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I try to keep all my ducks in a row,
but at least one of them always waddles off.

Does anyone else have this feeling about life? To get your ducks in a row means to organize your tasks and schedule so that you are ready for the next step. Real ducklings, of course, walk in a nice neat line behind their parent. In theory, having our ducks in a row would mean we are well organized and able to keep things in line.

I try to be organized and to work ahead and to be prepared. My theory is that if I have the basics organized, I can better deal with last-minute changes as they come along. That’s the theory. However, sometimes my best-laid plans don’t work out so well. I make plans based on the information that I have and then that information is either incorrect or gets changed. Sometimes it is difficult to keep up with all the changes that come my way. And quite often, my plans go out the window. Does any of this sound familiar?

We are currently still in winter. Here in Wisconsin, we know that snow and ice can drastically change our plans. We know that illness or injury can change our plans. We know that car trouble can change our plans. We know that people who work very differently from us can change our plans. Despite our efforts and our best-laid plans, those plans can change.

2023 celebrates 250 years since Pastor John Newton wrote the hymn “Amazing Grace.” He wrote it to accompany his New Year’s Day sermon in 1773. He based that sermon on 1 Chronicles 17:16-17:
16 Then King David went in and sat before the LORD, and said, “Who am I,
O LORD God, and what is my house, that you have brought me thus far? 
17 And even this was a small thing in your sight, O God;
you have also spoken of your servant’s house for a great while to come.
You regard me as someone of high rank, O LORD God! 

In this passage, King David wonders something that we probably all have wondered. With all of God’s creation, all the billions of people in the world, and all of what happens in the world, how is it that God watches over each and every one of us? And, why does God watch over each and every one of us?

Pastor Newton wrote the words of “Amazing Grace” based on his own experiences in life. He had served as a sea captain once when a violent storm came up and struck his ship so severely that all he could do was call out to God for mercy. That was his “the hour I first believed” moment. The words of “Amazing Grace” do not explain why God watches over us so closely, but they celebrate the fact that God does. Even when our plans do not go as we want them to, God’s grace comes close and carries us through.

February 22 is Ash Wednesday this year. We will be having worship each Wednesday evening during the season of Lent. Our lessons each week will look at a variety of Bible stories and how we see God’s grace at work in each story. Please join us each week as we examine those stories and our own and witness for ourselves God’s amazing grace.

Pastor Beth
920-562-2853
pastorbmacha@yahoo.com

We are entering into 2023, so HAPPY NEW YEAR! I enter every new year filled with excited anticipation, wondering what will happen that year. The same is true this year. I wonder what adventures and changes will come my way. I hope everything will be wonderful, but I know that there may be some challenges along the way. What I hope most of all is that the events of the last few years have taught us to appreciate every day, so I want to begin 2023 with a message about how our mindset affects the events of our lives:

A beautiful day begins with a beautiful mindset.
When you wake up, take a second to think about
what a privilege it is to simply be alive and healthy.
The moment you start acting like life is a blessing,
I assure you it will start to feel like one.
Time spent appreciating is time well spent.
–unknown—

This year my husband and I will be starting the new year going on a trip with our nephew, Benji. What we have done with our nieces and nephews upon their high school graduation is take them on a 10-day trip to where they wish to go. Benji actually graduated from high school last June, but he didn’t want to travel then, so we are traveling now between his college semesters. He requested to go to the Grand Canyon in Arizona and other national parks in Utah and then to the Hoover Dam and Las Vegas for this trip, so that is what we are doing. Each of these trips has allowed us to spend one-on-one time with each niece and nephew before their lives take them elsewhere.

This means that I am guaranteed at least one adventure in 2023. None of us knows what the future holds, but I truly hope that we know that God is with us no matter what happens. Through all ups and downs, God is beside us watching over us. Being a child of God doesn’t make us immune to brokenness, pain, or hardship, but it means that we have an anchor to hold us in the midst of a storm. That is a promise that holds me steady no matter what I go through.

