Peter said to Jesus, "Lord, it is good for us to be here; if you wish, I will make three dwellings here, one for you, one for Moses, and one for Elijah." Matthew 17:4 (NRSV) Peter is ecstatic. He has experienced a moment that transcends all others in his life. It is a holy moment that reveals to him the power and majesty and awe of Jesus as he witnesses the transfiguration. It is his mountaintop experience. He wants to stay there on top of the mountain alongside Jesus, Moses, and Elijah. Who wouldn’t? Can you imagine the theological dialogue that would have taken place? It must have been quite a discussion to witness. (It would put Pub Theology to shame!) In the presence of these three titans of the faith, the sense of peace and the power of the presence of the Lord would have infused every molecule of Peter’s being. It is no wonder he didn’t want to leave.
It is fully part of our human condition that we want to keep and preserve things so that they will stay the same, and we can experience the joy and happiness to which we are accustomed. But life is never really like that. As much as we would like to stay on the mountaintop, we also have to descend to the lowlands. Peter had to come down from the mountain in order for Jesus’ ministry and mission to be fulfilled. If Jesus stayed up on the mountain with Moses and Elijah, humanity would not have received the benefit of the resurrection. The world would not have been blessed by the passionate ministry of Peter and the apostles if Peter had stayed on the mountaintop. Like Peter, I am facing my own journey from the mountaintop into the valley of uncertainty. My time at Calvary will end on the 31st of May. It has been a wonderful journey of discovery. It has been transformational for me as I have discovered my pastoral identity, been challenged to improve my preaching, and have experienced wonderful and fruitful dialogue about all things theological at Pub Theology and in private conversation. More importantly, I have been welcomed into a community that has allowed me to grow, has enthusiastically supported my seminary journey, has gently corrected me when I have made mistakes (and accepted my profound apologies!), and has welcomed me into the sacred narrative of their lives. Who wouldn’t want to stay in a place like that? Like Peter, I have to remember that God’s plans are not my own. My sorrow at leaving this fellowship is tempered by the many pleasant and fond memories of my time here and the people with whom serving in ministry was such a joy. I am sure that Peter’s memory of the transfiguration sustained and uplifted him when he found doubt or trouble. I am sure that my memories of ministry and the people of Calvary will sustain me when I am faced with doubt and insecurity. My time at Calvary has been transformational. I cannot say thank you enough to express what Calvary has meant to me and my family. I would put up a tent and I would stay, but God is calling me down the mountain, to the next chapter of my life. I know that my leaving also allows others to experience the wonderful community of people here at Calvary, and in turn they will be blessed and learn and grow from their adventures in ministry. I am excited to see the next chapter in Calvary’s life and I know that with God’s help it will continue to be a blessing to Federal Way and the surrounding areas. Yours in Christ, Matt Byrd
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But [the angel] said to [the women at the tomb], "Do not be alarmed; you are looking for Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He has been raised; he is not here. Look, there is the place they laid him. But go, tell his disciples and Peter that he is going ahead of you to Galilee; there you will see him, just as he told you." So they went out and fled from the tomb, for terror and amazement had seized them; and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. Mark 16:6-8 ![]() I am a huge fan of TEDTalks. TED stands for Technology, Entertainment, & Design. TEDTalks are brief presentations (see youtube.com or NPR.org)—that are made all over the world, by people from all over the world. They highlight cutting-edge discoveries and how those discoveries can be applied to our lives. One of the presenters, Amy Cuddy, a psychologist in the Harvard School of Business, presents her findings on “Power Poses”: People who strike bold, open postures (envision the Wonder Woman stance here) have greater confidence and, in fact, actually improve their brain chemistry, not to mention that others respond to them positively. In fact, these postures actually can convince “the poser” that she is as strong as her posture indicates. Add her smile to that pose and she can command a room. Some might call this a “fake-it-till-you-make-it” mindset. Science and human experience seem to indicate that it