Grace like Rain

by | Sep 4, 2020 | Uncategorized

A couple weeks ago, after preaching a sermon that was trying to implore hearers to “Remember your baptism,” and there discover strength and blessing … then it rained in the desert.

Indeed! True story!

Now, it’s not like it never rains in this mountain/desert ecotone of the Truckee Meadows, but it can be rare (like, less than 10 inches a year)! And on a Sunday in August; and one hour after a sermon saying, “find some water today;” and that sermon having been preached while wildfires were burning nearby forests and turning all our blue sky to gray smoke; the rarities compound, right?

I don’t know if you were surprised by water again that day, like I hoped you’d be. But even as the one saying, “ya’ll watch for the blessing of water that is a gift”––even I was surprised.

Grace like rain.

It stopped me in my tracks, walking from the church doors to my car.

Wait, is it really raining? Like, is this gift really given, again?

Indeed! It was. It is!

For Lutherans, baptism is a ritual full of story and experience, and one we are called to remember, even daily. Or even more. We are remembering that life is full of death and resurrection. And God’s gift of Grace arrives to us in the midst of it all. There is nothing outside of it. Every dreary death moment. Every excellence. It’s all water-washed and Spirit-born, and it’s all holy. God is with it all, in the flow.

And I love that life is water and so all of life reminds us.

And I love that rain in the desert reminds us too.

The moment of Word in a sermon—that’s holy. And later, when drops of H2O are pelting your face and arms and you look to the (smoke-filled) sky with laughter and ask, “Wait, is it really raining?”… it’s an all-inclusive, holy gift.

You’ll be in a desert and you’ll tell people to “go find water!”

Then you’ll take a few steps, and SPLISH––water finds you!

Grace like rain––SPLASH goes strength and blessing on your fearful, faithful way.

Connections

by | Aug 1, 2020 | Posts from Pastor Shaun

Dear Faithful friends,
On July 1st I began the pastorate here at Faith Lutheran. It’s been one month already! Busy. Fun. Challenging. And, celebratory! For me, this culminated in my ordination liturgy this past weekend, on the Feast Day of St. James. Together we are being the church, even in the midst of a pandemic. We worship, care for each other, administer the sacraments, hold an ordination, and continue being community together through hard times. I’ve been inspired and cared for and encouraged in my beginning so far, and I am looking forward to all our ministry together.
I am immediately grateful for a welcoming and very competent administrator in Cheryl; I can tell what a blessing Faith Lutheran has in her work. I am grateful for the thoughtfulness and efficiency I’ve encountered in working with our Choir Director/Council President, Pat. Cheryl and Pat have gotten me started and we are working in trusted partnership already. They’ve also continued serving as worship assistants on Sundays, and have assisted me in getting acquainted with our ways of Zoom worship and Drive-Thru communion. I have been watching and learning and we’ve kept tweaking our process to see what helps our people bond over Zoom worship.
It is, understandably, so strange to begin to serve by worshipping together online each Sunday. But I sense your graciousness and care, all for Faith Lutheran and for me and for one another. This is so encouraging and touching! Drive-Thru communion continues to be a highlight for me, as it’s such a gift to actually see our folks and give the sacrament and have very short conversations beside the cars. In this way, for at least some of us, I’m able to meet people and hear prayer requests and news and to give the blessing.
You can reach me there, if you have a need. And, I am generally working in the office on Tuesday mornings and Wednesday afternoons, and mostly from home on Fridays, getting ready for Sunday worship and preparing a sermon. Please be in touch, and I will be too.
One upcoming way of connection: the staff and I decided to offer “Brown Bag lunch with Pastor” coming up on a couple Fridays in August—the 14th and the 28th. We can share time while we have our own lunch on the porch in a small group together, and we can get to know each other even as we social-distance. We’ll continue to employ connective events, as we can, through all of this time. Join in!
From a worship team meeting to an upcoming communications team meeting, we continue to think about meaningful ways to engage in worship during “shutdown.” Your feedback is always welcome to me and to these teams. I am thankful for partners working to get me oriented the past month: Betty Thompson, Amy Zimmerman, Sarah Toney, Eileen way, and more. Thank you all!
More learning, more changes, more growth is to come, I am sure. It has simply been a blessing to begin my first call with you, and to be ordained into this ministry of word and sacrament. You have made my daughters and myself feel very welcome here! And I’m greatly encouraged about the future of our work together as Faith Lutheran Church. As our gospel this Sunday tells the story, Jesus sees the hungry people—like we do—and we’re all empowered to go and feed and serve in the power of our faith. We are blessed to be a blessing.
We go together. Thanks be to God!
Pr. Shaun

Rite of Ordination

by | Jul 27, 2020 | Posts from Pastor Shaun

Friends in Christ,
It was a great blessing and joy to hold my Rite of Ordination liturgy this past weekend. Many folks from Faith Lutheran, as well as friends from Reno and Texas and many of my close relationships said they tuned in and were encouraged. All your blessings have been a great support to me.

With all hope, joy, and comfort of God’s Calling and Sending,

Rev. Shaun P. O’Reilly

You can view the service by following this link to the YouTube video: