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I often think of the next several weeks as good times for family. During those weeks, we have several opportunities to gather with family, to celebrate with family, and to remember family.

In May we celebrate Mother’s Day. I always encourage people to remember all the important women in their lives for Mother’s Day. There are so many women who help to raise us: mothers, grandmothers, aunts, godmothers, and others. Therefore, it is important to remember those women in some way and to thank them for all that they have done for us.

In June we celebrate Father’s Day. Again, I always encourage people to remember all the important men in their lives on Father’s Day. We have many men who help to raise us also: fathers, grandfathers, uncles, godfathers, and others. It is important to remember those men in some way and to thank them in some way for all that they have done for us.

In between those two holidays is Memorial Day. While Memorial Day is not specifically for family events, it is a day meant to remember and to honor the men and women who died while serving in the U.S. military. Some of us do have family members who died in service. Even if we don’t, Memorial Day is also a time to go the cemeteries to place flowers at the graves of our family members who have died, to honor and remember them.

Family is important. Whoever they are and whatever family looks like for us, family is crucial in our lives. They provide a foundation of love, support, and belonging. They instill values, offer guidance, and help us navigate life’s challenges. Strong family bonds foster a sense of purpose and identity, contributing to our overall happiness and self-esteem. Even when family members tease us and drive us crazy, we appreciate them and need them.

Beyond the specific holidays I have already mentioned, I think the summer months in general bring us more opportunities to get together with family. The warmer weather allows us to gather outside or to go camping together or to simply go for a walk together. We can cook out, picnic, and tailgate together. These are opportunities to make memories and to support one another.

As the weather (hopefully) turns warmer, we have a lot to look forward to. Enjoy those chances!

Pastor Beth

I love butterflies. I’m pretty sure that I have always loved butterflies. I have memories of being a little kid gleefully chasing monarch butterflies down the cow path when we lived on the farm. It’s just such a magical experience to have one of those tiny creatures land on your clothing or your hand!

Butterflies are so beautiful. There is such a variety of colors and patterns: black and brown stripes, all green, blue and white with brown spots, green and teal and black, yellow and black, the list goes on and on. It seems to me that God maybe spent extra time on this insect order known as Lepidoptera.

Butterflies are also so very delicate. Their wings are thin and fragile. Their bodies are soft and not as protective as those of other insects. This fragility makes me want to protect them. It also makes me want to plant milkweed to feed the local monarchs.

Recently, there was a picture of a butterfly for the children to color in one of the children’s bulletins. I was honored that one of the children colored his butterfly purple and then handed it to me at the end of the worship service. That same children’s bulletin also said that butterflies are symbols of Spring. That’s very true. I remember teachers in my elementary school who would bring in cocoons in the Spring so that we could watch them transform into butterflies. Then we would get to release the butterflies when they were ready.

Butterflies also symbolize transformation and new life. The butterfly’s transformation from cocoon into winged creature is a powerful symbol of change and rebirth. It’s quite a difficult process to become a butterfly. For us, as Christians, the butterfly is one of the symbols of Easter because of this transformation. After Jesus’ death on the cross, his body was placed in the tomb and transformed before he rose again.

Over the next month, we will remember Jesus’ final journey on earth. We will remember the ride into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday, the last supper on Maundy Thursday, the death on Good Friday, and the glorious rise from death on Easter Sunday. It’s a journey we follow every year because it is such a vital story of our faith. I hope you will join us for this journey!

Pastor Beth

The time for Lent has come. Ash Wednesday is on March 5. It’s this late in the year about a third of the time. It all depends on the cycles of the moon. And, of course, Ash Wednesday ushers in the season of Lent which ends on Easter Sunday.

The season of Lent is a time for us to be intentional about examining our relationship with God during the 40 days which lead up to the highest holy day of Easter. It is a time for repentance, prayer, fasting, and almsgiving traditionally. People generally give something up for Lent or take on a new project or ministry during Lent. This is a season to recognize our brokenness and to grow deeper in our relationship with God.

Each year as a congregation, we have a theme to follow during Lent. This year the theme is: “God’s Love is Shown.” This series for the six weeks of Lent and for Holy Week will delve into the rich and diverse aspects of God’s love shown to us most clearly in the life, suffering, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ. Each worship service will focus on a specific descriptor of God’s love in our lives:

                                                          Wednesday, March 5 = Redemptive Love

                                                          Sunday, March 9 = Compassionate Love

                                                          Sunday, March 16 = Steadfast Love

                                                          Sunday, March 23 = Enriching Love

                                                          Sunday, March 30 = Living Love

                                                          Sunday, April 6 = Holy Love

                                                          Sunday, April 13 = Saving Love

                                                          Thursday, April 17 = Selfless Love

                                                          Friday, April 18 = Sacrificial Love

                                                          Sunday, April 20 = Joyous Love

Extra worship services that we will have are Ash Wednesday, March 5, at 6:00 pm; Maundy Thursday, April 17, at 6:00 pm; and Good Friday, April 18, at 6:00 pm. Otherwise, all the other worship services will take place at the regular time on Sunday mornings.

