Devotional - Thursday, 2.1.24 - Galatians 5:2-15

“Listen! I, Paul, tell you this: If you are counting on circumcision to make you right with God, then Christ will be of no benefit to you. I’ll say it again. If you are trying to find favor with God by being circumcised, you must obey every regulation in the whole law of Moses. For if you are trying to make yourselves right with God by keeping the law, you have been cut off from Christ! You have fallen away from God’s grace. But we who live by the Spirit eagerly wait to receive by faith the righteousness God has promised to us. For when we place our faith in Christ Jesus, there is no benefit in being circumcised or being uncircumcised. What is important is faith expressing itself in love. You were running the race so well. Who has held you back from following the truth? It certainly isn’t God, for he is the one who called you to freedom. This false teaching is like a little yeast that spreads through the whole batch of dough! I am trusting the Lord to keep you from believing false teachings. God will judge that person, whoever he is, who has been confusing you. Dear brothers and sisters, if I were still preaching that you must be circumcised—as some say I do—why am I still being persecuted? If I were no longer preaching salvation through the cross of Christ, no one would be offended. I just wish that those troublemakers who want to mutilate you by circumcision would mutilate themselves. For you have been called to live in freedom, my brothers and sisters. But don’t use your freedom to satisfy your sinful nature. Instead, use your freedom to serve one another in love. For the whole law can be summed up in this one command: “Love your neighbor as yourself.” But if you are always biting and devouring one another, watch out! Beware of destroying one another.”
Galatians 5:2-15 NLT
The book of Galatians is all about how clinging to the Law and trying to be righteous by following it to a “T” totally misses the mark. One would think that since there’s an entire book, along with much of the New Testament that keeps giving this message, that we would finally have this right!  Somehow we continue to get all caught up in right living and not sinning to the extent that we start worrying about our salvation. But living some sort of “perfect” or sin free life is not the Good News, in fact that isn’t good news at all!  
If salvation is dependent on living without sin in our lives then we’re all doomed. That word always makes me think of the movie Hocus Pocus…”we are doomed!” Ha ha! Jesus came to save us from ourselves, to save us from the hamster wheel of following the Law, failing, making sacrifices to amend and starting over and over and over and over again. 
Our God is a God of freedom!  God has loved us from the moment we existed and that love has not waned or grown since that moment because it’s not dependent on what we do, it’s dependent on who and Whose we are.  I hope you can feel the freedom that comes with that knowledge.  I hope you can release and let go of any guilt or shame or consternation you carry for things you’ve done or said or things you continue to struggle with.  
This is the Good News…God’s love is so great that we don’t have to DO or NOT DO anything to earn it or keep it.  We simply get to accept it and enjoy it, and for some of us, probably many of us, that may take a lifetime to figure out how to do, but let’s keep trying.
Reflection: How easy is it for you to accept God’s love unconditionally?  Do you need to let some things go, or quit trying to meet some sort of bar that’s been set?
Prayer: Lord God, we live in a world that does not encourage “something for nothing.” We continually hear messages of who is or isn’t worthy and who is or isn’t deserving. O God, help us to hear Your voice over all the others. Help us to hear and believe the Truth of the Good News, that we are worthy and deserving of all the love You have for us. Forgive us when we listen to the lies. Strengthen and empower us to break down the walls we’ve built that keep us from fully knowing Your love and forgiveness and help us to share that love with others.
Lord, we continue to pray for peace in the world. May fighting cease in Israel and Gaza, Ukraine and Africa and so many other places that experience warring both great and small. We lift up those we know and know of who are struggling in grief, with finances, with illness, in recovery, with mental anguish and emotional turmoil. Lord, You provide all things and we pray for Your provision for all those in need, even ourselves.
God walk with us through our days.  As we meet and interact with others, give us Your joy and sense of overflowing love that we might share it and spread it to each one we encounter. Help us to continue to be the salt and the light that You call us to be. In Your name and by Your power we pray, Amen.
Soon I hope to create a new site where I can post alll of my writings and recordings.  Stay tuned!

Living in the Kingdom, for real

 My dear friend Adi asked me if I’d like to write something and share it on her podcast, 8000 Promises.  I wanted of course to write something thoughtful, moving and profound.  I wrote two different pieces but really didn’t feel super great about either of them. I shared them with my daughter Sarah, and she questioned a couple of spots, but I still wasn’t happy with either. I’d set a deadline for myself of January 22nd, and here I am on January 21st. Ugh.

