Day of Rest

St. Philip's Church, Charleston, South Carolina

A number of you reading this blog today are busy preparing for tomorrow. You're planning what worship service to attend, preparing food and cleaning house. The Saturday before Easter can be a busy day.

It was quite the opposite for the women who had witnessed Jesus' crucifixion. Saturday was the Sabbath. They were not allowed to perform the loving task of preparing Jesus' body for burial. They couldn't do what their hearts ached to do.

They were forced to rest.

"So there is a special rest still waiting for the people of God." Hebrew 4:9 New Living Translation

These bodies at St. Philip's Church in Charleston have been resting for quite sometime. A signer of the U.S. Constitution is buried here. Yet there are cemeteries in this world hundreds of years older, places where the saints of God rest.

Jesus' rest in the grave has made holy the graves of all who have died in him. His promise is that the ultimate rest of heaven awaits his saints. The special rest of which the writer to the Hebrews refers is that which we will experience when Jesus raises the dead and brings them home.

Until that day may we find rest in the arms of the one who invites us into his presence.

Today is the day to remember your loved ones who have died in Christ. I give thanks to God for my father and sister, my grandparents and the many faithful in Christ that I have been privileged to lay to rest in cemeteries in Michigan, Nebraska, Washington, Oregon and Colorado.

"Blessed are those who wash their robes, so that they may have the right to the tree of life." Revelation 22:14 English Standard Version

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Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2013 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR. 

You Can't Outsmart Death

Skagway, Alaska

Jefferson Smith (a.k.a. Soapy Smith) thought that he could outwit a group of vigilantes who were fed up with his reign of terror in Skagway during the Alaska gold rush.  He was wrong. This tombstone is evidence of this fact.

We cannot outsmart death, yet we live with the illusion that we can. We believe that if we eat the right food, get the proper amount of exercise and reduce stress we'll fool death. We don't trick death.  Death cons us, or rather sin through death cons us in thinking we can.

"For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus our Lord." Romans 6:23 New Living Translation

Sin causes us to believe the lie that we are immortal. Yet the Immortal One becomes death for us. And through his death and resurrection we experience eternal life.

The older I get and the more that the experiences of death pile upon each other, the more I look forward to being clothed with immortality (1 Corinthians 15:53).

Today is Good Friday. It is good not because of the horror of crucifixion but because of the one who clothes himself in death that we might be clothed in his life.

Death has been outsmarted by Christ.

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Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2013 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR. 

Lamplugh Glacier, Glacier Bay National Park, Alaska

Slower than a tortoise.

Outside of watching glaciers calve, you cannot see them move. However, looking at this picture of Lamplugh Glacier you can see the effect of this movement. This lateral moraine is evidence that this glacier is ever moving and with tremendous power.

So often we walk away from the Communion rail "feeling" the same way that we did before we ingested the bread and wine. I suppose that is the way that the disciples felt when Jesus first said, "This is my body," and "This is my blood."

Yet the effect of coming frequently to the Lord's Table is similar to the movement of this glacier.

"When we bless the cup at the Lord's Table, aren't we sharing in the blood of Christ? And when we break the bread, aren't we sharing in the body of Christ?" 1 Corinthians 10:16 New Living Translation

Since we're participating in the body and blood of Jesus we can expect change. We might not perceive the change today, but given the span of our lives this participation in Christ's meal has power to change the contours of our lives.

Remember, it's the tortoise that wins the race.

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Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2013 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR. 

Skagway, Alaska

No secret.

Outside of the fact that most of the shops in Skaway are owned by cruise lines, the town has an interesting history related to the Alaska gold rush. If you enlarge this picture you'll notice that Camp #1 of the Arctic Brotherhood is plastered with driftwood. This pieces of driftwood were contributed by the members of the lodge.

Local Christian communities had a problem with the lodge because of its secret activities and rites.

There is a difference between a secret and silence. Today, Wednesday of Holy Week is the day of silence.  We don't know what Jesus did on Wednesday. However, there was nothing secret about what Jesus was doing this week.

What Jesus would do for the world was a public event.

"So Jesus said to them, 'When you have lifted up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am he, and that I do nothing on my own authority, but speak just as the Father taught me.'" John 8:28 English Standard Version

There was no place for Jesus to hide on the cross. There was nothing for Jesus to hide on his cross. Our God's love for us was exposed as Jesus hung suspended between heaven and earth.

No secret handshake or rites needed. This is love that is meant for all.

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Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2013 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR. 

Juneau, Alaska

A day of controversy.

The Alaska state capital building in Juneau might not appear to be what you'd expect from a state capital. As large as Alaska is, this building is quite small. Built in 1931 by the federal government, it served as territorial building before statehood. When Alaska became a state in 1959 the government deeded the building to Alaska for its capital.

Though the building might be different than what you'd expect, more than likely what takes place inside of these walls is much the same as what happens in other state capitals. Alaska legislators probably have their share of fights in this building.

