Gratitude 09.06.2024

To say that the last 3-4 weeks have been quite a journey is an understatement.  It was quite a rollercoaster ride.  Doctor appointments, tests and more tests, helping mom with difficult decisions, hospital admission, nursing home, hospice, waiting, family gathering, saying goodbye, death, arrangement making, more family gathering…  This list could go on and on.  Many of you have been there.  You’ve had this very same experience with your own loved ones.  You know what I’m talking about.  It truly becomes an emotional roller coaster.  
As I write these words it was just a week ago that we were gathering here at the church to have the service to celebrate mom’s life and faith.  Hard to believe a week has passed.  So much has taken place in just the past seven days.  Sorting, cleaning, and moving things out of mom’s apartment.  Starting to deal with the legalities that are always present when a person dies.  Tears have been shed, stories shared, hugs given and received.   My sisters have returned to their respective homes.  Life is beginning to get back into its normal routines… or at least what will be the new normal.  

As I pause for a moment to reflect on all that has happened, in the midst of a lot of different emotions, there is the feeling of gratitude.  Yes, you read right…gratitude.  

• I’m grateful for church staff and church family that allowed me a lot of grace and flexibility to do what I needed to do and be where I needed to be during mom’s health decline.

• I’m grateful for those who stepped in, sort of at the last minute to help out with worship so I didn’t have to be there that first Sunday.

• I’m grateful for having been able to share the last seven or so years of life with mom here in Mitchell.  (Mom always joked that I didn’t know what I was getting into when I invited her to come live in Mitchell after I was appointed to the church here.  I always wanted to tell her that maybe I didn’t know all the details…but I sort of did know what I was getting into…and I’m glad I was here for it.)

• I’m grateful for having shared a moment of feeding mom some Zesto Chocolate Malt on one of her last days.  It struck me that she was the one who cared for and fed me on my first days of life…and how honoring it was for me to do the same thing on one of her final days here on earth.  

• I’m grateful for the church member who saw me cross the street to enter the church, as they were driving by, and they quickly pulled over so they could pray for me.  

• I’m grateful for all the signs of love and support that I’ve received from all of you, my friends and church family.  

• I’m grateful for a neighbor who offered their cement parking pad between their house and mine, for my sister to park her camper on… “For as long as you need.”  

• I’m grateful that my sisters and I were all together for a week or two helping mom, and that we were all with mom as she drew her last breath.  

• I’m grateful for a spouse that stood with me and let me do what I needed to do.

• I’m grateful for a God who was with mom on her journey…and that same God is with me too.

• I’m grateful that we have a hope of life lived in God’s joy and love beyond death and the grave.

  I could keep going…but it is interesting that in the midst of sadness and loss, yet there can be such a good feeling of gratitude for so much.  Now I’m going to wipe my eyes…give thanks again…and keep on moving forward living this life that God, my mom, and my dad gave to me.

Serving Together…

Pastor Keith

Dear Church Family. 

Some of you know, others of you may not...my mom, Maxine, has experienced a health crisis in the past two weeks.  Much of this past week has been spent helping her with this need.  On Wednesday mom was transferred to Firesteel Care Center and was also placed in hospice care.  Mom continues to get weaker and weaker. 

I appreciate all of your prayers!!  I also appreciate the grace of my staff and the leadership of this church allowing me flexibility in my schedule in this difficult time.  As John Wesley said as he was dying, "Best of all...God is with us!"  Those words are still true yet today!  Best of all...God is with us!!

Serving Together,

Pastor Keith

P.S. Below is my reflection.  It is actually from a few years ago but its message is still true yet today.

