Our family dog died yesterday.  Her name was Chips; she was 18.  Or 126 in those fabled dog years.  The timing of her death wasn’t the best, practically speaking.  She died right after I’d left town for a twelve-hour church conference.  And my wife Kathi had the grading of papers and the chaperoning of our daughter’s field trip already on the docket.

The timing of death is rarely convenient I suppose.

We kept reminding ourselves how long she’d been with us.  And what a kind, tender and relaxed friend she was.  Heck, after 16 years in Florida she’d survived two more years up north.  And made it through two bitterly cold Iowa winters.  She’d learned to find comfort lounging fireside, and on beanbags.   And knew where to find the brightest, warmest spots to lay in the house to achieve the highest quotient of sunlight she could find.

For a dog from the Sunshine State, she’d adapted to her new digs really, really well.

While I was away my wife cleaned up the physical mess often associated with the final moments of life.  She found a small box and made an impromptu coffin, complete with Chips’ blanket and toy chipmunk.  And put her in the beer fridge freezer downstairs, anticipating burial would likely be a day away.

She told the kids.  Five-year-old Graham cried.  Hannah, now nine, stormed upstairs, angrier initially, loudly proclaiming that “I’ll never be happy again.”

Emotions were raw; we were all really pretty fond of her.

Truth be told we all cried that day.

Kathi ordered pizza that night and cuddled up with the kids to watch a Lego movie.  By the time I got home later that evening, I quickly realized the hard work of the day had been done.  As I tucked the kids into bed we talked of Chips, our joys, our sorrows, our memories of her.  We imagined her now running, carefree, in heaven, reuniting with her dog-sister Salsa.

Salsa and Chips go together.  One without the other is incomplete. We named them so for that very reason.  And now, after several years apart, they are together once again.

My wife had done the hard work that day.  I was grateful for her strength.  And proud to be on her team.

When it came time for the burial the next day I picked out a couple of shovels and a trowel from the shed. We selected a spot in the back yard not too far from our fire pit.  And near a large bush birds often gather at to sing.

Digging began.

I started in, Hannah picked up the spare shovel, Graham selected the trowel.

It was a family affair.  A pleasant, unexpected surprise.

Kathi suggested today might be a good day to plant a tree.  Hannah had been given a sapling at school on Arbor Day.  Mom and kids then shifted their focus to the tree, finding a spot for it, digging, and planting.

We then spoke of death, and life.  And how both were fully present in the back yard.  Fully visible from our kitchen.

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First, Psalm 23, and valleys, and shadows, and goodness, and mercy.

Each of us shared a favorite story.  Of first meetings.  And high jumpings.  And dog runnings.  And comfy cuddlings.  And lamb-bone eatings, not too very long ago.

Liturgy continued.

Earth to earth. My wife placed a shovel of it on the grave.
Ashes to ashes. Hannah placed another shovel atop the first.
Dust to dust.  Graham took the trowel and added a bit more.

Rest eternal grant her, O Lord.

We imagined light perpetual shining on her now, and forevermore.

Kathi later joked that Chips been given a Lutheran burial.  My mind wandered to Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and his own stories of dogs and the afterlife.  I realized she was probably right.

Graveside service now complete I dismissed the family to depart in peace – as pastors always do – and was again pleasantly surprised.

They wanted to stay and help put the rest of the dirt on Chips’ grave.  We took turns, with shovel and trowel, moving the earth to its final resting place.

Kathi found a gazing ball and stand in the front yard we’ve wanted to move for a while.  We decided it would make for a better gravestone, so we moved it to the back.  And that’s what it now is.

Kathi and I then went inside.  We embraced.  We sniffled.  We shared a kiss.

The kids asked if they could play outside.  Yes, of course.  We watched as they went to the playset to swing high, high in the air.  A playset less than 20 feet from the gazing ball now serving as a gravestone.

A gazing ball we can see from our kitchen.

And I realized, in that moment, that all was as it should be.

My goodness, it’s early May. Where has the time gone? This weekend we celebrate our confirmands graduation. Next weekend we celebrate our high school graduates.

Heck, finals week at Iowa State starts Monday, and Ames public schools finish up the last day of the month.

You know what all that means.

Summer break!

Family vacations!

Getaways!

We take these getaways for lots of reasons. For one, our schedule, at least for many of us, gets leaner. With schools out students and teachers have more down time. Friends and couples find themselves freer to travel. Parents want to make the most of their time with their shorties, and take them to new and exciting places. Often grandparents and great-grandparents join in on the fun too. In this they help usher in grand traditions for the next generation.

We getaway, at least in this part of the country, to enjoy warm weather as best we can. Having lived in South Florida, below the frost line, for sixteen years, our family was used to seeing the annual influx of snowbirds each winter. People would stay for a long weekend, or week or two, or month or two, or half the year. With temperatures that only bottom out in the 40s most winters down there I totally get the draw.

And when weather warms up here? Heck yeah we want to get away to the great outdoors. Heck yeah we want to enjoy it as best we can.

Sometimes we get away to celebrate. Summers can be a reward of sorts. Another year of school successfully completed. Or another year of work navigated. Or an incredibly cold, record-breaking winter in Central Iowa – survived – we did it!

So we pat ourselves on the back, and look to get away. We look to recognize a job well done.

That is the case with our eleven confirmation graduates. Our confirmands have spent the past three years learning about and growing into their faith, making it their own. Confirmation now complete, school year almost over, celebrations now beginning, I’d bet you a nickel that each one of our graduates have some summer getaway plans forming they’re dreaming about.

And sometimes we get away to mourn. That was the case just over two years ago for my family. After being in a call process with a congregation in Chicagoland – for six months! – the call committee opted to not proceed with either candidate. My wife and I were heartbroken. We have family in Chicago. And lots of friends. And the Chicago Cubs. And deep-dish pizza.