But as I was getting ready this morning I had some thoughts that I’m hoping might amount to something worth reading and listening to.  You see, I wanted to present something really solid theologically. Something that many could relate to, agree with and feel good about…but then I thought, that’s not really where I am right now in my faith journey.

In hindsight I think some of my consternation started when I went to seminary.  I had been somewhat firm in my stance that LGBTQ+ believers should not be in church leadership. My church, without really taking a public stand, was fairly clear that’s where we landed.  I did not dislike or hate LGBTQ+ people. In fact, I made suggestions of outreach and support for community projects that supported their community.  But when it came to the church, I felt it was fine to welcome gay folks, but leadership was a place I couldn’t go. Then I went to seminary.

In seminary I met Tony. Tony is gay and loves Jesus and wanted to go into the ministry. And the more I thought about Tony and people like Tony who, like me, heard the call to ministry and ended up in seminary, the more I thought that keeping people like Tony out of church ministry does not align with how Jesus lived and much of what I read in scripture. (I often go back to the text in Acts 11 where Peter explains to the Jewish Christians how God showed him in a dream it was ok to eat unclean food he’d been raised in the faith to avoid, and also how the Holy Spirit came upon some gentiles and Peter was moved to baptize them because he remembered that Jesus had said that, “John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.” Peter goes on to admit that if God gave these gentiles the same gift as he gave the disciples, who believed in Jesus, he says, “who was I to think that I could oppose God?”

All this to say that seminary gave me more questions than answers and it hasn’t stopped since then. I know that there are many Jesus followers who struggle with this and other issues, who have questions because what they read in the Bible and what they see the Church and church people living out don’t jive. They hear messages of how God loves and how we are all made in God’s image, but still exclude various people groups from the church, let alone leadership.

I’m not here to proclaim that I have answers to all of these really hard questions. But here’s what I do know… Throughout scripture people make all sorts of mistakes. People sin. People kill each other; downplay or exclude women, children, people who are ill or unclean in some way, among many others. But God continues to open and reopen the door to himself time and time again. 

Throughout the Old Testament we see this cycle of the people being faithful, then the people falling away and really deep diving into lives of sin, God allowing consequences to happen, and then God welcoming the people when they eventually turn back to him.  And then it happens over and over and over again. We have a God who desperately wants relationship with all of his beloved creatures, US!

Jesus showed us in so many ways how to love well: forgiving (numerous times!), touching and being with outcasts, listening to women and other shunned people, spending lots of time talking with God his father, journeying through life in community - as well as with very close companions, and sharing meals with others. 

There was a book I read and actually went through and discussed together with friends called Jesus Life, and it really stuck with me. It talked about things like living a sustainable rhythm of life, thinking about how Jesus might have spent time with God considering he didn’t have a Bible - what might his praying, thinking or meditating have looked like? It looked at how Jesus defined family, served others, redefined and reframed rituals and it asks great questions about how we might have lost some of these Jesus ways of living.

This is the direction I am going in my faith these days. I think in many ways in my faith I’d gone into auto-pilot for a while there. Then COVID hit and we went online, many of us went into a bit of a depression, and coming out of it we felt very disengaged - disconnected - and unsure if returning to our churches was the direction we wanted to go. 

For my husband Kim and I, we invited some friends who also hadn’t reengaged with the larger church and came together as a house church.  This group that started with eight people has blossomed to seventeen now and we continue to meet every two weeks on Sunday evenings in our home.  Our worship is simple with singing, scripture, prayers of confession as well as for the people and the world. Sometimes I share a message I’ve found that’s appropriate but more often than not we have a discussion of what God might be saying through the scriptures we read and how they apply in life right now, this week.  It’s intimate, it’s refreshing, and it’s very imperfect. And anyone is welcome.  We don’t concern ourselves with deciding who’s in and who’s out. I may prepare our time but we share reading, leading and discussion is for everyone. We serve one another, as well as people and organizations in our community, and try to live out our faith in our daily lives, again, very imperfectly.