It Is A Beautiful Day 08.23.2024

There’s a little jingle I remember from when my children were young.  The words go like this; “It’s a beautiful day in the neighborhood, a beautiful day for a neighbor.  Would you be mine?  Could you be mine?”  OK Everybody, Sing Along!!!  It’s the theme song to Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood.  The song ends with these words; “So, let’s make the most of this beautiful day.  Since we’re together we might as well say; Would you be mine?  Could you be mine? Please won’t you be my neighbor?”  
This song was sung at the beginning of the show, and then what followed was Mr. Rogers would tell stories and introduce people that showed how we all can be neighbors in our communities and in this world that we live in.  We are all connected…or at least we can be.

An unfortunate reality of our world is that we tend to get to know the people in our own little realm of the world and we humans tend to not look much further.  We know who we know, we like who we know, and we tend to leave it at that.  This is part of the human reality that Mr. Rogers was trying to overcome with his show.  He was trying to show that different people, different races, different cultures and traditions all had something of beauty to offer the rest of the world.  

Yet, Mr. Rogers was also trying to show that as much as we all may be different, in so many ways we’re all the same, in that we want to be loved, cared for, and to be valued.  So, Mr. Rogers kept introducing the viewers to new people, new situations, new experiences and singing that same song; “Would you be mine? Could you be mine?  Please won’t you be my neighbor.”  You see, what Mr. Rogers kept reminding us, over and over again, is that to be a good neighbor we have to get to know and value our neighbors.  

Do you realize that our church building has been at the same location for over 110 years?  There have been a lot of neighbors that have come and gone over those years.  In fact, many long-term residents of the area would say our neighborhood has changed a lot in the past 50 years.  So, a good question to ask, do we know our neighbors?  If we as a church believe that God has placed us in our downtown location to make a difference in this neighborhood, do we know our neighbors well enough to build relationships with them, to understand their concerns and what they value in life, so that we can share the journey of life and faith with them?   All too often the answer is “no, we really don’t know our neighbors.”

Thus, a key component of ministry and being the church is that of getting to know our neighbors.  This is the community that God has placed us in to do the work of Kingdom Building.  My challenge for myself and each one of us is that we would take some time during the last half of this year to get to know our neighbors.  Take the time to visit with them, learn about them, be interested in them, build a relationship with them, and if the opportunity arises and you think they’d be open to it, invite them to join you for worship, or a serving opportunity, or for fellowship.  Our getting to know our neighbors isn’t just about getting members or a hidden evangelism motive, it’s really about sharing something wonderful we have that we want others to experience too…the love and grace of God and the community of a church family.  Let’s be good neighbors.  After all, it is a beautiful day in our neighborhood.

Serving Together,

Pastor Keith

Fresh Fruit 08.16.2024

“By contrast, the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against such things.”  Galatians 5:22-23 

One of the things I love about this time of year is the fresh fruit; strawberries, melons, peaches…the list could go on.  Several years ago, while in Alaska, I ate blueberries that I picked from the bush out in the wild.  They were incredible – and I’m usually not much of a blueberry fan!  There’s just something special about eating in-season, naturally ripened fruit.  My wish is that I could have fresh fruit all year round, but the reality is…I can’t.  So, in this season I’ll be making some trips to the Larson Melon Stand!!

Come to think of it, I can have fresh fruit year round.  In fact, the goal is that I would be producing fresh fruit year round.  No, I don’t have a garden or a greenhouse in the backyard of my home, but I do have a garden in the soil of my heart.  

Paul, in writing to the Christians in the church of Galatia, a church that he helped plant, talks about fruit – fruit that was to be a characteristic of a Spirit led / Spirit filled follower of Jesus.  The verse giving the fruit is at the very beginning of this reflection.  “Love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.”  Paul is explaining that these are the qualities that are to become more and more evident in our lives as we follow Jesus.  

