Rev. Dr. Rolf Svanoe – Good Shepherd Lutheran Church    Decorah, Iowa

Acts 16:16-34                                            

Recently my wife and I came back from a three-week trip to Norway, a trip that had been delayed for two years. It was so good to be together with family again. We celebrated the wedding of a cousin in Bergen. We cruised up the coast of Norway to the top of Europe to see the Midnight Sun. And while it rained or was cloudy much of the time, Norway is always beautiful no matter the weather. Part of our trip was to travel to Eastern Norway to visit my wife’s cousins near Drammen. We traveled by train. Summer is a time when railroad tracks are often under repair. For that part of the journey, we would have to get off the train and take a bus. And that works just fine – as long as you take the right bus. We got off the train pulling our luggage behind us. I went up to a bus and asked the driver, “Går denne bus til Hønefoss?” Is this bus going to Hønefoss? He said “yes” and so we got on not realizing that it was a local bus and not the express bus we were supposed to take. We arrived in Hønefoss all right, but as we approached the train station, we saw our train just beginning to pull away. Our hearts sank as we realized we had missed our train. The next train would come in six hours, right at midnight. So, what do you do in Hønefoss, Norway, for six hours? We met some nice people who were kind and helpful. We walked into town and found a nice place to eat. My wife discovered a church nearby with modern award-winning architecture. We decided to check it out. As we approached, we noticed that the lights were on. We opened the door and discovered there was a concert in progress, so we sat down in the back of the church and heard one of the best hardanger fiddle players in Norway. It was a moment we will never forget, a moment made possible by a mistake getting on the wrong bus. 

No one goes through life without experiencing some unexpected roadblocks or detours along the way. Life doesn’t always go according to plan. Accidents can happen. Cancer can side-track your plans. Covid certainly changed all our plans the last two years. Sometimes life changes be- cause of mistakes we have made. Sometimes life changes because of the bad choices of others around us. 

So, what do you do when bad things happen and life doesn’t go according to plan? Our reading from Acts can give us some direction. As we have been working our way through the book of Acts, we have repeatedly seen that the Holy Spirit is the one in charge, giving directions to Jesus’ followers. But sometimes following Jesus could evoke opposition and hostility, just as it did to Jesus himself. That’s what we see in our reading today. I have to admit, I have a lot of questions about this story. I don’t understand the slave girl with a spirit of divination who would tell people’s fortunes and make her owners money. But I do understand slavery and owners who profit off the labor of their slaves. And when you speak out and challenge that unjust system, those who profit from that system are going to push back. And push back they did. Paul and Silas were dragged before the court and falsely accused. They were stripped of their clothing, beaten with rods and thrown into prison. The author goes into great detail saying that they were put in the innermost prison cell with their feet in stocks.  

What would you do in that situation? Would you give up? Would you despair? Would you question the wisdom and justice of God and wonder if this ‘following Jesus stuff’ is really worth it? The author tells us what Paul and Silas did. They “were praying and singing hymns to God and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was an earthquake, so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken, and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened.” Was this coincidence or part of a divine plan? We aren’t told. But the end result was that the jailer became a Christian and he and his whole family were baptized. 

Now there are some who would say this was all part of God’s plan. They claim that God is in control, and everything happens for a reason. I know there are people who find comfort in that view that God is in control. But I don’t find it comforting or helpful at all. If you want to claim that God is in control and give God the credit for all the good in the world, then you must also give God blame for all the bad in the world. But I don’t want to blame God for all the bad that happens. That’s not the God revealed in Jesus’ life, death and resurrection. To be sure, there are parts of the Bible that can be read that way. But let’s turn to Paul himself and his own understanding of how God works in the world. In Romans 8:28 Paul says this, “We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.” Paul doesn’t claim that God is controlling everything that happens. Paul is saying that no matter what happens in this world, no matter how bad, God is able to bring about a good purpose. God did that with Jesus by raising him from the dead. In our story in Acts, God did that with Paul and Silas. And God can do that in your life too. Maybe some bad things have happened in your life. One thing I know for sure is that God was with you and God is able to use those experiences to bring about something good in the world. When roadblocks come your way in life, you might even hear some wonderful hardanger fiddle music. 

In 2015, I had the opportunity to travel to Greece. There was a group of thirty of us who were traveling in the footsteps of the Apostle Paul. We went to many of the places mentioned in the book of Acts. In fact, we visited the ruins at Philippi. We saw the very place where Paul and Silas were thrown into prison. I have a picture of me standing at that prison door. We couldn’t get into the prison because the door was locked. I for one was glad that I was locked out, and not locked in. Our guide directed us to a shrine nearby. It commemorated Lydia, the first European convert to Christianity. Next to that shrine was a little amphitheater built along the banks of the river where Lydia was baptized. We gathered for a brief worship service there and read this story. Then each person had the opportunity to stand by the river as I splashed water on their forehead with these words, ‘Remember your baptism, child of God.’ Remember who you are, chosen and beloved by God. No matter what happens, no matter how good or bad things get, never forget that. 

I think that’s what Paul and Silas were doing that night they spent in prison. They were praying and singing hymns to God. They knew no matter how bad things were, they were beloved children of God. And God would see them through. I quoted from Romans 8 earlier. Just a few verses later Paul wrote this: “Who will separate us from the love of Christ? Will hardship, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? … No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor rulers, nor things present nor things to come, nor powers, 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.” When life throws us unexpected roadblocks, may this be our faith and our hope.

Rev. Amy Zalk Larson – Good Shepherd Lutheran Church    Decorah, Iowa

Acts 16:6-15

Beloved of God, grace to you and peace in the name of Jesus. Amen.

