On Sunday, August 27, I had the privilege of filling in for Pastor Mark at both ser-        vices and I thank the Nativity family for all the support and kind words I have received.  The readings that Sunday were a “treasure trove” and really made it easier for me to bring a message that I was passionate about.  The following is a synopsis of what we meditated upon that morning.

 Our Old Testament reading was about young King Solomon being offered anything he wanted by God.  Did he choose wealth, longevity or revenge?  No, he chose wisdom which prompted me to ask myself if I would do the same.Our Epistle/New Testament reading was Romans 8 which is certainly one of my favorites and Pastor Mark recently used it at a funeral service.  We then reframed a verse and pretended that St. Paul was at Nativity here in 2008 and maybe he would say something like this…For I am convinced that neither bankruptcy, foreclosure of your home, financial distress, addictions to drugs or alcohol, divorce, health problems, aches and pains, terminal illness, depression, mental illness, estrangement from friends or family, lost dreams, regrets, worries over what kind of world our kids/grandkids may live in, the earth’s environment, the future of the USA, the future of the Church, worries over who to marry, where to go to school or career choices-will be able to separate us from the Love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.  If we really take Romans 8 seriously and trust in it then as it says-”If God is for us, who can be against us.”Our Gospel reading was the St. Matthew text where Jesus uses five short and different parables to describe the Kingdom of Heaven.  Theologians have written volumes on the subject of the Kingdom of Heaven or also called the Reign of God.  What struck me is that Jesus uses five different pictures to help us imagine and understand the Kingdom of God.  Apparently there is no “black and white” dictionary definition and even Jesus used parables to give us a view through different windows into the one reality of the Kingdom.  Some theologians say the Kingdom of Heaven is within us…inside our very minds, hearts and souls.  Other theologians say the Kingdom of Heaven is “breaking in” to this world…that the reign of God is coming to earth.  Our Lutheran theology does talk about the two kingdoms-that of God and that of this world-right hand and left hand.  The church militant is marching on to become the church victorious as the Kingdom of Heaven draws near.  Still other theologians speak of the Kingdom of Heaven as a future place in a different dimension much as we think of heaven above.  Maybe all three are correct!I have my own parable if you will…”maybe the Kingdom of Heaven is like my recent trip to the Caribbean Island of Bonaire.  You see, Bonaire is a Kingdom of Heaven for scuba divers…protected tropical reefs set in turquoise waters giving way to deep blue drop offs teeming with fish and corals.  It is a Dutch island so there is very little crime and things are pretty well organized and very clean.  Yet my grandson, Warren and I found the 50 plus hour trip down there to be fraught with delay after delay and we even doubted if we arrive at one point.  Yet once we went through all the problems to get there, it immediately changed and was the perfect trip, even returning home in complimentary business class.”  Sometimes we find the Kingdom of Heaven to be elusive and other times see it quite clearly!Steve Hitchcock used to refer to the play “Joseph and the Amazing Technicolor Dreamcoat”…”Go, go, go Joseph you know what they say…hang on now Joseph you’ll make it someday…don’t give up Joseph, fight till you drop…we’ve read the book and you come out on top”.   Well, we’ve read the book (Bible) and we come out on top!Enjoy the rest of your summertime! 

 Peace,