I have to admit that my heart breaks each time I hear of the incredible violence that so often fills our world; Gaza, Ukraine, places right here at home in the USA.  It is especially disturbing when those involved in the violence do so in the name of their god or out of some sense of religious belief.  That is not the “fruit’ that Paul speaks of.  In fact, just before this passage in Galatians which lists the fruit, Paul gives another list.  This list Paul labels as the “works of the flesh,” which includes such things as “enmities (hate or hostility), strife, jealousy, anger, quarrels, dissentions, factions…”

Yes, it seems that in many cases what gets reported in the news or talked about in social media, is the violence, the anger, the divisions, hostility, etc…it all breaks my heart. I recognize that I am not perfect in my life or in how I live out my faith and hope in Jesus.  But what I do know is that more and more, I am striving to spend less time involved with the “works of the flesh” and am spending more time working in the fruit garden of my heart and soul.  I hope that all of you will join me in nurturing love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  This is fruit that I can enjoy year round.  This is fruit that our world desperately needs more of.  You know what…our church, Downtown Mitchell First UMC is to be a fruit stand.  We’re a year round fruit stand in which the fruit of the Spirit is always in season.  Let’s work together to produce and give away love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.  This is truly the sweetest fruit there is.  

Serving Together,

Pastor Keith

Outdo Others! 07.26.2024

Downtown Mitchell First UMC

310 North Rowley, Mitchell, SD 57301

Rev. Keith Nelson, Pastor

keith@downtownfirstumc.com

So, here we are at the beginning of another Summer Olympic Games. Of course, the Olympic Games is the gathering of athletes from all around the world, every four years, in which they compete for the prized gold medal in that particular sport. There are such events as track and field, cycling, gymnastics, swimming, fencing, wrestling, basketball, volleyball, and many others. This year they’ve even added a few new sports, such as breakdancing, surfing, skateboarding, and a few others.

What these events all have in common is that the athletes compete to outdo one another. The desire is to come out on top, to show how one is the best, or simply to take home the gold. Of course, they realize they can’t all take home the gold, but that would be the secret dream of each athlete, to some way, somehow outdo the other competitors and take home the gold.

I remember what it was like to compete. When I was in high school and competing in track, there was the rush of the games, the hopefulness of winning, the thrill of competing against other athletes. At White Lake we had some good teams in those years. We set records and won our share of gold medals. Yet, there were other times that I simply had to marvel at the gifts and abilities of other competitors as they broke records and took home the gold. It did challenge me at times to train harder and to consider what I needed to do to up my game, so to speak. May we all be praying for a safe, friendly, and uniting Olympic Games.

Unfortunately, this idea of “outdoing one another” isn’t just confined to the area of sports and such contests. Sometimes we see it in the work environment and it is certainly apparent in politics these days. We see it in the realm of social media and people seeking to outdo others in the number of likes or the outrageous stunts they can post. We see it in the various forms of news media in our day. There is just something about the competitive spirit within us.

But how about in our faith? How about in living out being a follower of Jesus? The Apostle Paul does give us some direction in this. The sporting games were big in Paul’s day. In several of his letters he uses imagery from the sports world; running the race, buffeting or training his body, etc.

In fact, I wonder if “The Games” were underway or coming up when Paul wrote something in his letter to the church at Rome – the New Testament book we call Romans. In Romans 12:10 Paul writes, “…love one another with mutual affection; outdo one another in showing honor.” Paul is writing about the true marks of living out the Christian Faith. This complete section is Romans 12:9-21. Take a moment to look that up and read it. Paul packs a lot into those few verses. But some of what he says is; “Let love be genuine; hate what is evil; hold fast to what is good. Bless those who persecute you, rejoice with those who rejoice, weep with those who weep. Live in harmony with others, don’t be arrogant, live peaceably with all, don’t repay evil for evil, etc. This is the list that we are supposed to outdo one another in.

What if the political candidates running for office this year strove to outdo the other in showing honor to the other? How would it change our society if we truly turned away from evil and held fast to what is good? What if we all let go of arrogance and took on a spirit of humbleness? What if we chose to feed and care for our enemies instead of plotting our revenge? I know, I know, I can hear people saying, “But that isn’t how our world works!” But I think Paul, and even Jesus would reply, “But what if it did?”