works. When the women (in Mark’s Easter Gospel) approach Jesus’ tomb, they are convinced that the only thing ahead of them is death. They are down trodden and disappointed; overwhelmed by grief. When the angel tells them things have changed—that “Jesus is Risen!,” their posture changes from grief to fear. Apparently the news is too good to be true. Most scholars agree Mark’s Easter story ends at verse 8, “they said nothing … they were afraid.” Ugh. It seems that Mark wanted his Roman congregation to see the mystifying paralysis that the women displayed and then to question it: Why did the women stay silent?! Jesus has risen—they should be standing tall and shouting the good news from the rafters: Christ is alive! I wonder what newcomers think when they come to Calvary on Easter or any other Sunday. Do they see people who are moved by the joy of the resurrection, or do they see something different? (This is not to say that each of us doesn’t bring our individual challenges and wounds with us, while we experience this joy. It is to say that Christ’s resurrection makes room in our hearts for more than that sorrow.) When we greet people at Calvary’s front doors, when we pass the peace during worship, when we interact with our brothers and sisters between or after services, what do those newcomers see? What do they hear? The women at the tomb held onto their fear and it resulted in nothing good: Peter and the other disciples didn’t know that Jesus had risen, or that they were to go to Galilee to meet him. The same reality is true for us: If we respond to Jesus’ resurrection—and to life itself—with fear, nothing and nobody will be changed for the better. Disciples will not gather around the risen Jesus, and people’s lives will not be transformed. The message we have been entrusted with will not be heard, and even those already here will grow discouraged and lose their focus on Christ. But …. Here’s the wonderful surprise: The women didn’t remain fearful. The good news created a balm to heal their wounded souls, and went to work on their tongues. How do we know this? Well, you’re here aren’t you? You’ve heard the news that Christ rose from the grave for you at Easter. Which means that those women spoke, and told one generation who then told another generation, all the way down to ours … that Jesus is risen. And now you, like those women, have a choice: To live in fear and silence, or to be claimed by the resurrection. May I make a gentle suggestion? Choose to live out your faith boldly here at Calvary. Stand tall in the gospel. Lift high the cross! Assume the power pose of faith: Arms wide open to the world, mouths open with praise, and hearts lifted to God. If it’s true what Amy Cuddy says about power poses, this posture will help you to live confidently in faith, it will lift your spirits, and it will engender confidence in any newcomers who enter this place. Don’t let the fear of diminishing resources or attendance imprison your imagination. Instead, stand firm and reach your arms to the sky, trusting that Christ will fill this congregation with enough love, mercy, smarts, and resources to do the work of the Gospel. A church that stands confident in Christ’s resurrection, that’s willing to risk and stretch and grow—that’s what the world needs. And your confidence in Christ will instill confidence in newcomers, and convince them that this is the place they want to be to hear the Easter good news. Please join me and your other leaders at Calvary in assuming a power pose for the sake of the Gospel: Christ Is Risen! He Is Risen, Indeed! Your Sister in Christ, Lori A. Cornell 13 The next day Moses sat as judge for the people, while the people stood around him from morning until evening. 14 When Moses’ father-in-law saw all that he was doing for the people, he said, ‘What is this that you are doing for the people? Why do you sit alone, while all the people stand around you from morning until evening?’ 15 Moses said to his father-in-law, ‘Because the people come to me to inquire of God. 16 When they have a dispute, they come to me and I decide between one person and another, and I make known to them the statutes and instructions of God.’ 17 Moses’ father-in-law said to him, ‘What you are doing is not good. 18 You will surely wear yourself out, both you and these people with you. For the task is too heavy for you; you cannot do it alone. 19 Now listen to me. I will give you counsel, and God be with you! You should represent the people After God had liberated the Israelites from slavery in Egypt, life shifted for the people. No longer bound by the daily drudgery of someone else dictating their days, now they had to learn to get along with each other in freedom. So Moses shifted from being their liberator to being their arbiter—he “judged” the people, that is, settled their disputes with each other.