There will also be a Lenten Bible study on Wednesday evenings at 5:00 pm during Lent. This Bible study will follow the same themes as the worship services do.

May you find blessings during this season of Lent!

Pastor Beth

            As the calendar turns over to February, our thoughts turn to love. Valentine’s Day is right around the corner. Tradition has it that the chubby cherub Cupid hangs around on Valentine’s Day launching arrows of love at unsuspecting lovers. I think when we are children, we are excited by the possibility that Cupid might send a crush our way. Of course, children also like the candy that comes with the holiday and exchanging Valentine cards with their friends and classmates.

            When we become young adults, our vision of Valentine’s Day changes. At this age, we are not as innocent in our understanding of love. We look for or maybe long for that special someone to come into our lives, and we hope for candy and flowers or that something special from that special someone. I remember watching florists deliver bouquet upon bouquet of flowers to various apartments and dorm rooms when I was a college student, always dreaming that someday one of those bouquets would be for me.

            Once we marry, our love matures over the years. We maybe don’t dream as much about flowers and candy as we hope for a simple meal and time spent together with loved ones. We commemorate the holiday with gifts for our children and grandchildren when they arrive. We love matures into something more than fanciful romance.

            Valentine’s Day has its roots in faith. The holiday is named after Saint Valentine who was a third-century priest whose ministry was rooted in acts of love and sacrifice. Saint Valentine defied the Roman laws of the time by secretly marrying Christian couples and assisting believers who were being persecuted. It was his love for Jesus Christ that led him to show such love and to take such risks. He sought to do good for others, even at great personal cost.

            Today, the day is focused more on romantic love, but the history behind it leads me to wonder. Imagine what our world would be like if each of us embraced the desire which Saint Valentine had. Imagine if we really tried to mirror Jesus by showing as much compassion, mercy, and love as we can to all the people we meet. Imagine how that compassion, mercy, and love could spread to even more people.

            The Bible tells us that love originates from God. “We love because God first loved us.” (1 John 4:19) The season of Lent this year doesn’t begin until March, but our theme for this year will be how God’s love is shown to us in our lives. Perhaps this month during which we think about love will lead us naturally into our studies about God’s love during the season of Lent.

Blessings on you as you share your love!

Pastor Beth

Every day when I log onto my Facebook account, I look through my memories that I have posted on that date over the last several years. Sometimes those memories make me laugh, sometimes they make me smile, sometimes they bring a tear to my eye, and sometimes they just cause me to pause and to think.

Recently, I saw a post in my memories where I was bemoaning the fact that I had to replace a kitchen clock and a bathroom laundry basket. The clock had stopped working and could no longer be fixed. The plastic weaving of the laundry basket had given way so the laundry just fell out through the side of it. Neither one of them was anything special, but I was bemoaning their loss because these were things I had purchased when I was in seminary ….. about 30 years prior! Because I had them so long, they had simply become part of my “stuff.” I liked them, and I wanted to keep them forever.

It sounds silly, even to me, but I get attached to my “stuff.” Some items have special meaning because I inherited them from my grandmother or they were a gift from someone important to me. However, most of the time the stuff I’m attached to are things like that kitchen clock or that laundry basket. It is illogical to become attached to such things, but I do.

I think we all have some of that attachment in us. We attach meaning to things that maybe aren’t that valuable or important. A big part of it is because we human beings don’t like change. Sometimes we go out of our way to try to ensure that something won’t change. I have often shared the story that when I was an intentional interim pastor I often taught congregations about accepting change, but then Art would move the garbage bags to a new place and I would go ballistic. Even when it would be logical to change, we resist and resist.

Happy New Year! We have entered into 2025. Many people make resolutions about changes they wish to make in the new year. Unfortunately, most of those resolutions get broken within days or weeks. Why? Because we resist change, and it’s easier to go back to our old ways than to continue on a journey of change. My prayer every new year is that we make the changes that we need to make and then we maintain those changes in our lives. The new year gives us a chance to pause and reflect on exactly what those changes need to be for us.