So where does this all begin? It begins in each of our lives and figuring out how best we can “outdo” others in living out God’s Kingdom Values in our lives and in our world today. The athletes at the Olympic Games would say it took years of training and dedication to become the competitors they are today. In our faith journey, we too can say it takes years of training and dedication to become the Jesus followers that live into Paul’s words. But it all begins with that simple decision to go for the gold. May we all be in training for the gold, the prize that Paul speaks of…living into and living out the Kingdom of God!

Pastor Keith

Play Nice! 07.19.2024

Downtown Mitchell First UMC

310 North Rowley, Mitchell, SD 57301

Rev. Keith Nelson, Pastor

keith@downtownfirstumc.com

This week I did something that I hadn’t expected to be doing at the beginning of 2024…I went back to school. For those of you interested, I am now an official Tiger. I am a student, or scholar as they put it, in the Practical Church Leadership Certificate program offered through Dakota Wesleyan University. I’ll admit I’m a bit nervous about it, after all, it has been 38 years since I graduated from seminary and was last in the halls of “academia” as they say. A LOT has changed in those 38 years, mainly the use of computers, technology, and the virtual classroom. But I’m also excited and believe this year of applied learning will be good for me.

So, as I was preparing to head off to the classroom at DWU, my staff and I were laughing and joking about my “first day of school!” Someone asked me if I had gotten a new outfit for the first day? Did I have my new pencils and notebooks? I’ll have to check and see what is available from Carol H and the Love Feast giveaway. With my briefcase in hand, as I headed out the door, another staff person hollered out, “Play Nice!!” “Yes Mom!” I answered…and again, there was more laughter.

I did survive my first day of school, and the second, and the third. But you know that parting word of advice came back to me throughout the day and my “school” experience. Play nice! That seems like such an obvious principle to live by, and yet in our world today…it doesn’t.

I believe we were all shocked this past week by the attempted assassination of Former President Trump; now Presidential Candidate Donald Trump. This action only highlights the anger, vitriol, and the willingness for people not to play nice and the growing attitude that violence seems to be an acceptable means of expressing one’s opinion or stating one’s belief. IT ISN’T!!!

I did a little research and discovered there have been 14 assassination attempts on sitting US Presidents or Presidential Candidates since the beginning of our nation. Seven of those assassination attempts (half) have taken place in my lifetime…since 1960. As we’ve listened to the political discussion and debate over the past number of years, the use of words has become more and more contentious, degrading, and even downright mean. Social media has certainly not helped matters any, where people can say whatever they want and hide behind screen names without having to realize the consequences of their words or actions.

It strikes me that maybe we all need someone in our lives reminding us, before we head out for the day, before we pick up our phone, before we hit send on that email, before we click on our social media account, before we start interacting with other people, before we say the sharp or critical word that so easily comes to mind, to play nice.

I think of the Apostle Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians that we have in our Bible. In chapter 5 verse 11 Paul writes, “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.” Paul was writing words of instruction to this very young church to help them mature and not be so divisive or mistaken on certain issues of faith. This is a theme that is repeated a number of times throughout the New Testament, that we are to build up one another…and not tear down. These words and this theme would serve us well in our current day and age. Today, and every day, hear these words ringing in your ears and in your heart, “Play Nice!!” or Paul’s message in 1 Thessalonians 5:11, “encourage and build one another up…” This is a message that our world…that all humanity, desperately needs to hear and reclaim!

Pastor Keith

Obstacles 07.12.2024

The goal of being a Christian is that of learning from and following Jesus more and more closely as one makes their way through the journey of life.  To follow Jesus more closely means that we have to get close to Jesus…to listen to him, to see him, to allow his words and love to flow over and into our lives.  There are all sorts of different ways to achieve this goal, but this is truly what discipleship is about.  

