this week. Written on the face plate in the front: "To Judy Oehlert, a
member of the Confirmation Class of Salem, at Sycamore, IL on the 21st of
Oct, 1956. Martin W. Gustafson, Interim Pastor". This is so special to
me. It has yellowed over time and is falling apart some, but the memories
come spilling out. I see that Matthew must have been my favorite in those
days; there is a lot of underlining, especially chapters 5 and 6. Here's
a taste: "But I say to you that everyone who is angry with his brother
shall be liable to judgment; whoever insults his brother shall be liable
to the council, and whoever says, 'You fool!' shall be liable to the hell
of fire" (verse 22). See, this helped keep a rein on my tongue. I have
five younger brothers and sisters. There was ample opportunity to be
angry, or so I thought! But Mom and Matthew both said I shouldn't. Tough
combination. I tried to meet this goal. What do we say? You win some,
you lose some! But I had a goal that was clear: govern my tongue.
The last verses of chapter 5 state this, "You have heard that it was said,
'You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy'. But I say to you,
Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you, so that you may be
sons of your Father who is in heaven; for he makes his sun rise on the
just and on the unjust. For if you love those who love you, what reward
have you? Do not even the tax collectors do the same? And if you salute
only your brethren, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the
Gentiles do the same? You, therefore, must be perfect, as your heavenly
Father is perfect." Jesus' logic is unassailable. But this goal is
harder. Of course my first question at that time was why in the world
would God shine his sun on the unjust? That's not fair! But one of the
things we have to learn before we can consider ourselves grown up is that
life is not fair. Another goal then: pray for our enemies.
The Lord' Prayer is next. Jesus gave us this perfect prayer. It is
ageless. It is part of me, essential to my prayer life, as it is to every
praying Christian.
And then starting in chapter 6: 24 is that lovely, vivid image of lilies
in the field. This was an important passage for me to read in High
School. I wasn't to be anxious! Clothing, the right kind of clothing was
terribly important then, as it is now for that age, and I sometimes didn't
have it. Yet when I read this passage, much of the self-consciousness
dissipated. What a blessing!
Chapter 7 begins boldly: "Judge not, that you be not judged." This aims
right at cattiness and gossip, doesn't it? What I said could be said
about me, so what would I want said? Ugly half-truths, imagined slights,
mean words? Of course not. One choice was to say nothing. Another,
better choice, was to speak up for someone being maligned. The latter was
the goal. And one certainly isn't to participate in slander. Sometimes
in our society, people mistake kindness for weakness. That's a big error.
There are more underlined passages, but these admonitions Jesus gave us
speak to our hearts. Clearly Jesus wanted us to "get" all these things.
Their clarity and words of one syllable tell us that. These are still my
goals over 50 years later. Jesus set the bar high. But He did it because
His Father made us to be His loving, obedient people.
Judy Bergeson, Diaconal Minister
Salem Lutheran
COMING EVENTS AT SALEM:
This Tuesday, Nov. 8th: take a coupon from the
Narthex at church & eat at Applebee's 11 AM to 11 PM!
15% goes to Feed My Starving Children
Nov. 13: Pastor Seth Sululu from Tanzania was invited by our
Global Missions Team to preach & visit with us at the
Coffee Hour. He is completing work on his Master's degree in
Music at NIU. Come hear! And Salem's puppets help celebrate
our relationship with the Arusha Diocese of Tanzania.
Grief Support begins again for the 5th year. From Nov. 6 for 11 weeks, we
meet in the Chapel Lounge from 3 till 4:30 PM every Sunday to offer
grieving people comfort through the holidays. No fee, no registration
required. Just come. Phyllis Castenson, Carole Lichty, and Judy Bergeson
co-lead this group.
Thanksgiving eve at 7 PM, we gather to give thanks for all our blessings.
Pie will be served in the Fellowship Hall after the service.
We look forward to Advent which begins at 7 PM Wednesday, November 30th.
Pastor Rob will tell us how "A Christmas Carol" is also a story for people
of faith.
Shop in the Red Sofa Lounge area two weekends after Thanksgiving for gifts
from the Fair Trade Fair. Unique gifts will be available.
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