May this New Year truly be a blessing to you!

Pastor Beth
920-562-2853
pastorbmacha@yahoo.com

I’m sure that most people are in the midst of Christmas shopping already at the beginning of December. I know people who begin their Christmas shopping during the after-Christmas sales the previous year. I also know people who shop for Christmas gifts year-round, buy them, and hide them away until December.

We human beings put a lot of time and effort into Christmas shopping and trying to find the perfect gift for everyone on our list. Worldwide each year, people go over 1,000,000,000 (that’s one trillion) dollars in debt buying Christmas gifts. The average American spends almost $1000 each year purchasing Christmas gifts.

We begin the month of December in the middle of Advent. The season of Advent is the four weeks leading up to Christmas Day. Traditionally, it was meant to help us to prepare our hearts and lives to meet the Christ Child born in a manger once again. It is meant to be a time of meditation and reflection as we anticipate the birth of Christ.

However, too often we are so wrapped up in all the festivities of concerts and parties and gift shopping and visiting with family and friends that we forget what Advent is supposed to be about. Back in 2006 there was a group of pastors who wanted to change that. They wanted to take the season back from overstuffed schedules, credit card debt, stress, and dread and return once again back to the hope, peace, and joy which the angels of old spoke of. This group of pastors came up with “The Advent Conspiracy.”

They wrote a book and put out a series of videos, all geared toward changing people’s attitudes about what the season of Advent should be all about. Over the years, the Advent Conspiracy has become a movement of congregations, families, friends, and organizations which have made the declaration to celebrate Christmas in a radical, God-honoring way. The four tenets of the Advent Conspiracy are: Worship Fully. Spend Less. Give More. Love all.

During worship this Advent we are going to examine the four tenets of the Advent Conspiracy. The Wednesday evening Bible study is going to study these four tenets also. I’m excited for this series and for the discussions that will happen around it. Please make a point to join us and invite your family and friends to join us also.

May this Advent and Christmas truly be a blessing to you!

Pastor Beth
920-562-2853
pastorbmacha@yahoo.com

I am so very grateful this very moment,
to have a roof over my head,
food to eat, clean clothes to wear,
a warm bed to sleep in,
drinkable running water, electricity…
We take so much for granted,
when there is so much to be grateful for.
Unknown

   In November, our minds turn to gratitude because Thanksgiving is just around the corner. In addition to the turkey, mashed potatoes, and pumpkin pie, we are reminded to give thanks and to remember to be thankful for what we have in life.
   I have a friend who is a Presbyterian pastor in Iowa. When she was newly ordained as a pastor, she remembers that every time she went home for a family function, she was asked to say grace, just because she was a pastor. It didn’t take long before she got tired of always being the one who had to say grace, so she decided to do something about it.  When she went home for Thanksgiving that year, she was once again asked to pray.  So she did… for all the food, each dish individually by name… for each and every person around the table by name… for each relative that was not there… for the dogs and cats in the family, each by name… for the doors and windows and ceiling… for the vehicles that brought each family member to the Thanksgiving celebration… for the chandelier overhead and the pretty wall paper on the wall… for the houseplants and the harvest from the garden…. You get the idea. Her prayer went on and on and on.
   She made her point, and I don’t know if she was ever asked to say grace at a family function again. However, she also wasn’t wrong. As we look around our homes, our families, our friends, our lives we have a lot to be thankful for. Many of these things we overlook.  Many of the people we take for granted.
   We need to stop and take note of all the blessings that surround us, not just at Thanksgiving but always.  In October my husband and I celebrated our 30th wedding anniversary.  During those 30 years we have had ups and downs like all people. We have had times of plenty and times of want. It is those times of want that have taught us the most. We really appreciate the fact that we have food in the house, not just the ability to go out to eat. We really appreciate the jobs we have had which have helped us to get through the tough times. We really appreciate the family and friends who have been supportive, especially the ones to whom we could tell the truth about what was going on in our lives. We really appreciate the medical care we have received when we’ve needed it. We really appreciate the ability to simply go for a walk together and spend time surrounded by God’s beauty.
   I am happy to have the month of November and the celebration of Thanksgiving to remind us of our blessings. But I also hope that we pause periodically all year long to do that, also.