But here’s the challenge in it all…it seems like there are always obstacles that get in the way of getting close to Jesus.  Or at least I should say, that is the reality in my life and my faith journey.  It seems there are constantly obstacles that I must deal with that strive to keep me from drawing near to Jesus.  These obstacles are such things as busyness, lousy attitude, distractions, judgementalism, pride, lack of commitment, over scheduling, sin, and this is just the short list of my personal list of things that keep me from getting close to Jesus.  How about you?  What would be on your list of obstacles that keep you from getting close to Jesus?  

There’s a great story in the Bible found in Luke 19.  It’s the story of someone who wasn’t yet a Jesus follower, but this individual was wanting to see Jesus and get a bit closer to him.  I believe he was actually wanting to be a Jesus follower but didn’t know what to do to become one.  However, this individual was not very popular in the community.  In fact, he was downright despised because of his profession.  He was the tax man.  For this reason, people intentionally kept him away from Jesus.  The tax man was rather short in stature and couldn’t see over the crowd lining the street.  He likely tried to push through the crowd to get up front for better viewing, but again, because of who he was, the townspeople wouldn’t let him through.  Obviously, there was a clear and significant obstacle in his way of getting to Jesus.  And unfortunately, it was people that were the greatest obstacles.  (There’s a sermon in that for another day!)

This individual, whom I’m guessing most of you have heard of.  His name is Zacchaeus, he got creative and ran ahead of the crowd, further down the road that Jesus would likely be traveling.  Then he climbed a tree beside the road so that he would be able to see Jesus when he walked by. The plan worked, Jesus passed that way and even saw Zacchaeus up in the tree and invited him to come down.  Not only that, Jesus invited himself over for dinner at Zacchaeus’ home, to which Zacchaeus readily agreed.  And this was the beginning of a significant change of focus for Zacchaeus’ life.  

What made it possible for Zacchaeus to see Jesus was the fact that he didn’t let the obstacles defeat him.  He got creative and decided the greater goal of seeing Jesus was more important than anything else.  He just had to work around the obstacle that was getting in his way and Zacchaeus had the commitment and drive to make it happen.  

This is a great lesson for us all, to not be defeated by the obstacles in life that keep us from Jesus.  There is always a creative way to deal with that which blocks us from Jesus and as Zacchaeus would certainly tell us, it is certainly worth the effort to overcome the obstacle and make the effort to get close to Jesus in order to experience the presence and love that Jesus offers to all, especially those wanting to get close.  So, what is your obstacle??  Next question…what are you going to do this week to get around that obstacle?  Jesus is willing and waiting to reward your effort to draw near.

Pastor Keith

The Power of Water 06.28.2024

This past week we have seen what the power of water can do.  Social Media has been full of images that are absolutely amazing, breathtaking, and even horrifying.  We’ve seen pictures of the Sioux Falls falls, in which there is so much water going over the falls that you can’t really see them. It just looks like wild rushing water.  There were pictures of culverts sticking out of roadways, forced up and out by all the water.  We’ve seen pictures of roads that have been washed away, leaving large gaps or trenches where pavement used to be.

We’ve seen pictures of dam structures coming to a point of near collapse or that water has simply made its own path around the dam.  We’ve seen pictures of cars swept off the road when someone ventured too far into the rising flood waters.

Probably the most horrendous images I’ve seen are from a video on Facebook that showed the devastation in North Sioux City.  Dan and Juanita Grewing used to live in that area and traveled many of those roads daily.  The video shows homes swept away, the landscape totally changed, even a railroad bridge has been damaged and moved by the force of the water.  Roads and streets are totally gone.  20–30-foot ravines have replaced the roads, yards, and homes in some areas of that community.  Watching that video made me think of my own involvement in the Minot, North Dakota Flood about 15 years ago.  It is truly heartbreaking to witness such devastation.  Seeing those pictures is a reminder of the incredible power of water.

Yet, I also have another image of the power of water in my mind today.  Yesterday, Thursday, I attended the funeral of Rev. Rodney Gist, a fellow United Methodist pastor and colleague.  Rod was such a joy filled, love filled human being who faithfully served churches across the Dakotas, he championed the UM Camping Ministry, and he was also a voice for justice and healing in a broken world.  In fact, at the funeral there were several people who spoke about how Rev. Rod had touched and changed their lives because of his love and radiant smile.  