"[The religious leaders] watched for an opportunity to send out some spies. The spies were to act like sincere religious people. They wanted to catch [Jesus] saying the wrong thing so that they could hand him over to the governor." Luke 20:20 God's Word to the Nations

Tuesday of Holy Week is known as the day of controversy. Within the walls of the temple the religious leaders attempted to trap Jesus in order to find a way to put him to death. Like so often happens, they resorted to lies to get their way.

There are those who seek to discredit Jesus by disgracing his people. Yet unlike Jesus, the church is not perfect and we are often caught in a life that isn't pleasing to God.

Is there hope for God's church? Yes! Our hope is in redemption. Though we fall, God has redeemed us. The power of Christ's cross is our witness to the world that Jesus is Lord.

By the way, did you know that by area Juneau is the second largest city in the U.S. (3,255 sq. miles)? Yet the population of Juneau is only slightly over 32,000. That's about 10 people per sq. mile.

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Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2013 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR. 

Grandpa Nickodemus

Like a rock.

My father-in-law celebrated his 95th birthday this past weekend. The grandson on the right is 30, the other two on his lap are in their twenties (the granddaughter has two children of her own). More than likely he felt a little uncomfortable with two grandchildren in his lap. Most of his days were spent riding a tractor, moving irrigation pipe and milking cows.

My father-in-law was a dairy farmer. At milking time the cows were held in a cramped pen. When the milking was completed the pen needed to be scraped clean of manure. This was done by tractor.

He made a mistake of allowing me to scrape the pen. After scraping the pen, I left the gate open. The cows, hoping for more grain, made their way back into the pen and spread their manure a second time. My father-in-law didn't yell at me, he simply went out and cleaned the pen.

Grace!

"For by grace you have been saved through faith." Ephesians 2:8a English Standard Version

God cleans up after our sin and mistakes through his Son. It is all nailed to Jesus. That's what grace is.

Though we may not always say it dad, we love you and thank you for being a part of our lives.

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Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2013 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR.  

Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado

"I feel the earth move..."

When a group of us walked this land a few month ago it was filled with cacti and weeds. My shoes were covered with cactus needles. In one short day all of that debris was removed and buried by this huge bucket in the hands of a skilled operator.

In one single day Christ buried your sin.

"When he had received the sour wine, Jesus said, "It is completed!" Then he bowed his head and gave up his spirit." John 19:30 New English Translation

Defining sin in today's world is difficult. You and I know that sin has separated us from God and brought death into the world. Yet the world doesn't see itself as separated from God. Instead, to many people, God resides in every human being, and even in the plants and animals. This view of God has no room for sin.

The only effective way to deal with sin is to bury it. Saying that humanity isn't separated from God does not make it a fact. This separation from God is reflected in how we deal with each other. If sin doesn't separate us from God (and it does) it surely separates us from others.

Our broken relationship with God has been buried with Christ. Sin lies in the grave. And we have life. Now that's earth moving!

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Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2013 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR.  

Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, Colorado

And so it begins.

This doesn't look like much right now, does it?  But this is the future home of our Holy Cross Community Garden.  Thanks to the hard work of Jill Archer and others, what began as a dream will become a reality.  Soon raised gardens will be built, top soil added and a fence built.  

And it all began with a dream.

"When the LORD restored the fortunes of Zion, we were like those who dream." Psalm 126:1 English Standard Version

The people of Israel wondered if they would ever return from exile in Babylon.  It was only a dream.  But there is power in a dream, a god-given dream.  God promised that he would bring his people back to the land he had sworn to give them.  He kept his promise.

The dream of having a community garden is not the same as Israel's dream of freedom from captivity, but it's still a dream, one we believe God has placed on our hearts.

Not long from now people from our congregation and community will gather together digging in the dirt and watching God give the growth.  And it will happen because of a dream.

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Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2013 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR.  

Wet Mountain Valley, Colorado

OOPS!

There are some people that you don't want to make angry.  

Fortunately there were two fences between me and this bison. And to be honest, he wasn't all that interested in me anyway. Like the bison in the background, he was more interested in grazing on grass.

A local Christian radio station advertises that their music is "safe for the whole family." That phrase has bothered me, not that the statement is wrong, but it gives a distorted picture of what it means to be a Christian in this world.

Being a Christian isn't safe and it isn't intended to be safe even if we want it to be safe.

"For Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks ask for wisdom, but we preach about a crucified Christ, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles." 1 Corinthians 1:22 New English Translation

The preaching of the gospel and a life lived under the gospel isn't safe. For centuries people have suffered ridicule and faced physical abuse because they wear Christ's name. Too often our churches try to play it safe in ministry.

Though living the gospel is not meant to be safe, we are protected. I suppose that this bison could have charged me and made it through the fences, but those fences were my protection. God's Word is our protection, no, more than that. It is our double edged sword wielded in a world that isn't safe.

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Text and Photographs ©Copyright 2013 Douglas P. Brauner.  ARR.