Blessings on your journeys of change this year!

Pastor Beth

Preparation – now is the time to prepare. We are about to embark on the busiest holiday time of the year.

Recently on the radio, the two radio hosts talked about the trend that has taken place in the United States over the last few years, which is to decorate absolutely every room in the house for Christmas. Because there are so many Christmas-like items out there in the world of retail, people’s collection of decorations has become overwhelming. Instead of simplifying and reducing our collections, we are now choosing instead to spread our decorating throughout the house, and we are purchasing even more to do just that. What used to be a decorated tree inside and maybe some lights outside has turned into holiday shower curtains and toilet paper inside and a full winter wonderland outside.

Behind all of that decorating is a great deal of time preparing – planning out a theme for each room, collecting together the decorations, and taking the time to put everything in its place. The last few years Art and I have bucked the trend. We haven’t even put up a tree or gotten our Christmas decorations out because we haven’t wanted to spend the time decorating when both of us – I as a pastor and Art as a baker – get too busy with work to enjoy the decorations any way. We decided that we didn’t need to put up a tree for the two dogs to enjoy while we were gone. And then we also got cats – enough said!

Preparation – now is the time to prepare. We are about to embark on some of the busiest holy days of the year.

In the midst of decorating and holiday concerts and parties and caroling and family gatherings and shopping and all of the rest, we as Christians also need to take time to prepare ourselves spiritually to meet the Christ Child once again. The reason we celebrate this time of the year is because God sent a tiny baby to a faith-filled couple in a manger in Bethlehem so long ago. This was the beginning of Jesus’ life – a life that changed the world. This was the beginning of the event that continues to change our lives today. We as Christians must remember that Jesus Christ is why we celebrate this holy time of the year.

Preparation – now is the time to prepare. The season of Advent is the time for us to prepare. Take some time this season to pray, to meditate on the Christmas story, and to remember what Christmas is really all about.

Pastor Beth

            A few weeks ago I did a sermon about the importance of spending time in prayer as an individual and as a community of faith. Prayer above all else is communicating with God in order to feel closer to God and to improve our relationship. Prayer also helps us find guidance, overcome temptation, and accept God’s will. In addition, prayer gives us a greater sense of purpose, improves our mood, and helps us to cope with life’s difficulties. The Bible also tells us to pray for one another.

            I think the month of November gives us many good reasons to be in prayer:

             November 1 is All Saints Day on which we remember those who have died and those who have been left behind to remember and mourn them.

             On November 3, we turn our clocks back to standard time, and we pray for this adjustment for our bodies and minds.

             This year we have a national election for the next President of the United States. As I said in my sermon, this is an important day to spend in prayer.

             The last several days of the month will be gun deer hunting in Wisconsin. We pray for all to be safe during hunting season.

             November 28 will be Thanksgiving Day this year. I think we all become mindful of what we have to be grateful for at this time of the year, and hopefully we bow to God in prayer to show our gratitude.

            There are always good reasons to spend time in prayer. November is not unique, but I thought about prayer this month because of the recent sermon that I did and because of Thanksgiving. As individuals, we know what we need and what we are grateful for and who we want or need to pray for. As a community of faith, we can lift one another up in prayer and pray for specific concerns within the community. By doing this, we can encourage one another and find strength and comfort together.

As Jesus prayed in John 17:22-23: “The glory that you (God) have given me I have given them, so that they may be one, as we are one, I in them and you in me, that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you have loved me.”

Prayerful Thanksgiving blessings to you all!

Pastor Beth

              Too often, I think, we forget to say, “Thank you.” It’s not that we are ungrateful. I think we get busy and forget, or we are so used to a specific person doing a specific task that we just expect it to happen. I have made a conscious effort over the years to try to remember to thank people for what they have done. That simple gesture can have a positive effect on the one who is thanked.

              Saying “thank you” is important. An article I read recently named a number of positive effects that hearing “thank you” can have. It makes the recipient feel good and boosts their well-being. It creates a positive atmosphere that can lead to more meaningful connections. Grateful people are happier people. Gratitude can reduce stress and improve sleep.

              Our Redeemer’s congregation has been very, very busy over the last few months. We have been doing the usual things we do, and we have added a number of other things in the mix. Just since Easter (which is a random date to choose, but it also reminds us of new life), we have:

put a new floor in the storage room to make it more usable

hosted a Mother-Daughter banquet

hosted the Memorial Day service at Hickory cemetery

hosted VBS

had ice cream sundaes and a pancake breakfast after worship

went to WIR to watch racing

raised money for Lutheran Disaster Relief

collected items to donate to the Suring school

had our first float in the Suring Labor Day parade

hosted our first pet blessing

sent off a number of quilts and health kits to the mission field

among other things.