The reason Rod would say he was filled with joy and hope was because of the love of God and the power of the waters of his baptism, which regularly reminded him that he was a child of God and that he was baptized into a life of love and service.  

Mother Teresa would be another person who would likely say that it was the power of the waters of her baptism that caused her to do what she did – living a life of selflessness caring for those who no one else wanted to care for on the streets of Calcutta.  And there are so many others…  People of faith who would say that, in part, it is the waters of their baptism that has influenced and shaped their lives. I would be one of them and maybe so would you.  You see, as United Methodists we believe that our baptism isn’t just about saving us “from” something, rather it is about realizing we are saved “for” something…a life of service, a life of ministry, a life of seeing the world as our parish.

We often focus on the destructive power of water, and there is good reason for that.  Today, I’m going to focus on the positive impact water can have in a person’s life, mainly the waters of baptism that calls us to a life lived beyond ourselves.  Thank you, Rev. Gist, Uncle Walter, Mom, Dad, Alan Olson, and so many others for bearing witness to God’s love and the power of the baptismal waters in each of your lives.  All of you have had a powerful impact on my life…and on so many others.  May we all live out the power of the baptismal waters in our life and in our faith!!  Our world really needs to experience that kind of power and love!!

Pastor Keith

Rain...06.21.2024

WOW!!! Was that a gully washer or what??!!  You can use whatever term or phrase you are familiar with, but yesterday’s rainstorm was definitely one for the books…and it was certainly more than just a sprinkle that settles the dust, so to speak.  As many of you know Nancy and I have been gone for about a week.  We got home yesterday mid afternoon and drove in rain pretty much the entire way home from the Badlands.  There was already 2.8 inches of rain in our rain gauge yesterday afternoon.  (Yep, I have one of those fancy KELO-Land rain gauges.)  Then, this morning there was another 5.3 inches in the gauge.  So, that totals up to just over 8 inches of rain.  We had street flooding in front of our house and had standing water about 2/3 of the way up our driveway.  However, I am fortunate in that we only have a couple spots in our basement where the carpet got a little wet.  I’m glad we got home when we did.  

But thinking about all this rain has me thinking about a passage in the Bible that speaks of another type of rain that our world needs…the rain of righteousness.  Isaiah 45:8 speaks of the heavens raining down righteousness.  Righteousness is about being holy or living according to the values of God’s Presence and Kingdom.  Certainly, that is something our world desperately needs, for more people…in fact, for all of creation to be living according to God’s Kingdom Values.  

Isaiah 45 is written by the prophet Isaiah.  He is giving hope to Jerusalem and the people of Israel who are living in exile.  God is communicating with the people saying that even though times are difficult, God is still God.  God is still in control and good days are coming.  

In fact, Isaiah 45 tells of how God is going to use King Cyrus, a gentile king, to do God’s work.  So, it isn’t just people of faith that God can work through.  God is able to use whoever and whatever God wants to to accomplish God’s work.  Part of what God see’s happening through King Cyrus’ rule in the region is that it will have a direct impact on God’s presence in the land.  That is what will cause the presence of God to rain down on the land once again, and because of that, God’s Kingdom values, or righteousness, will water or nourish the earth…and therefore the desire is that God’s righteousness will spring up and grow because of God’s influence raining down on the people.  

Today, as we deal with the rain that has come…and prepare for more rain in our forecast, may we find ways to allow God’s rain (physical) and God’s reign (spiritual and eternal), to become more and more of a reality in our lives and in our world.

Pastor Keith

We Are Not Alone 06.14.2024

As I write this article, I am aware that in just a matter of hours a family will gather, along with many others from the community, to celebrate their young daughter’s much-too-short life and then bury her body.  There is much grieving taking place in the community because of a tragic car crash that took place just over a week ago.  

