What Is Ours To Do

Posted on August 24, 2020 by megganmanlove

Column for Trinity’s September Epistle/Newsletter

Dear Friends in Christ,

I suppose there is some danger in comparing our times to eras in sacred scripture because no metaphor or comparison is perfect. Still, knowing that people of faith have together gone through trials before gives me comfort and hope. Our Sunday morning scripture passages from the Old Testament will come from Exodus this later summer and fall. This is the story of God liberating the Israelites from slavery in Egypt and then teaching them in the wilderness to be a community of faith. Everything they learned in the Wilderness School, so named by Dan Erlander, is how they survived their next exile in Babylon, many generations later. During the Babylonian Exile they had the Ten Commandments, the story of God delivering them through the sea, rituals reminding them of God’s faithfulness. The prophet Jeremiah wrote the exiles a letter with instructions for their time of disorientation. He wrote, “Build houses and live in them; plant gardens and eat what they produce. Take wives and have sons and daughters…seek the welfare of the city where I have sent you into exile, and pray to the Lord on its behalf, for in its welfare you will find your welfare…Do not let the prophets and the diviners who are among you deceive you.” Continue reading →

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Aug. 23, 2020

Posted on August 23, 2020 by megganmanlove

Prayer of the Day

God of all peoples, your arms reach out to embrace all those who call upon you. Teach us as disciples of your Son to love the world with compassion and constancy, that your name may be known throughout the earth, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

Exodus 1:8–2:10

8 Now a new king arose over Egypt, who did not know Joseph. 9 He said to his people, “Look, the Israelite people are more numerous and more powerful than we. 10 Come, let us deal shrewdly with them, or they will increase and, in the event of war, join our enemies and fight against us and escape from the land.” 11 Therefore they set taskmasters over them to oppress them with forced labor. They built supply cities, Pithom and Rameses, for Pharaoh. 12 But the more they were oppressed, the more they multiplied and spread, so that the Egyptians came to dread the Israelites. 13 The Egyptians became ruthless in imposing tasks on the Israelites, 14 and made their lives bitter with hard service in mortar and brick and in every kind of field labor. They were ruthless in all the tasks that they imposed on them. 15 The king of Egypt said to the Hebrew midwives, one of whom was named Shiphrah and the other Puah, 16 “When you act as midwives to the Hebrew women, and see them on the birthstool, if it is a boy, kill him; but if it is a girl, she shall live.” 17 But the midwives feared God; they did not do as the king of Egypt commanded them, but they let the boys live. 18 So the king of Egypt summoned the midwives and said to them, “Why have you done this, and allowed the boys to live?” 19 The midwives said to Pharaoh, “Because the Hebrew women are not like the Egyptian women; for they are vigorous and give birth before the midwife comes to them.” 20 So God dealt well with the midwives; and the people multiplied and became very strong. 21 And because the midwives feared God, he gave them families. 22 Then Pharaoh commanded all his people, “Every boy that is born to the Hebrews you shall throw into the Nile, but you shall let every girl live.” Continue reading →

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Dreamers and Something New

Posted on August 13, 2020 by megganmanlove

Originally posted on tvprays.org August 11, 2020.

Good metaphors, poetry, and art are things I find myself reaching for these days. In addition to taking time to lament and grieve, I am seeking hope. But I do not want the hope that turns out to be a mirage in the desert; I want the deep hope that comes with faith in a loving God.

This summer and fall, my congregation is hearing from much of the biblical books of Genesis and Exodus on Sunday mornings. There is a lot of ground to cover there so we read it semi-continuously. The story of Joseph spans 14 chapters, but only showed up for two Sundays. I did not preach on those passages, but before I made that decision, I did do some reading. I concluded that the Joseph narrative may be a helpful metaphor for our time. Continue reading →

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Aug. 9, 2020

Posted on August 9, 2020 by megganmanlove

Prayer of the Day

O God our defender, storms rage around and within us and cause us to be afraid. Rescue your people from despair, deliver your sons and daughters from fear, and preserve us in the faith of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen. Continue reading →