I’m not quite sure what the point is I’m trying to make here except that our faith is always evolving. Hopefully, as we learn and experience different people, ask hard questions, try to find some maybe not always easy answers, discuss the mystery with others and try to follow Jesus, we can each be uniquely transformed as we continue this wild journey of faith. We continue to look for and sometimes even experience the Kingdom of God in our world, despite all of its imperfection and brokenness.

I do not have all the answers that is for certain. In fact I have very few. But I surround myself with people who share a love of Jesus or maybe just a curiosity of God, people who love well and help me learn to do the same, who are willing to share life and dive deep, and who tend to bring out the best in me. I’m listening more these days. Trying to connect in meaningful ways . And more and more I’m staying off of auto-pilot and actively and intentionally pursuing the presence of God - hands out and open wide, ready to both give and receive all the he has for me. It will never be perfect, but it’s definitely good. I think God’s ok with that.

2023 Year in Review

I’ve been wanting to sit down and write some sort of review of the last year and vision for 2024, but I haven’t been able to conjure up any real profound thoughts. As I’ve started writing it seems there was an unspoken theme to the last year, and that theme was connection. So here’s what 2023 held…

Our year was filled with amazing travels. I went to Florida with Ellen to go see Lee, Ron, Charlie and Celeese and Mom and Dad. Best memory from that trip is sitting in a hotel w/Lee and El in Sarasota laughing until we were all crying as we showed each other ridiculous reels on social media.  Italy with Sean, Megan and others was so rich it’s hard to share just one or two things. But cooking class making the best spaghetti noodles and tastiest sauce, bruschetta and tiramisu was probably the highlight. A close second would be the smaller towns of Perugia and Assisi. I’d love to return and explore them further along with southern Italy - and stay a bit longer! Kim went with his sister Lois to PA to visit Sarah and family while we were in Italy. He was able to show Lois some of the places we’d seen the previous year, and Lois hadn’t seen the Saturno’s in quite a while. My trip to PA to see Sarah and family in early December did not disappoint. Rilo at 14 is still the loving and silly kid he’s always been. He’s a good hugger like his uncle Sean and he’s close to being taller than me. Rocco at 7 is talkative and energetic and at the same time loves being creative…painting pottery, reading, drawing and doing Legos. Rocco will celebrate his 2nd/8th birthday this year on his Leap Day birthday. Vito was in the shy/I want to be with you but won’t act like it phase this trip. He talks up a storm and loves imaginative play (oh and of course they all love their screen time as well, who doesn’t?!)  I also finally got to see the McSweeney family (minus Chris) while in PA! It had been WAY too long since I’d seen Sammy and I got to meet her 4th babe, Stella.

Our year was also filled with many times of sweet community with our friends and family. The (Alex/Britt) VanMeter’s and Saturno’s both visited in June and Lee and Ron came for their annual visit in July. An additional four adults and seven kids made for some crazy times, but they are all such good parents and it shows in their kids. Hiking, pool time, games, wine tasting and all sorts of shenanigans filled their time here. Uncle Kim enjoyed giving rides on his scooter to the kids! Lee and Ron calmed things down a bit for us, and it was nice to host a party so they could connect with many friends not seen in a while.  

So many evenings filled with our good friends, Dave and Karen Jensen, sharing dinner, sitting around the fire outside, watching sports games on tv, drinking wine and enjoying the life God has blessed us all with. They took me on many an adventure - from paddle boarding to Christmas tree hunting. I’m so thankful for them sharing their lives with us as well as helping in huge, very tangible ways with vet and doctor visits, running me on errands, keeping us in a good supply of firewood, and simply being really good friends. Megan’s dad Mark and his partner Marie have also been great friends to us. They are family. They traveled to Italy with the group as well, always make sure Kim is cared for when I’m away, and they’ve joined us in our house church. We are so very blessed by such good friends and family. 

Our house church grew and each time we meet is meaningful and rich. We’re up to seventeen people when everyone shows up. Simply reading and discussing scripture, occasionally listening to a sermon I’ve found, singing, praying and sharing communion together always makes for a rich time of worship and community. It continues to provide me with a meaningful way to satisfy my passion and call to ministry using my gifts and providing a safe place for questions, doubts and discussion to happen and transformation to take place. Continuing to be transformed, to become more Christ-like, and loving well is always the goal.  It has truly been a gift to us all for a myriad of reasons, and for our situation really fits the bill for what we can do realistically. Many in our group are on one of many teams paired with an Afghan family that immigrated here after escaping Afghanistan. We also serve together feeding college students a couple times a year and being a part of a team for the Sharefest weekend in the springs. I’ve also kept my toes dipped in the ministries at FPCGJ. I helped a few times with the youth group this fall, was on the women’s ministry planning team, and helped plan and lead the Blue Christmas service this December. I also helped preside over communion this summer when the FPCGJ pastor was on sabbatical. It’s been energizing to hang out with young people, continue to connect with other - mostly younger women, and help the church and community acknowledge that the holidays always happy for everyone and provide some ways to be in that space and be ok. 