Thanksgiving blessings to you all!
Pastor Beth
920-562-2853
pastorbmacha@yahoo.com

The Covid pandemic has taken its toll on everyone in one way or another. Many people have gotten the disease. Some people died from it. All of our lives were disrupted in some way, shape, or form, at least for a time. Mental illness surfaced. People lost jobs. The way in which we do any of a variety of thing has changed and may never return to the way we used to do them. Even though much of life has returned to more normality, there are still areas of our lives that have not.

In last month’s article for the newsletter, I mentioned that I jazzercise several times a week. At the beginning of the pandemic, all jazzercise studios across the nation shut down. However, in place of in-person classes, we could stream Jazzercise on Demand and take classes in our own homes, which I did. Quite often the instructors on JOD would say, “Put your hair up in a ponytail and join me on the dance floor.” It struck me that I hadn’t had hair long enough in 20 years to be able to put my hair up in a ponytail.

At the same time, all hair salons were closed for several weeks. In the midst of all that, I decided to let my hair grow for a while. I didn’t have a plan. I just decided to let it go. In 2000 when I last had long hair, I had it cut and donated 16 inches to kids with cancer. In the summer of 2020 two friends each donated their hair to cancer patients. Still, I had no plan. My hair just grew. Then this past spring I realized how long it was getting. In early July I had my beautician trim it up, and then we set an appointment for September 14 to get it cut off for donation. Once she cut it off on September 14, we discovered that I had 11 inches of hair to donate to kids with cancer.

Originally, I had my heart set on donating my hair to women with cancer to honor so many friends and family who have needed wigs while going through chemotherapy. However, I discovered that most of the donation sites for women with cancer only ask for financial donations and are no longer taking hair donations. Instead, after due diligence I decided on a site for kids with cancer, and I mailed my 11 inches of hair off to them.

In general, I tend to be much more of an optimist than a pessimist. I seem to always try to find a silver lining in whatever the situation. At the beginning of Covid I tried diligently to find silver linings, but it was difficult after a bit to do so. But once I decided to donate my hair, I figured that at least one good thing had come out of the pandemic. I would have never grown my hair long again had it not been for the pandemic. Now there’s a wig-making charity which has 11 inches of thick healthy hair to use to make a wig for a child with cancer.

We never know what opportunities may come our way. Sometimes we are looking for them. Sometimes they fall into our laps when we aren’t looking. The goal is to take the opportunities that come our way and use them for good.

As the pandemic took hold of our lives in 2020, I came across this saying: “Don’t give up on this year. Keep fighting for the good. Keep showing up. Keep loving. Keep giving back. Keep being kind. Keep being brave. Keep caring. Keep trying new things. Keep showing grace. Keep on. This world needs you to believe in the good.” Amen.
Pastor Beth

Greetings, Our Redeemer’s!

My name is Beth Macha, and I am your new pastor! For most of you, you already know me. It’s been ten years, but I was your interim pastor. Plus, I did have a few preaching gigs here earlier this spring. I’m looking forward to being your settled pastor now.
I have been thinking a lot lately though about how much we have all changed over ten years. For instance, when I started as your interim pastor I was recovering from having my knee scoped. Now I have a whole new knee. Then I had 3 dogs, Maggie, Emmie, and Daisy. Now I have 2 dogs (Genny and Angel) and 2 cats (Rocket and Comet). Then I had no regular exercise routine. Now I Jazzercise several times a week. Then I had no food allergies. Now my body is gluten intolerant so I have to be very careful with any foods made with wheat, barley, or hops.
You get the idea. Our lives change over the span of ten years. We are the same and yet we are different. I will try to remember that as I reenter the Our Redeemer’s Church family. You all have changed over the years, too. That means that we know each other, but we also will have to re-meet and re-get to know each other. I look forward to that.
There are other things that are the same, of course. I’m still married to the same man, Art Hanson. We will celebrate our 30th anniversary in October. We still live in Green Bay. We still love to travel, though Covid interrupted much of that. We are still huge sports fans and love to go to Brewers games and football games.
I am still working on figuring out a regular church schedule. I plan to have some set office hours which will be posted on the door of the pastor’s office. I have to remember that I am ¾ time, and the members of the call committee keep encouraging me to remember that. Because I am ¾ time, I will be continuing to work part time in the deli at Festival Foods, mostly Fridays and some weekend evenings.
I look forward to my time serving with you. See you soon!
Pastor Beth