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The Love of God

Posted on August 6, 2020 by megganmanlove

Pastor’s Column for August Epistle

Dear Friends in Christ,

Our epistle text the last Sunday in July includes two of the most comforting and life-giving verses from all of Paul’s letters, “38 For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor powers, 39 nor height, nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus our Lord.” They have been incorporated into our funeral liturgy. They are often read at bedsides when people are ill. People experiencing depression turn to these verses. These words remind us now, in the midst of the pandemic, an election year, and the normal hard stuff of regular life, that nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Paul writes from experience. Each one of the possible separators he mentions, he has had first-hand experience with. But he is still confident in God’s love for him through the incarnation-Jesus Christ. It is true that we who are part of Trinity Lutheran find many ways, pre-COVID-19, to experience the love of God in relationship with other human beings. As I write this, I am lamenting that last week I was scheduled to be at the Hispanic Cultural Center for Learning Peace: A Camp for Kids. Over the weekend, my calendar reminds me, I was supposed to be at the church camp-out. And this week I was going to be at Luther Heights with a group of kids from Trinity. Surely, I would have experienced the love of God through all of those communal experiences. As we have pivoted as a congregation, I am making some faith practices more robust, like more prayer time alone, and discovering new faith practices, checking in with people via zoom and the telephone, that connect me to other human beings and to God’s love. I would not say that I really enjoy it all. It is certainly not what I planned on when I started in public ministry. But the love of God that I experience and then share always draws me back to love of neighbor, and that means keeping the vulnerable safe, slowing down the spread of COVID-19 for the benefit of our healthcare workers, and making small sacrifices in my individual life. I hope and pray that as we continue to transform as a congregation and adapt to our current circumstances, that all of you feel and know and experience the love of God in Christ Jesus. The promise of that love is for all of us, including each of you.

Peace,

Pastor Meggan

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Aug. 2, 2020

Posted on August 2, 2020 by megganmanlove

Prayer of the Day

Glorious God, your generosity waters the world with goodness, and you cover creation with abundance. Awaken in us a hunger for the food that satisfies both body and spirit, and with this food fill all the starving world; through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

Genesis 32:22-31

22 The same night he got up and took his two wives, his two maids, and his eleven children, and crossed the ford of the Jabbok. 23 He took them and sent them across the stream, and likewise everything that he had. 24 Jacob was left alone; and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. 25 When the man saw that he did not prevail against Jacob, he struck him on the hip socket; and Jacob’s hip was put out of joint as he wrestled with him. 26 Then he said, “Let me go, for the day is breaking.” But Jacob said, “I will not let you go, unless you bless me.” 27 So he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” 28 Then the man said, “You shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel, for you have striven with God and with humans, and have prevailed.” 29 Then Jacob asked him, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And there he blessed him. 30 So Jacob called the place Peniel, saying, “For I have seen God face to face, and yet my life is preserved.” 31 The sun rose upon him as he passed Penuel, limping because of his hip. Continue reading →

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July 26, 2020

Posted on July 26, 2020 by megganmanlove

Prayer of the Day

Beloved and sovereign God, through the death and resurrection of your Son you bring us into your kingdom of justice and mercy. By your Spirit, give us your wisdom, that we may treasure the life that comes from Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

Psalm 105: 1-11, 45b

1Give thanks to the LORD and call upon God’s name; make known the deeds of the LORD among the peoples. 2Sing to the LORD, sing praises, and speak of all God’s marvelous works. 3Glory in God’s holy name; let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice. 4Search for the strength of the LORD; continually seek God’s face. 5Remember the marvels God has done, the wonders and the judgments of God’s mouth, 6 O offspring of Abraham, God’s servant, O children of Jacob, God’s chosen ones. 7The LORD is our God, whose judgments prevail in all the world, 8who has always been mindful of the covenant, the promise made for a thousand generations: 9the covenant made with Abraham, the oath sworn to Isaac, 10which God established as a statute for Jacob, an everlasting covenant for Israel, 11saying, “To you will I give the land of Canaan to be your allotted inheritance.” 45bHallelujah! Continue reading →

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Gifts of the CSA

Posted on July 25, 2020 by megganmanlove

Originally published on tvprays.org July 23, 2020.

Shortly after everything shifted due to the pandemic, that was back in March here in Southwest Idaho, I realized that there was a good chance I would not be traveling much this summer. I also was reminded that being a good steward of my body would help me with the new extra layer of stress. I found a website listing CSAs (Community Supported Agriculture) in Idaho and found one that delivers to the Nampa Farmer’s Market each Saturday morning. This food has been one of the bright spots of a very different, and often deflating, spring and summer. I get particularly weary and sad when I glance at my wall calendar and notice another event that has been cancelled, but then I remember that I get to pick up my produce on Saturday morning. Many of you readers actually grow your own food, but that was not going to happen for a single pastor, facing steep learning curves on the job, who had never gardened on her own before. The CSA has been the next best thing to a garden. Each week is a surprise. Some items stay the same; I have received mixed greens and baby beets every week so far. Some produce changes; I was given scallions the first few weeks and this week included my first heirloom tomatoes. I grew up in the Black Hills and my family had a greenhouse full of mulch, great for growing produce on a hillside, near our home. Serving as a pastor in rural Iowa and Southwest Idaho, I have always received produce in the summer, either on my front porch or in the church’s narthex. But the bounty from the CSA is different. It overwhelmed me the first few weeks and I almost let some of it go to waste. I grew up with older parents, including a father raised during the Great Depression. The clean plate was not strictly enforced, thanks to my mother, but wasting food was definitely frowned on. The produce in my CSA is beautiful and I know that plenty of neighbors in Nampa are food-insecure, so I do not want to waste food. My solution is now to cook it all up (at least the produce that I believe tastes better cooked than raw) on Sunday afternoons. I put on music, a podcast, a webinar I missed earlier in the week, and just accept that my kitchen is going to heat up. Even as I write this, I recognized that my life affords me some real luxuries. For example, I know that not everyone has the ability to plan ahead like I can. Plenty of households could not afford to pay upfront like I did in the spring. Recognizing those disparities in our community, I am so grateful for the many organizations getting produce, not just processed foods, to people in The Treasure Valley this particular summer. Continue reading →

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July 19, 2020

Posted on July 19, 2020 by megganmanlove

Prayer of the Day

Faithful God, most merciful judge, you care for your children with firmness and compassion. By your Spirit nurture us who live in your kingdom, that we may be rooted in the way of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

Genesis 28: 10-19a

10Jacob left Beer-sheba and went toward Haran. 11He came to a certain place and stayed there for the night, because the sun had set. Taking one of the stones of the place, he put it under his head and lay down in that place. 12And he dreamed that there was a ladder set up on the earth, the top of it reaching to heaven; and the angels of God were ascending and descending on it. 13And the Lord stood beside him and said, “I am the Lord, the God of Abraham your father and the God of Isaac; the land on which you lie I will give to you and to your offspring; 14and your offspring shall be like the dust of the earth, and you shall spread abroad to the west and to the east and to the north and to the south; and all the families of the earth shall be blessed in you and in your offspring. 15Know that I am with you and will keep you wherever you go, and will bring you back to this land; for I will not leave you until I have done what I have promised you.” 16Then Jacob woke from his sleep and said, “Surely the Lord is in this place—and I did not know it!” 17And he was afraid, and said, “How awesome is this place! This is none other than the house of God, and this is the gate of heaven.”   18So Jacob rose early in the morning, and he took the stone that he had put under his head and set it up for a pillar and poured oil on the top of it. 19aHe called that place Bethel. Continue reading →

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Mid-year Update and Thanks

Posted on July 18, 2020 by megganmanlove

Letter sent to Trinity members and friends last week.

“We want you to know, brothers and sisters, about the grace of God that has been granted to the churches of Macedonia; for during a severe ordeal of affliction, their abundant joy and their extreme poverty have overflowed in a wealth of generosity on their part.” (2 Cor. 8:1-2)

Dear Partners in Ministry,                                                                               July 9 , 2020

Thank you for joining the members of Trinity Lutheran Church in doing God’s work. Your incredible generosity during the past few months is captured so well in those verses from II Corinthians above. Here are some ways ministry has continued during the past three months.

We continued to worship together via Facebook Live or YouTube. Our members who cannot join us in that way have been sent bulletins and sermons through the postal service. Although it may not feel like it while sitting in your home, the cumulative effect of these efforts means worship attendance has stayed quite steady. Rest assured that long after we are back to in-person worship, online worship will continue.

Kevin Mills completed his three years of Confirmation classes and will celebrate Affirmation of Baptism this fall. Olivia, Michael, Sophia and James (Edith Hannett’s grandchildren) were baptized June 21. We welcomed three new members June 14 and will welcome five more members July 12 during Zoom fellowship time.

Our congregation founded Trinity New Hope Inc. five years ago and even though it is a separate nonprofit organization, it is closely affiliated with the church through the board, donors, geography, and staff. TNH is financially stable enough to take out an improvement loan which is paying for new insulation, vinyl siding, windows, soffits, and fascia for all 16 homes. (We are lifting up this partnership, but please note that TNH and the congregation remain separate legal entities. Therefore, this loan is unrelated to church finances.)

Although our church council cannot yet commit to a date for when in-person worship will resume, we do not think it will be before Sept. 13 (Rally Sunday). We are watching the numbers and our COVID-19 Task Force is working on protocols so that when we do worship in-person, we will do so as safely as possible.

Right now, there are several things we feel we can do safely. Pastor Meggan and our youth will enjoy some of Nampa’s trails July 11. Al-Anon began meeting in our building with protocols beginning July 2. Our sanctuary will be available for family or individual prayer time (by appointment) Sunday afternoon, July 12.

With gratitude,

Pastor Meggan Manlove

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