Scott Grorud — Page 44

Why Didn’t He Run?

March 27, 2013 By Faith

Q: When Jesus knew they were coming to arrest him, why didn’t he run?

A: Great question! In his place, I’m pretty sure I would have.

Jesus himself prayed in the Garden of Gethsemane that God the Father would spare him the agony of dying on the cross. “My Father, if it is possible, let this cup pass from me.” But he immediately continued, “yet not what I want but what you want.” (Matthew 26:39)

There is the answer. Jesus was agonizingly aware of the suffering and death that awaited him, but he was so committed to obeying God’s will for him that he refused to save his own skin. When one of his followers attacked those who came to arrest him, Jesus said, “Do you think that I cannot appeal to my Father, and he will at once send me more than twelve legions of angels? But how then would the scriptures be fulfilled, which say it must happen in this way?”

For Jesus, completing God’s saving mission made suffering and even death worth the price.

This post is part of our “Stump the Pastor” series published monthly in our Faith Matters newsletter.

That Is the God for Me!

March 21, 2013 By Faith

Lent concludes this month with Holy Week. It starts out on March 24 with Palm Sunday, the day when Jesus rode into Jerusalem to shouts of “Hosanna!” from the crowds. After that joyful celebration, though, the focus of the day turns to the Passion of our Lord. “Passion” comes from the Latin word “to suffer” and refers to Jesus’ suffering and death on the cross to save the world from condemnation.

For many people, Jesus’ Passion has always been a strike against him. In I Corinthians, St. Paul admits that “Christ crucified (is) a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles.” Still today, skeptics wonder what kind of God would subject his Son to such torment or how much of a Savior Jesus can be when he just surrendered to his enemies.

Yet, it is precisely the suffering and death of Jesus that makes him our Savior, one who can bring hope and healing to our life’s struggles. In The Cross of Christ, the great evangelist and theologian John R. W. Stott testifies:

“I could never myself believe in God, if it were not for the cross. The only God I believe in is the One (Friedrich) Nietzsche ridiculed as ‘God on the cross.’

In the real world of pain, how could one worship a God who was immune to it? I have entered many Buddhist temples in different Asian countries and stood respectfully before the statue of the Buddha, his legs crossed, arms folded, eyes closed, the ghost of a smile playing round his mouth, a remote look on his face, detached from the agonies of the world.

But each time, after a while I have had to turn away. And in imagination I have turned instead to that lonely, twisted, tortured figure on the cross, nails through hands and feet, back lacerated, limbs wrenched, brow bleeding from thorn-pricks, mouth dry and intolerably thirsty, plunged in Godforsaken darkness.

That is the God for me! He laid aside his immunity to pain. He entered our world of flesh and blood, tears and death. He suffered for us. Our sufferings become more manageable in the light of his.

There is still a question mark against human suffering, but over it we boldly stamp another mark, the cross that symbolizes divine suffering. ‘The cross of Christ… is God’s only self-justification in such a world’ as ours….

‘The other gods were strong; but thou wast weak; they rode, but thou didst stumble to a throne; But to our wounds only God’s wounds can speak, And not a god has wounds, but thou alone.’”

The suffering and death of Jesus assures you and me of his love and presence, his awareness and understanding, his grade and mercy in even the worst struggles of life, including the hour of death. “For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who in every respect has been tested as we are, yet without sin.” (Hebrews 4:15)

Grace and peace,

Pastor Scott Grorud

Click here for Faith Lutheran’s 2013 Holy Week schedule

Photo by Donna Grayson, Creative Commons

7 Reasons Young People Leave Church

October 31, 2012 By Faith

Faith’s whole staff recently attended a seminar focused on why many young people are leaving the church and may never return. They are saying, “You lost me,” that is, the church stopped making sense to them.

The seminar named “7 Reasons Young People Leave the Church.” There is no question this trend is real. Yet, as I listened to the reasons people leave, I hardly recognized the church as it was described. Their perceptions of the church do not match mine at all. Of course, I may just be too deep inside the church to recognize how others experience it.

I responded to the reasons people leave with my sense of what the church is like or should be like. My purpose is to help us all consider how effective Faith’s ministry is and how others perceive Faith.

7 Reasons Young People Leave Church

Reason #1: We are immersed in a culture that the church rejects and demonizes.

Response: Church leaders try to engage the culture, pointing out what is and is not helpful in it, but do not deny or reject it.

Reason #2: The church is repressive and backward about sex.

Response: The church celebrates sex as a good gift of God, but is also painfully aware of how destructive it can be when it is misused. It seems only loving to guide people toward its proper use.

Reason #3: We value science, but the church is anti-intellectual and against science.

Response: This may be true in some corners of the Church, but Lutheranism came out of the university. The church has great respect for science and wants it to be in conversation with faith.

Reason #4: The church is close-minded, intolerant and exclusive in its beliefs.

Response: The church welcomes everyone, even as the Gospel challenges everyone. We believe the Gospel is true, so how can balance welcome and conviction?

Reason #5: The church doesn’t allow questions or doubts.

Response: Doubt is in a constant shadow-dance with faith. Faith always seeks understanding, so God and the church welcome all questions.

Reason #6: Church is boring and shallow. It doesn’t relate to real life.

Response: Sin and salvation are always relevant topics. The challenge is relating those basic truths to a wider demographic (in the same setting!) than any other institution in society addresses.