In another part of our community there is a family grieving because their 10-year-old son will never be at their table again.  His life, too, was cut short by a tragic accident.  They, too, are grieving and hurting because of their loss and a life that ended too soon.

These are the two “big” incidents that have captured our community’s attention and hearts here in recent weeks.  But I also know there are other families that are grieving and/or hurting for other reasons.  In fact, I know that these two incidents have impacted other families in our community because these events have been a reminder of the families own tragic events that have taken their own child away from them too soon and they understand all too well the pain the families I’ve mentioned above are living with.  

My heart hurts for all these families.  All our hearts break for these and all the families involved in these tragic situations.  If there is anything good that comes out of such horrible situations, it is seeing people come together to weep, hurt, support, and care for one another.  In moments like those described above, suddenly our petty political, religious, opinion differences fall away, and we are simply able to be together as a community caring for one another.  This is as it should be.  

There is a story in the Bible that came to mind just the other day, after the news of the most recent death began to spread around the community.  The outpouring of love, care, and emotion on social media, for the family involved, was large and beautiful. It made me think of the story in John 11 of the death of Lazarus.  

Jesus had received word that his good friend, Lazarus was very sick and in fact dying.  Jesus didn’t make it to Bethany in time and Lazarus had already died and been buried by the time Jesus arrived.  Mary and Martha, Lazarus’s sisters, were heartbroken and grieving.  Jesus asks to be taken to the tomb where Lazarus has been buried.  Once there, Jesus is filled with emotion and the story simply says, “Jesus wept.” John 11:35. Jesus’ raw emotion came out. 

But then there is an interesting sentence.  I’ve read it many times but didn’t really notice it until now.  It says, “But some of them said, “Could not he who opened the eyes of the blind man have kept this man from dying?” John 11:37.   That is a very honest question.  In fact, that’s what I like about the Bible, it is filled with honest statements like that.  I’m sure there are many people today who quietly in their hearts are asking that very question.  “Couldn’t Jesus, who healed so many, have kept this young girl, this young boy, from dying?” As Christians we believe the answer to that question is “Yes!”  But Jesus did not intervene here, as he did in the Lazarus story, and bring healing and restore life.  And this is why we ask the “Why?” questions.  Why did these tragic accidents happen?  Why did these beautiful young people have to die?  There is no good answer.  

I appreciate and greatly understand the raw honesty of those very honest and real questions people ask at times like this.  I ask them myself!  I have been asked those questions throughout the course of my ministry and I still don’t have an answer.  The only words that bring me comfort in times like this are the two words that come in John 11:35, “Jesus wept.”  Those words don’t give any sort of magical answer, but they do tell us that Jesus understands the pain and hurt and grief, and even anger that we feel in moments like this.  

To all who are hurting and grieving in our community, the best words I can give you in moments like this are the two words that describe Jesus as he stood at a grave grieving… “Jesus wept.”  Jesus understands the pain we feel in our darkest moments.  Jesus understands and weeps with us.  In some ways, that is what any of us want in the moments of tragedy and loss in our lives.  Somewhere in the back corners of our minds, we know, or at least recognize, that at times, tragedy does happen.  We don’t like it, we don’t want it to touch our families, but we know it happens.  But what we all want to know is that in those deepest moments of pain in our lives, we want to know that we aren’t standing alone in our grief and weeping…that someone who loves and cares for us is there with us.  This story answers that question.  We aren’t alone.  There are always friends and family that grieve with us in those moments of pain, but this story also tells us that in the midst of our searching questions and in the midst of our brokenness, and even anger, we are never alone.  Jesus is with us.  Jesus weeps with us.  Jesus understands!

Pastor Keith

Heritage Tour 05.31.2024

Yesterday I did a little bit of a heritage tour.  I traveled to three different places in the region and each place held special reasons and memories for why I was there.  Those memories have helped to shape me into the person that I am today.