I celebrated my 60th birthday last year in probably the most meaningful way I ever have. I had read the book The Art of Gathering, and it provided a number of ideas to make gatherings bring about more connection and meaning. I invited those people who bring out the best in me and asked each one to give a toast to “being disrupted” - whatever that meant to them. They  shared a story or something that was a disruption in their life. After telling the story/identifying the disruption, we all toasted it. To add some motivation they were informed that the last person had to sing their toast!  We had about 18 or so people and the stories were each unique, rich, sometimes poignant, sometimes funny and all of them absolutely amazing. The last person was the most introverted and quiet of the group and he ended it all by “disrupting the party” and broke into song leading the group in singing happy birthday to me. I can tell you, it was the best party ever and I guarantee we’ll be doing it again. I’m just now having thoughts about how we could incorporate toasting into our time of worship, asking people to share something around their faith life or experience of God. I’ll report back next year!

In August I connected with the CO Division of Vocational Rehabilitation and started the process to get some help because of my low vision. After a lengthy assessment my trainer Garrett drove over from the front range monthly and then every two weeks to give me training. We started with my workspace and lighting, technological needs, kitchen and everyday living helps (raised stickers to put on appliances so I don’t have to search for the right button to push!), and mobility training. I started white cane training in September and just “graduated” in November by making a loop downtown with a blindfold on. I could write pages and pages about what I learned, but suffice it to say that it was multitasking on steroids and one of the more stressful trainings I’ve ever done. I continue to use Jane the Cane whenever I leave the house. She not only helps me know when tripping hazards exist but she lets other people know that I can’t see well and probably need some extra care as I’m being led through the low lit restaurant, etc..

Kim has been so very loving and supportive as I’ve mentally struggled to release my ego and pride and start sliding into acceptance as someone who can’t do everything she used to do and actually does need help with some things. Not easy for this independent girl. I started going to a therapist to help me with all of this as well as to work on stuff I’ve very efficiently stuffed under the surface for way too long. Dealing with ourselves is not for the faint of heart!

As the year comes to a close we’ve managed to stay healthy while many others have not. We’re grateful for gifts like that that we sometimes take for granted. Kim struggles in the extremes of weather, be it real hot or real cold, so this time of year can be hard for him. I try to get out to walk and to swim as often as I can and the fresh air and dopamine from activity help me to deal with all the stresses. Kim doesn’t have that luxury in the winter - although summer time our yard looks amazing because of his constant care. He continues to greet the many walkers and their dogs as they stop and chat on their way to the park. (When I distributed block party invitations this fall no one knew who I was, but they lit up when I said I was Kim’s wife! Lol!) 

My work at Rocky Mtn. Health Plans/United Healthcare continues. I’m becoming more knowledgeable about mental health issues, challenges it brings, and the many agencies in our communities that work to help families with kids who are struggling with mental illness. My heart can get heavy sometimes working with these families. But other times I can feel really great about how our team has helped empower families and given clients tools to help them work through the issues they face. Tough stuff. 

But God has provided us with the strength, the faith and the hope to believe that we can make a difference in the lives of other people - and I have witnessed amazing healing and transformation (in clients, in our team, in our community).

We continue to have hope for better days to come. While our situations may not change, we have been given the gift to spread love and spread light. We can be illuminators in this sometimes dark world and bring light to places and situations where it has been diminishing. Our prayer is that you will join us in being ILLUMINATORS in 2024. Help spread the light wherever you go. Have deeper conversations. Do your internal work so you will “feel all the feels” - the hard, uncomfortable ones AND the welcome, enjoyable ones! Laugh more. Connect with your friends and neighbors and coworkers and clients. 

Thanks be to God for another year of life, of living, of friends and family like you.

Much love,

Sal & Kim (and of course, Zoe)