Traditions

For it is God who works in you to will and to act in order to fulfill His good purpose.  Philippians 2:13.

     If your family is like ours, you just celebrated Thanksgiving by negotiating your way through a myriad of customs that have been meticulously built over the years because of beliefs, needs and/or taste or some combination of all three.  I love cranberries at the big Thanksgiving feast.  Not a single other person in my family likes them as I do…traditionally as a child we had a serving of tart, gloppy, cooked cranberries with our turkey dinner.  Now, I also have them with the after Thanksgiving leftover meals.  I could also have them all the next week because no one, not even my wife who prepares them in their gloriously tart and gloppy way, wants to taste them at all.  Similarly, I never really liked stuffing (dressing to some families), and while everyone else had it with the meal, it wasn’t really for me—until a couple of years ago.

     Another custom among the many, many of the Thanksgiving weekend, is the decorating of the house for Christmas.  Although you can now pretty much start shopping at the big box stores for the latest in seasonal decorations in September (that’s the earliest I saw them at a certain depository of home improvement needs store this year), in our family, we cannot begin to put up any Christmas adornments until after Thanksgiving (unless it’s going to be so cold out after that Thursday that the weekend before makes more sense to put up the lights outside—but definitely NO lighting of lights until after the Thanksgiving dinner has been consumed!).

     One last custom to share shows how we pass familial mores on from generation to generation—usually in an unintended manner.  Since about 1995, when the Muppet Christmas Carol came out in video (we’ve amended our custom now to the DVD of course), we have watched this or another version of the Dickens’ classic (the Muppets win most of the time).  After a hard day of decorating, usually as we sit down to another round of turkey, dressing and for some, cranberries (OK, only for me); we sing along with and say the lines with Kermit, Miss Piggy, the gang, and of course Gonzo Dickens.  This year our middle son who is in grad school got home from work on Black Friday shortly after Ebeneezer Scrooge had retired to his cold, dark home and was visited by the Marley brothers with their admonition for him to change.  Our son was a bit taken aback that we had started this very important tradition without him.  At Thanksgiving time, we are very, very comfortable with the way we have always done things.  His working at the mall kept him from getting home in time enough for him to see the traditional Dickensian reminder to Scrooge for him to stop making chains and to change!

     In the early 2000’s, at least in the LHS circles and conferences that I was a part of on the west coast and nationally, we began to hear about the “paradigm change” that was sweeping the educational landscape.  It really wasn’t about one particular area that needed to be reviewed—such as why keep eating cranberries when no one else likes them, or when is the best time to decorate or even, are there not other actors besides Michael Caine to be viewed as the epitome of every Scrooge there ever was (Albert Finney?)?  The transformational construct of educational paradigm change said to me that in Lutheran schools we need to review all of our programs with the exception of the purity of the Gospel message in light of the shift that is happening in the educational world of this new century.  This will stress our sensibilities about how we have gone about the teaching/leading business in Lutheran schools.

   I believe that change should only happen when we evaluate with an eye toward excellence.  It is my hope and prayer that we continue to see that some of the ways that we minister in Lutheran schools have served us very well over the years.  As a matter of fact, certain aspects of how we teach students as individuals who are reflected through the glorious light of an Easter dawn, must always be a part of who we are—or we risk becoming a private school!  However, if we insist on the tired old axioms of “that’s how we’ve always done it” methods, or “we’ve never needed that before” mentalities, we will not serve our families (or ourselves) as they deserve--or as our Lord would expect.

     Paradigm change means that all aspects of our ministries must be assessed.  Not to criticize or blame or put burdens upon those who have done so much for us over the years.  No, it means to look to our Lord and Savior as the most revolutionary change agent of all time, who simply wants us to continue to seek, to improve, to progress, to change, to not be held hostage to how we’ve become comfortable in getting our job done.  St. Paul spoke to us in Corinthians saying that in whatever we do, we are to do it all for the glory of God!  (1st Corinthians 10).  With our Lord leading, we also can do all things through Him.

     How about some apple pie with that paradigm change?  I never really liked pumpkin!

For A Time Such as This

   Esther 4:14

      “For if you remain silent at this time, relief and deliverance for the Jews will arise from another place, but you and your father’s family will perish. And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?”

   This past week I spoke at our LHS chapel.  I love speaking at a chapel service for a Lutheran HS or for a Lutheran grade school.  I get a little nervous….I worry about how I’ll be received…..I pray that the message helps someone.  I know deep down that the message is really quite a bit about where I’m at in my life and faith life at the time..but I want to apply my feelings to the gathered community.  

   Usually at LHS our Applied Christianity group leads chapel.  This week however, Mr. Rudzinski’s Christian Living class got to plan, orchestrate and direct our worship.  As a teacher, I always worried at how it would come together and this group did very, very well.  Mr. Rudzinski can be pleased at their leadership skills this past Tuesday considering they do not lead chapel on a weekly basis.

    I’m not sure how they came up with the theme verse for the week’s chapel.  But I was led to ask the community to think about this question:  “Why are you here?”  After some silly discussion on the possibilities of why we’re here and my description of the need for dishwashing in our own house that three sons were there for, the depth of the question remains.  If you remember the story of Esther, she was a Jewish young woman who was elevated to the position of queen in Persia during the Dispersion of the Jews.  She found herself in place to be able to save the Jews from genocide and came to the realization that she was there, at that time, to do so.  As I told the chapel gathering, she became a picture of our Lord Jesus who was sent to save her people.