This week I’ve been fascinated by a strange idea in our reading today. The Holy Spirit forbid Paul and his companion to speak the word in Asia? And that same Spirit of Jesus didn’t allow them to go into a place called Bithynia?

I have so many questions about that. How exactly did the Spirit forbid them from entering those places? How did the Spirit tell them to stay away?

As I think about my own life, I wonder if there were times the Spirit was trying to tell me: Just don’t go there, really trust me, don’t go there. And, I just ignored the message and barreled right into where I had no business being.

I also wonder why the Spirit would forbid them from going to those places. The book of Acts be- gins with the promise that the apostles will be Jesus’ witnesses “in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth” (Acts 1:8). That would seem to include Asia and Bithynia.

Doesn’t God want everyone to know the good news of Jesus? Why would the Spirit stop them from doing something good, from caring for God’s children in those places?

Unless, maybe there was someone else who could go to Asia and Bithynia. Maybe, Paul and his companion didn’t have to do everything themselves. Maybe we too should remember we don’t have to do all the things, even if they are all good things. Maybe we should listen to the Spirit’s guidance about what is ours to do.

I think this is especially important in our internet age when we know so much about all the pain around the world. Preacher Nadia Bolz-Weber describes this so well. I heard her say recently,

“I don’t think the human psyche was developed to be able to hold all the information that’s available to us right now—in terms of every form of injustice and violence and human suffering that happens all across the planet. Our psyches were developed to be able to hold whatever suffering happened in our village. We can handle that, we can extend ourselves emotionally towards that. But how do we extend ourselves emotionally towards every single form of it across the planet? We can’t. And so we need trust that not everything is ours to care about. It doesn’t mean it’s not worthy to be cared about by someone, but I constantly ask myself, ‘What’s mine to do? And what’s somebody else’s?’ It feels callous, but we can’t hold it all.” 

I so appreciate her wisdom. Yet I still wonder, how do we discern what is ours to do and what is not? How do we listen to the guidance of the Spirit about where to go, what to do, where to focus our energy?

This week I was fascinated to discover that it may have been physical illness that prevented Paul and his companion from going to Asia. Our reading today says that they went to Phrygia and Galatia because the Spirit forbid them from going to Asia. And in his letter to the Galatians, Paul says “You know that it was because of a physical infirmity that I first announced the gospel to you.” So it may be that Paul got sick, couldn’t go to Asia, and so instead ended up in Galatia.

That got my attention because I spent my sabbatical studying how God works in our bodies to communicate with us. I explored the holy guidance and deep wisdom we can access when we tune into our bodies.

As we discern next steps on our journeys and what is ours to do, it’s helpful to pay attention within. It’s helpful to ponder a possible course of action and notice what emerges in our bodies. If we feel constricted and anxious, if we feel like we must act or no one else will, if we feel drained and depleted, perhaps that step, that action is not for us. If we sense energy and openness, flow, release of tension, an inner lift, it may be time to move ahead. Of course, sometimes we just have to do things that leave us feeling tense or depleted. In those instances, tuning into our bodies can help us settle them and activate them as needed.

Certainly, there are other sources of wisdom – scripture, community, our core values, reason. Yet Christianity and Western culture have tended to ignore the wisdom of the body, even fostering suspicion and distrust of the body. But it is in our body that we experience commitment, motivation, connection, calm, energy – essential elements for following where God’s Spirit leads us, for loving others and creation.

God cares about our bodies.

God became a body in Christ Jesus and lives now in our bodies through the power of the Holy Spirit.

God is present today to nurture your body through word and meal, song and community.

God is at work in your body to lead and guide you always.

Let’s take a moment for silent prayer.

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church

Facilities Caretaker Position Description 

Good Shepherd Lutheran Church is a welcoming, growing, inclusive, and active congregation.  The Facilities Manager helps us live out our mission.

Mission Statement

We are a congregation empowered by the Good Shepherd to:

• Nurture and support Christ’s flock through Christ centered worship.
• Welcome all, offering trust and respect while sharing God’s unconditional love.
• Reach out to a broader community through service and responsible stewardship of all God’s creation.

We are intentional about welcoming lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer people.  We advocate for and accompany immigrants.  We are engaging in antiracism work.

Position Summary

The Caretaker conducts facility maintenance and repairs; performs daily, weekly, and seasonal tasks that ensure the safety and well-being of those who use our facilities and grounds; communicates well and cooperates with staff and congregational members to make Good Shepherd a pleasurable place for work and worship.

Scope of Responsibilities

• Implements a maintenance plan to keep the facility looking and performing up to a high standard.
• Keeps building clean.
• Performs light and preventative maintenance on plumbing, HVAC, and electrical systems, grounds, kitchen, and custodial equipment, exterior entrances, gutters, doors, and windows. Repairs chairs, tables, and other furniture. 
• Maintains control of storage items and makes ready classroom space.
• Starts heating system and monitors heat until end of the heating season.
• Paints as necessary, hangs artwork and signage.
• Cooperates with Good Shepherd staff, Kinderhaus staff, and congregational members to ensure well-maintained facilities and grounds.

Qualifications

• Experienced in maintaining buildings and grounds.
• Skilled in working with hand and power tools and small engine and mower maintenance.
• Possesses basic plumbing and electrical knowledge.
• Practices workplace safety and maintenance of first aid equipment.
• Communicates well with staff and congregational leaders.
• Attends to detail.

Employment Information

The Facilities Manager reports directly to and is supervised by the Pastor.  An annual performance review will be conducted by the Pastor and members of the Executive Committee.

Pay is $17 to start

Work is approximately 10 hours/week but may increase or decrease periodically based on the seasons and church activities.

This position is eligible for training and does not include medical insurance.