That’s a lot of activity, and it takes many hands to get it all done. So THANK YOU, THANK YOU, THANK YOU to each and every one of you who has helped to make all these events happen!! It warms my heart to see how many people care for each other and for our neighbors. God bless!!

Pastor Beth

Every once in a while, I develop a cleaning bug. It doesn’t happen often, but when it does, look out! I clean. I organize. I recycle. I get rid of things we don’t need any more. And when the project is finished, I expect it to stay that way. If you ask Art, he will probably tell you that my favorite phrase is: “Don’t mess up the system.” He has heard that often during our marriage.

              After Sunday school and confirmation classes were finished in May, Blanche and I independently started to clean up the two Sunday school rooms. Blanche likes to use the corner Sunday school room to quilt because it has such lovely natural light from all the windows in it, so she spends a good deal of time there. I wanted to go through and see what all was stored in the cupboards in those two rooms. Between the two of us, we decided that all the cupboards needed to be gone through. Little by little, we went through pretty much everything that was in the cupboards in the classrooms.

              The next step I took was to go through the cabinet in the hallway outside the two classrooms. Blanche had cleaned mouse poop out of it a few times before, but there was some in it again. I cleaned and disinfected all of it. Then I decided that the cabinet would be a good central area for storing crafting supplies that all the classes can use. There were crafting supplies in all of the classrooms, and I would say that typically people didn’t look to see what we had before they bought more supplies. During this step, I went through all of the crafting supplies, weeding out what couldn’t be used any more, and combined what could be used. Then I placed almost all of them into plastic bins to keep the mice out of them and placed them in the hallway cabinet. I labeled the plastic bins and the edges of the shelves in the cabinet so that the supplies can easily be located.

              It feels good to me to finish a project like this. Supplies are now organized and easy to find. We won’t waste money purchasing more supplies before using up the ones we already have. The cabinet is clean and safe and hopefully will not be used by mice again. At least the supplies in the plastic bins should be safe from mice.

              In 1 Corinthians 14:40, the Apostle Paul reminds us that “all things should be done decently and in order.” That goes hand in hand with Psalm 51:10: “Create in me a clean heart, O God, and renew a right spirit within me.” I find that cleaning and organizing in one area of my life makes all the other areas feel better, too.

              God’s blessings on your own cleaning and organizing journey!

Pastor Beth

On July 4, Art and I went to my sister-in-law’s house in Appleton. My brother-in-law and his wife were there, also. It was a little odd because it was only our generation gathered together for the holiday. All the kids (who are in their 20s) were working or had other plans. We had a good time. We played a game, watched a movie, and cooked out.

              When we were eating our meal together, my sister-in-law who was hosting us started to talk about how challenging it was to come up with a menu that worked with all our needs. One has acid reflux. One was recently diagnosed with diabetes. I have the gluten allergy. We each have our own dietary concerns. That led to the question of “when did we get so old?” It’s an honest question. We are all in our 50s and starting to think more about retirement than about changing jobs or advancing in our jobs. We’ve all had some recent health challenges related to aging. We are definitely not teenagers any more.

              That day’s experience and discussion have led me to reflect more about how short the journey really is from toddlerhood to senior citizen discounts. It’s been 40 years since I graduated from high school. I’ve been ordained 33 years, married 32 years. Those sound like long time periods, but they seem to have whizzed by. In some ways it seems like I should be 20 years old, but in other ways I know that I have had a ton of experiences in my life. Time is a concept that has a lot of variations.

I remember a few years ago when my Mom had shoulder surgery. I was staying at her home for a few days to help her out, and one morning I found myself needing to tie her robe for her because she couldn’t. Suddenly, a Bible verse came to mind: “Very truly, I tell you, when you were younger, you used to fasten your own belt and go wherever you wished. But when you grow old, you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will fasten a belt around you and take you where you do not wish to go.” (John 21:18) My mom was both proud and annoyed when I mentioned it to her – proud because her daughter could quote scripture, annoyed because I was quoting it at her when she wasn’t feeling well.

              The good news in all of this is that God never leaves us on our own, no matter where we are in our life’s journey. Another Bible verse reminds us 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.” (Romans 8:38-39) From birth to death God loves us and knows every detail about us, even every hair on our heads. Time marches on, but God is eternal. Our life journey has its ups and downs, but God is constant.

              God’s continued blessings on your journey!

Pastor Beth