memory of our “now” selves into our future changed and resurrected selves?

No, I did not pull out an Easter sermon for this devotion. Yes, I do know that today is Pentecost – the birthday of the church. This is the celebration of the “fiftieth day”. This is the day the Christian Church celebrates the giving of the Holy Spirit. But this singular “Transformative” and “Metamorphosizing” event for the disciples of Jesus was truly transformative for them. They were one thing going into that day, and they came out changed people. But what happened during the event is a true mystery. For the events that are described fascinate us, and may even scare us – but if you read the rest of Acts, you realize that the disciples were not the same after they received the Holy Spirit. And, in truth, the Holy Spirit should change us as well. For it can only be the Spirit of God, whether we call it the “Ruach” (God’s creating spirit) or the “Pneuma” the Holy Spirit, what else but the true Spirit of God could bring about such creation, and such change? But as we all know, people do not like change…Amen? And, as Lutherans, we have a hard time explaining and understanding the Holy Spirit. We wonder how we might feel the Holy Spirit, and how the Holy Spirit might or should affect us. We ask “How much will it, should it, could it change who I am?” “Will I recognize myself, and will others see me differently if I give into the Holy Spirit?”

The only way you will know, is to give in to the Holy Spirit, and let it transform your life.

Pastor Dave

May 14, 2016

“For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you— that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.” Romans 1:11-12

When I was just a kid, my grandfather and I would spend the summer visiting his siblings in Millersburg and, as was always the case, sharing a cup of coffee with them. No matter who we visited, they always had a pot of coffee waiting for us. It was my introduction to drinking coffee – with cream. I have always enjoyed my coffee with cream. I like strong coffee, and the milk or cream or half and half takes just a little of the edge of the bitterness – it is a relationship, so to speak, a marriage that makes my coffee just perfect. As I ponder this devotion, I am realizing how much I miss all of my grandparents, because each one had a different aspect of their lives and interests they imparted on me as a kid. I miss their friendship – I miss how our relationship was the blending of our lives made more special by the times I could sit with them, drinking a cup of coffee or a milk shake and watching the world pass us by.

Do you have a friend who you know you can go out for coffee, or call on the phone knowing they will listen without judgment or without wanting to solve your problem? We all need someone in our lives who will be a good listener – who will try to understand everything you are going through without giving tons of advice, condemnation, or judgment.

Paul was so interested in visiting the church in Rome probably for multiple reasons including: it was his nature to be with the people to whom he felt a calling/ministry; he wanted to spend time teaching the people all that he knew about Jesus; he wanted to see how they were doing, along with many, many other reasons. But, Paul had another reason. Paul wanted to be with the people so he could be in relationship with them. Paul has given us so many of the letters, the biblical books of the New Testament where he wrote words of encouragement, and also words of criticism. Paul ached to be in relationship with these people, and how difficult it is to have a long distance relationship – if you have tried it, you know what I mean!

There are many times where we also need the encouragement of other Christians – it is the strength of the Christian community. Paul wanted to spend time with people, here it was the people of the church in Rome, to develop relationships with the people, which included being mutually encouraged by their faith. These kinds of relationships do not happen by attending church services alone, or choosing to play golf on a Sunday morning saying you are enjoying G-d’s creation and praying every time you want to sink a putt. This is not the kind of relationship Paul wanted with the people in Rome, and it is not the kind of relationship we need with other Christians. We need to take steps to genuinely get to know one another and discover the faith and spiritual gifts that others have. If you do not have a Christian community to which you belong, it is time to find one. We learn from Paul that it is good to have a group of people to meet with and to be encouraged by our mutual faith. We weren’t called to live the Christian life alone.

Pastor Dave