Reason #7: Life is complex and diverse today, but the church demands a rigid lifestyle.

Response: The worldwide church is about as diverse as it gets. Followers of Christ are called to discern how God wants us live. How do we pursue that call positively?

So what do you think? Do perception and reality match up here at all? How can the church reach out effectively to young people who have already decided we have nothing to offer them? We’re going to pursue these questions during “Faith Among None[s],” a Sunday morning Digging Deeper opportunity at 9:15 a.m., Nov. 4 through Dec. 9. Please keep praying for God to use us to lead more and more people to the joy and freedom of faith in Christ.

Grace and peace,

Pastor Scott

Fall with Purpose

August 31, 2012 By Faith

This Fall’s theme is “Fall with Purpose.” Here, Pastor Scott Grorud explains the new theme and outlines the new fall schedule, beginning Sun. Sept. 9!

I have long had an irrational fear of falling. I don’t fear heights, if I’m in an airplane or skyscraper where metal or glass stand between me and the great outdoors. But I think that skydivers, bungee jumpers, Olympic platform divers and others who fall on purpose must have a death wish or are just a bubble or two off plumb.

There are times, though, when it makes eminent sense to fall on purpose. If your snowboard is heading toward a cliff or the brakes on your bicycle suddenly fail or you feel faint and start to see purple lights, the safest route you can take is to fall with purpose. It still involves some risk, but much less than your current course.

Fall2 — Photo by Steve McDougall, under Creative Commons, via Flickr

Faith Lutheran’s theme this autumn is Fall with Purpose and it involves some risks, but they are risks worth taking. Starting on September 9, Faith will begin a new Sunday schedule.

First Word at Faith (8:00 a.m.) will keep the classic Lutheran liturgy and traditional radio broadcast.
Everyone is invited to stop in the Faith Center between 9:00 and 9:15 for Common Ground—coffee, treats for children, conversation and perhaps a surprise at 9:09 (check out John 9:9!).
Digging Deeper at 9:15 will include traditional Sunday School and confirmation classes, along with expanded learning/discussion options for adults. No worship service will be held during Digging Deeper, so that families can both learn (at 9:15) and worship (either before or after) together.
The Foundation and Sanctuary worship services will both begin about 10:10 a.m. Foundation will be held downstairs in the lower level space. Sanctuary will be upstairs in the sanctuary. At Foundation and Sanctuary, children will have the option of leaving for an extended Faith Seeds (Children’s Church) time during the sermon.

Why is this attempt to Fall with Purpose worth the risk?

Trying something different can breathe new life into your faith. The new schedule offers lots of opportunities to step out of old habits.

Studying the faith is crucial for adult Christians. These days, there isn’t much we can do on an 8th-grade education and Christian faith is no exception. Digging Deeper can help!

Worshiping together as a family is crucial for forming faith in children. Research proves it.

Christianity is being challenged in our culture like never before. Are we equipped to meet the challenge?

The Bible and Christian theology are the most fascinating subjects in the world. (O.K., that’s my own personal reason, but you might just find that I’m right!)

fall1 — Photo by Michael Quick, under Creative Commons, via Flickr

Are we crazy to try to Fall with Purpose? Maybe, but we believe that it is a better choice for Faith Lutheran than staying on our current course. Please come this fall and see if these new opportunities don’t make it well worth the risk to Fall with Purpose.

Grace and peace,

Pastor Scott Grorud

For all who are thirsty…

March 7, 2012 By Faith

On Sunday, February 26, Faith Lutheran announced the results of the Legacy of Faith… Moving Forward capital campaign. As of that date, the congregation had pledged about $675,000 toward the effort to pay our mortgage and reduce our debt. This amount is, all at the same time:

A Half-Full Glass – the amount pledged will cover Faith’s mortgage payments for the next three years. THANK YOU to all those who made a commitment to support this vital effort.
A Half-Empty Glass – the amount pledged is about half of what was required by Faith’s lender to receive an interest rate reduction or make a significant reduction in the mortgage principal – either of which would save the church thousands of dollars over the years.
A Glass that Still Needs Filling – several hundred households have not yet responded to Legacy of Faith… Moving Forward, but it’s not too late to do so. A follow-up letter will be sent soon to encourage further response to the campaign.

glass — Image by Michele Molinari, aka micmol (via Flickr), used under Creative Commons

The best news, though is that Legacy of Faith… Moving Forward is not over. It is just beginning. The previous capital campaign received significant support that was not pledged and from special gifts, like estates. It is entirely possible over the next three years for Faith to reach or even exceed the original goal of Legacy of Faith… Moving Forward.

If you made a pledge to support this important effort, THANK YOU.
If you did not make a pledge, but plan to support the campaign, THANK YOU.
If you are able at any time in the next three years to help reduce the mortgage, THANK YOU.
If you invest your time, ability and presence in Faith’s ministry, THANK YOU.
If you will hold Faith Lutheran, its members, ministries and mission in your daily prayer, THANK YOU.

Look for further updates on Legacy of Faith… Moving Forward in the months and years to come.

Grace and Peace,

Pastor Scott Grorud

Why Didn’t He Run?

That Is the God for Me!

7 Reasons Young People Leave Church

7 Reasons Young People Leave Church

Fall with Purpose

Why is this attempt to Fall with Purpose worth the risk?

For all who are thirsty…

New to Faith?

Finding Faith

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