Dear Family of Our Redeemer’s

I am very excited and thankful that Pastor Beth Macha has accepted the Call from Our Redeemer’s Lutheran Church to serve as Pastor of the congregation as we move into the future. We were blessed by her ministry a few years ago when she served as the Interim Pastor while the congregation was in transition between “called” pastors. Our future as a congregation has just brightened with hope and anticipation as we plan for a new era of ministry with her in this community. It is an exciting time to be a member of Our Redeemer’s.

Thank you for the privilege of serving as your Interim Supply Pastor for the past two and a half years. You have been supportive, patient, forgiving, kind, accepting, loving. Your gracious spirit has given me energy and joy. As we have experienced the highs and lows of life in community through worship, fellowship, births, baptisms, confirmations, hospitalizations, weddings, life milestones, funerals, and other daily activities that are shared between a Pastor and People, I have experienced an intimacy with you that has made this time very rich for me. Thank you, again, for the honor and privilege.

It is interesting for me to look back at some of the history of these past two and a half years. On February 17, 2019 Pastor Bethany Rutten-Kampees concluded her ministry with Our Redeemer’s. I was asked to serve as Interim Supply Pastor beginning on March 3, 2019. That continued until June 16, 2019 when the Covid 19 Pandemic forced much of the world to go into quarantine, prohibiting public gatherings. After a few Sundays with no worship gatherings at Our Redeemer’s, we have used a combination of parking lot short range FM broadcasting for participants in cars and lawn chairs, live stream worship accessible worldwide on the church website, as well as in-person worship inside the church. That pattern continues with all three options available to members and friends for their blessing, comfort and safety.

Even though each of us is free to study in depth the assigned Bible readings for each Sunday (the Next Sunday ‘s Readings are always indicated near the bottom of the back page on each Sunday bulletin), my forced study of the scriptures in preparation for the Sermon is always an enriching, deepening, inspiring, blessed discipline that is a rewarding part of serving as the Interim Supply Pastor. I will miss that.

Leading a congregation in worship is also a holy privilege. To keep the worship experience from becoming an empty recitation of words, the worship leader tries to enable all participants to feel the holy encounter with God that each Sunday is meant to be for every worshipper. Of course, the Holy Spirit is the true “worship leader”. For me, leading worship at Our Redeemer’s has given me “holy communion with God”.

I am excited about having Pastor Beth as my Pastor. I did a “happy dance” when I heard that she had accepted the Call. Someone asked me if I would be willing to repeat that “happy dance” for the congregation. The answer is NO! I would not want to put anyone through that embarrassment and pain. I will continue to dance in private.

Blessings and “thank you”,
Fred Mai

July 26, 2022

Dear Family of Our Redeemer’s

“LIVE GENEROUSLY”

It would be interesting to hear what the market research from Thrivent Financial has learned about the impact the above slogan has had on peoples thinking and behavior. I have seen their T-shirts with the now familiar slogan being worn in our community by people of various churches, not just Lutheran. The mind-set of generous living is certainly at the heart of what it means to be a follower of Jesus.