The Bible is full of stories about God’s people needing to shift gears and adapt to new circumstances. (See Acts 6 for the story of the apostles seeking lay leaders to coordinate community social services, for another example.) It’s what the faithful need to do: Read the times, evaluate the demands on leadership, and adjust. That’s a change you will see happening in Calvary’s leadership this year too. On February 10, at the first meeting of the 2015 Church Council, the Council elected four people into leadership on the Management Team: Paula Fowler, President; Larry Reintsma, Vice President; Pam Prescott, Secretary; and Jackie Russo, Member at Large. Sounds pretty typical so far, but take a closer look (if you are at all inclined to read council minutes, that is), and you will see that we are asking these leaders to take on specific responsibilities that we hope will lighten the load for everyone. Paula will preside at the Council meetings and provide leadership for both the Management Team and Council, but Paula will be assisted in her presidential responsibilities by Jackie Russo, who will develop the Management Team agenda and the preliminary Council agenda each month and preside at Management Team meetings. Our hope is that “many hands make for lighter work.” I also feel confident that many minds committed to the task will make for more creative and collaborative leadership—which will benefit us all. Larry will be giving special attention to the task calendar items that affect personnel and budget planning for the congregation. And Pam will serve as our veteran secretary, making sure we say what we are doing, and do what we say we want to get done. Paula, Jackie, Larry, and Pam have committed themselves to these tasks. And now they need our support, encouragement, and feedback. The work that they have before them will sometimes be daunting—they are acting both as church leaders and as (State of Washington) corporation leaders. But they have accepted their respective responsibilities because they love this congregation, and they want to see Calvary thrive. Please pray for them in their leadership. Please pay attention when they ask for your support and expertise. When Moses followed his father-in-law Jethro’s advise (and God’s command) to let others “bear the burden” with him, not only was Moses’ load lightened, but the people benefitted. May this new way of leading not only lighten our leaders’ burdens, but set the tone for shared leadership and greater creativity in all our ministry and life together at Calvary. Thanks be to God. Your Sister in Christ, Pastor Lori Cornell Intergenerational Ministry and Being an Internship Site
“For it has seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us…” Acts 15:28 These words—“good to the Holy Spirit and to us”—are written by the Jerusalem Council after Jesus’ apostles conclude that sharing the gospel with Gentiles is going to look different than sharing it with Jews. It’s the Council’s way of saying, “We talked, we debated, we put our heads together and prayed, we asked for the Holy Spirit’s guidance—and here’s what we came up with….” I think many of decisions we make as a church today are made in the same way: A crisis presents itself, believers deliberate and debate, we may not be quite sure how to respond, so we pray and ask for God’s Spirit to guide us. It’s not a perfect process, but a decision is made and ministry moves forward. The crisis becomes an opportunity to face the future boldly and faithfully. That’s where we are now at Calvary: Matt needs to do his Internship. At our Annual Meeting the members of Calvary agreed that we should apply to be an Internship Site. Matt’s Candidacy Committee recommended that he do his Internship outside of Calvary. (Lori and Matt pouted, commiserated, and cried ourselves to sleep.) Assuming we’re approved (and how could Luther Seminary not want us as one of their sites?!?) this congregation will host an Intern in the late Summer or early Fall of 2015. Yikes! That means that since it has “seemed good the Holy Spirit and to us,” we need to make some definite plans. Here’s what I’ve come up with so far:
That proposal looks pretty straightforward. But the truth is, we know that while we are stepping up to this challenge we will also want to acknowledge the continued company of our dear brother Matt. (And, for goodness sake, since the guy won’t be leaving us for several months, we’ll want to enjoy every minute we have with him.) Before he leaves we will need his help to make this transition as seamless as possible. We need to figure out how he can “pass the baton” for Intergenerational Ministry back to us in such a way that we steward that ministry effectively—and not miss a beat. We still need to continue that conversation with the Holy Spirit, though. We may have fairly solid plans with which to move forward, but we can never consult with the Holy Spirit enough. So, please, pray: for Matt, for Calvary, for me, for our preparations in the Internship process, for the ministry transitions that are inevitable—and all those who will be affected by them. And rejoice that we can rely on this community of faith to be a place where we do ministry together—with each other and with the Holy Spirit. Your Sister in Christ, Pastor Lori Cornell ![]() Did you know that a group of Calvary youth will be going to Detroit in July of 2015 for the ELCA youth Gathering? Seven students have stepped up to the challenge and will be heading to Detroit for five days of service, worship, spiritual growth and interaction with youth from all over the United States. It is a life changing experience that will help to strengthen their faith and stir up a passion for service in their own communities. Those who will be attending are (pictured at left): Tyler Bugert, Mitchell Bugert, Noah Kropp, Tina Hoppler, Hailey Strawser, Anna Chamberlain, and Trent Fernandez. Sonja Kropp and Matt Byrd will be the chaperones. As we journey together towards Detroit, we will be working to build a cohesive group that is comfortable with each other and knows each other well. Our mini “family” will be challenged to do great things this year. How can you help? First we ask for your prayers so that we can be successful in our endeavor as we grow closer to each other and to God. Pray that our fundraising efforts are successful. Fundraising has already started for our trip and we will be looking to receive funds from outside the congregation first. Stay tuned for some of our upcoming fundraisers including; Flamingos, a silent auction, and a benefit concert by Bowling for Jesus. Any funds we receive that exceed our fundraising goal will be transferred to the capital campaign. If you have any questions please feel free to contact Matt Byrd. Matt Byrd |
Rev. Lori A. Cornell
Calvary's Pastor Jake Schumacher
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March 2017
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