   The application for the students was to consider how they may be able to help those in their family, school, church or greater community.  I’m sure you’ve seen it many times in your life.  The Lord raises up a leader to cast a new vision or step in to help out in a time of need or be the voice of reason.  It is my prayer that parents and teachers, pastors and teachers in the Kansas City Lutheran High School community at large, can model that kind of leadership…that kind of sacrifice…that kind of love as we all experience those Esther moments at a time such as this!

Opening the Door to Reformation

Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.  Romans 12:2

    It must have been a little chilly that day when Pastor Martin Luther attached his questions about certain aspects of the church to the Castle Church door in Wittenberg, Germany on October 31^st, 1517.  His 95 Theses were not meant to ignite one of the biggest theological changes in world history.  And yet, the Lord used Luther’s wondering about the use of indulgences as a means of helping the people of the church to make the transformations that helped to bring His bride back to Him.

    I’ve often wondered what Martin Luther would think if he were to visit our 21^st century world.  Not his thoughts about cell phones or airplanes or the miracle of video games.  I can’t help but think that he would be confused by the many denominations that call upon the name of Christ (and sometimes think theirs is the one true way).  Would he be saddened that there seems to be such disunity in the Christian church?  He loved his church and did not want the divisions to happen as they did.

   I do believe Luther would be pleased that each and every Reformation Day we are reminded of the most important and complete transformation that individually affects each and every one of us…the change that took us through the door of Reformation to our Lord’s good, pleasing, perfect will for us.

On the Trail of the Great Adventure!

Elijah took his cloak, rolled it up and struck the water with it. The water divided to the right and to the left, and the two of them crossed over on dry ground.  When they had crossed, Elijah said to Elisha, "Tell me, what can I do for you before I am taken from you?"
     "Let me inherit a double portion of your spirit," Elisha replied.  "You have asked a difficult thing," Elijah said.     2 Kings 2:8-10b

    Elisha asked a double portion of the Spirit from Elijah.  In another time Solomon asked for wisdom when David was gone.  When the mantle of leadership is passed from one to another, what should one hope for?  It is my belief that we find no better models for life than in the Word of God.  As Karl Birnstein moves from Executive Director to “consultant”, I find myself asking our Lord for that Spirit, for God’s wisdom.  Please pray our Lord’s guidance for me.

     It has been a wonderful experience so far to gather information, to meet people, to try to understand the geography of this fascinating two-state metro area!  I have told people I am on my L³ tour.  I’m listening and looking and learning.  Lutheran High School of Kansas City has been blessed by our Lord in so many ways over the past 30 years.  The blessings have been multiplied over these last six years.  And now…..

     And now as I begin to put all of the pieces together that tell the story of our school from 1980 through today, I am grounded in the belief that we must establish a specific plan for the future—a road map detailing our direction for Lutheran secondary education in the Kansas City metro area well into that future.

     One of my favorite all-time Christian music artists is Steven Curtis Chapman.  One of my favorite all-time songs of his is “The Great Adventure”.  The chorus of that song tells us to saddle up our horses—we’ve got a trail to blaze!  The song continues and tells us that we’re heading through the wild blue yonder of God’s amazing grace!  As I look to the Lord for His measure of Spirit and wisdom on this journey, I know He will be our compass!  Won’t you join me on this trail?

Back to the Beginning

So why does this new guy want to write a blog?  Well, in many years of presenting chapels to students, I’ve learned that quite often my message is a reflection of something that I need to be aware of or that I would like to refocus my efforts upon.  But recently I also read that a blog can be the way in which one can build a community.  Conversations can be ignited.  Context can also be given to our administrative communications.  Besides all of that, you’ll be able to learn a little bit about this new inhabitant of the Executive Director’s office.  This blogging thing seems like a fun thing to do—so check back every week or so for my version of the Knightly News!

I didn’t get to start in the beginning of this school year back in August, so I’d like to return to that mindset for this posting.  Let’s go back to the Word of God that is the basis for the school theme for the year.  I’m sure you’ve seen the theme—everytime you open up Edline there it is:  “Now this is eternal life, that they may know You, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom You have sent. (John 17:3).   How appropriate it is that what Jesus is talking about in this verse is how He is giving knowledge to humanity—the knowledge of God and with it, the gift of eternal life—glorious salvation!  And now, how great is it that as an educational ministry, whose center is also based upon sharing knowledge, we at LHS find ways to tell about the Triune God in each and every facet of school life!  We are blessed in so many ways that the strong foundation of our school is rooted in the Word of life for all of us.  The InterVarsity Press Bible Commentary states that John 17 contains the most extensive prayer of Jesus in the Bible—His prayer before He completes His mission of ultimate sacrifice on behalf of every single human who has ever lived or will live on this earth.  Again, during this school year, what a blessing to partner with parents, friends, Lutheran grade schools, churches and even the students themselves in witnessing to the One who was sent!  I think this year is going to be an amazing journey!