As I prepare for the sermon this coming Sunday, July 31, the Gospel Reading from Luke 12:13-21, often called the Parable of the rich fool, portrays the natural tendency that all of us struggle with every day. Our first inclination is to live a selfish life rather than a generous life. Jesus calls the rich man a fool because he is focused on storing up treasures for himself but is not rich toward God. Jesus goes on to make it clear that all who live with that mindset are fools.

I recall a church member in one of the congregations I served who used every opportunity possible to encourage fellow parishioners to include the church in the distribution of their assets after they died. He, himself, had already made those arrangements in his will and felt strongly that it was the right thing to do to assure that the ministry of the Church, which had been so meaningful to him, could continue to fulfill its mission when he was gone. This same member would often remind people that he had never seen a U-HAUL TRAILER being towed behind a Funeral Hearse so that the treasures of the deceased could be buried with the body of that person. How do we manage the treasures that God has entrusted to us while we are living? What arrangements have we made for the distribution of money and property that is left behind when we die?

The contrast between a “rich fool” and one who is “rich toward God” is worthy of some consideration. In which category do you fit? In which category do I fit? What standard or model do we use to determine if we are living as a “fool” or a “faithful manager“?

The life of Jesus himself is always the “gold standard” for trying to live as faithful managers of our lives. What would Jesus do? What did Jesus do? He gave up all “privilege” and became a servant. He demonstrated that life is to be “spent” not “hoarded”. He poured out His soul in love for others. His total life sacrifice led to his death. But God raised Him from the dead. The total self-giving of Jesus continues to give life and empowerment to us. God’s living presence in each of us each day also enables us to be “rich toward God” instead of a ‘rich fool“. It is helpful to remember the song that was often used as part of our offering: “All that we have is thine alone, a trust, O Lord, from Thee“.

Blessings on your journey as a faithful manager,
Interim Supply Pastor, Fred Mai

June 21, 2022

Dear Family of Our Redeemer’s

As we move toward July, one of the big dates on the calendar that jumps out at us and that we celebrate with many loud noises is July 4–Independence day. The word freedom is used in many conversations to emphasize the importance of the observances and we feel a deep appreciation that we are the beneficiaries of this priceless gift in our daily living.

Freedom is certainly an important word in the Christian faith as well. Our most frustrating and depressing daily problem is that “we are in bondage to sin and cannot free ourselves“. Even though there will be large celebrations and loud explosions throughout the land to proclaim our independence and freedom, we discover that we are not free. Jesus came to bring us a higher and more personal experience in all aspects of life when He announced: “If you continue in my word, you are my disciples indeed and you will know the truth and the truth shall set you free. . .So if the Son shall set you free, you will be free indeed”. (John 8:31, 32)

I am grateful to be living in the “land of the free and the home of the brave”. I have never experienced life in a world that controls who I am, what I can do, and how I can spend my life. My parents were immigrants and came to the United States because they were being controlled by authoritarian tyrants. “Give me liberty or give me death” was their universal cry. Life without freedom is considered “worse than death”. In these 21st century times, citizens in many authoritarian countries are risking and sacrificing their lives to preserve and spread freedom. We support and applaud their courage and commitment.

Yet, in spite of the blessings of living in the free world, there is need in our lives for truth and freedom that only Jesus can bring. The global trauma between nations, the widespread violence within our communities, the turmoil in climate conditions–these all point to a need for reconciliation and healing that the Son came to bring to a sick and dying world.

The truth and freedom that has been given to us through the Son is an even greater GIFT than the freedom and independence of July 4. Please notice the big “if” at the beginning of Jesus announcement in John 8:31. Our faith and life is shaped by our thinking. Even though the Son has already given us these gifts, we are not able to get the benefit of them if our thinking is still dominated by self help systems, fear, doubt, or worry. The word of Jesus shapes our thoughts, creates faith, brings peace, builds on the foundation of truth, and propels us on our way in joy. How important it is then, to “continue in Jesus Word. . . to know the truth. . . to know freedom. . . So if the Son shall set you free, you will be free indeed.“

Blessings on your journey of freedom and independence.
Interim Supply Pastor, Fred Mai