Actually, this heritage tour started a week ago by my mom and I carrying on an annual tradition.  For the past 4-5 years on the Thursday or Friday before Memorial Day, mom and I load up flowers in one of our cars and head out to visit area cemeteries to place flowers on the graves of various family members.  We usually start out at the Underwood Cemetery, north of White Lake.  That’s where my dad is buried.  Then we go to the Ebenezer Cemetery out in the country northwest of Corsica.  That is the site of the church that mom grew up in and was married in. The original building burned, and the second church structure was moved away years ago.  But the cemetery remains and that’s where Grandpa and Grandma Isakson (mom’s parents) and other relatives from her side of the family are buried.  And finally, there is a stop at the Corsica Cemetery on the east side of Corsica, where mom’s sister is buried along with several other close family members.  

Some cemeteries have a time limit of how long flowers can be on graves, so usually about a week after the flowers are placed, someone picks them up.  This year I had the honor of doing so.  I kind of went in the reverse order of what we usually do.  I headed to the Corsica Cemetery first.  There I thought of Aunt Reva, Mom’s sister, who died just months after I was born.  Mom tells of how Aunt Reva got to hold infant me, and then several weeks later she died from what was then called Juvenile Diabetes, which had plagued Aunt Reva most of her life.  

I also took the flowers from Uncle Ed and Aunt Joyce’s grave, remembering how last August I helped carry Aunt Joyce’s casket to its final resting place.  She and Uncle Ed were such faith-filled people.  When they said they were praying for you…you knew they were praying for you.  I also took the flowers we had placed on Cousin Darwin’s grave.  Darwin was Uncle Ed and Aunt Joyce’s son, who was a couple years older than me.  Darwin was severely injured in a car accident in the early 80’s and was a quadriplegic for the rest of his life until his death in 2005.  I was asked to officiate at the funeral.  Darwin taught me about how even in tragedy God is present and it also taught me about how fragile life can be.

The stop at the Ebenezer Cemetery brought me to Grandpa and Grandma Isakson.  Grandma Isakson I never knew.  She also died when I was an infant.  But Grandpa Isakson I remember quite well.  He too was a man of strong faith.  I got Grandpa’s grey felt hat after he died.  There was a time or two when I wore that hat that Mom said she could see her dad in me.  Lots of other relatives are buried there.  They too left a legacy of faith.

The final stop at the Underwood Cemetery took me to the church I grew up in.  That’s where various Sunday School teachers poured into me.  That’s where I was baptized, confirmed, received communion for the first time, lit the candles, collected the offering, shared with them about my giving my life to Christ, the people of that church voted to approve me as a candidate for ministry, and that is even where I did my very first children’s sermon (I hyperventilated – seriously!).  The Underwood Church building still stands, though the church closed long ago.  The building is slowly deteriorating but the memories are rock solid.  

After looking at the building I entered the cemetery and removed the flowers from my dad’s grave, thanking him for life, the values he taught me, the fun, and some not so fun memories I look back on, all which helped shape me.  I thanked him for the quiet and gentle man of faith that he was and how he supported my decision to go into ministry and not come back to the farm.  I took the flowers from Grandpa and Grandma Nelson’s grave, giving thanks for their faithful witness and their loving presence.  I stood there at Uncle Walter and Aunt Janet’s graves, thinking of their presence and influence on my life.  There was Cousin David’s grave, as well as other family and neighbors’ graves.  I had the sense of being surrounded by a great cloud of witnesses.  

It was a Holy Moment…it was a Holy trip.  There have been so many stops along my journey of faith and many people that have influenced me in my faith along the way, but that journey on Thursday afternoon helped me reconnect with my heritage.  It helped me recognize that faith is not an individual journey…there truly is a great cloud of faithful witnesses that nurture, support, encourage, teach, and that bring faith to life.  Maybe someday my kids or grandchildren will take their own heritage tour and stand at my grave and recognize that in God’s love we are still (and always will be) connected!

Pastor Keith