Thinking optimistically, we’d even put an offer in on a house there that we adored. It was a mid-century modern home, built in the 50s with an open-concept kitchen, large fireplace and a massive family room with a wood-beam vaulted, slanted ceiling. It was so cool.

But none of that was to be.

Deep in sadness, Kathi and I did something anyone else that lives less than three hours away from the most magical place on earth would do. We took our family to Disney World!

And it was there, kicking it with the mouse, where we began to heal.

Disciples Getaway
Today’s reading from John 20 also features a getaway, and a famous one at that.

By this point the disciples had been part of Jesus’ ministry for about two and a half years. By then they’d pretty much seen it all. They’d dropped their jobs, left their families. They got away to learn from a charismatic man who simply said, “follow me.”

In their time together the disciples saw miracles performed, parables spoken, and travelled all over the place helping to get the message, of a truly great man, out to all who would hear. Over time they slowly began to realize, and then believe, that this truly great man, was so much more.

The last week of Jesus’ life, for the disciples that followed him, was particularly gripping. They were there for Jesus’ triumphant entrance into Jerusalem, complete with palm fronds waving. They dined at the Last Supper, eating of the bread, drinking of the cup. They were present at the Garden of Gethsemane when he was taken away. The were aware of his trial, and death, and had seen him after he’d risen from the dead.

And if that doesn’t make for an emotional roller-coaster, over one week’s time, then I don’t know what does.

It is in the aftermath of all these events where Peter makes a decision.

“I’m going fishing,” he declares. Another half a dozen disciples decide to join him.

Perhaps they got away to celebrate the end of a journey.

Perhaps they got away to commemorate the changing of one season to the next.

Perhaps they got away to reflect, trying to make sense of all that had happened.

Perhaps they got away to mourn, knowing the end of their story, at least as recorded in the gospels, was coming to a close.
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Perhaps it was a bit of all of the above.

Rocking the Boat
The first night of the fishing getaway the disciples caught zilch, zero, nada. Now back on shore they saw there a mysterious man who then gave them some advice.

Cast the nets on the other side, the man said.

But not all the disciples understood, as this humorous comic suggests.

It’s a reminder that understanding the voice of God, and what exactly to do with it, can be a tricky thing.

Whether the disciples truly understood or not they decided to take this mysterious man’s advice. And they caught so many fish. 153 to be precise. So many they were unable to bring the net in. Instead they began to drag the net back to shore.

When John saw this fishy miracle he immediately recognized the mysterious man, and exclaimed, “It is the Lord!”

Peter, who had been naked in the boat, threw some clothes on, jumped into the water, and then swam to meet his savior.

It’s a fair question to ask at the point…

PETER WAS NAKED IN THE BOAT?!?

WHAT THE HECK WAS HE DOING NAKED IN THE BOAT?!?

He was hanging out with a half dozen of his closest dude friends, wearing nothing but his birthday suit.

Which, as we castanets is a reminder. Scripture is filled with humor. And filled with gratuitous nudity too. Aka it’s anything *but* boring.

Anyhoo, the disciples get back to the shore with their fish. We can presume, I think, that they were all now wearing clothes.

The seven then gather over a charcoal fire, sharing in a breakfast of fish and bread. Spending some time to catch up with Christ. It’s a holy scene, represented by a holy, complete number.

That sounds like a pretty good getaway to me.

Close
As spring winds down and we look toward summer vacations, let me encourage you do to something.

Look for signs, of the risen Christ, among you.
Look for Christ-signs in unexpected places.

Places like planes, trains and automobiles.
Place like boats, cabins and tents.

Look for Christ in nature, in people, in unexpected conversations.

Whether your summer getaways are to celebrate achievements or to re-group, or even to mourn something lost, look for Christ in these special, sacred moments.

While our family mourned the loss of a possible Chicagoland call exactly two years ago, God had something brewing while we traipsed around Disney World, busily getting away from it all. What was brewing was in this cute little town we’d never even heard of before, Ames Iowa. And before long, well, you know the rest of that story.

Wherever you go, whatever you do, look for Christ-signs, for they are all around us. And when you find them – for they are there – remember this. Today’s gospel ends with some of the last documented words of Christ ever recorded. And in those words Christ kept things simple.

When you spot Jesus out and about in this world, in whatever form that takes, may it remind you of something. “Follow me,” Christ beckons. “Follow me.”  Amen.

This week we celebrate the culmination of a three-year journey for eleven of our confirmation youth and young adults.

As part of confirmation education we ask graduates to select a scripture verse that resonates with them. We then ask them to prepare a statement of faith that incorporates the verse into how they see themselves as a person of faith.

Now I never got to go through confirmation as a youth, at least in any formal way, because I wasn’t raised Lutheran.

And because of that I never got to pick a confirmation text. Which is kind of a bummer, because it’s a really neat ritual.

This text, in a way, kinda represents my confirmation scripture. Albeit two or three decades later than our confirmands selected theirs ?

Faith Unseen
Specifically, my confirmation text for you today is the first verse of Hebrews 11.

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.

Faith is an assurance.
Faith is a hope.
Faith is a conviction of things not seen.

What a neat definition of a really abstract concept.

This is one of those verses often that pops up as a meme, complete with a visual of a beautiful forest or beach or mountain. Google Hebrews 11:1 meme some time and check out the images paired with this text to see what I’m talking about.

But, similar to many a modern meme, often we need some background to have a more complete understanding of what amounts to a short, specific quote.

I mean really, if faith is defined by things not seen what the heck is faith?

I’m a seeing is believing kind of guy. Maybe you are too.

Faith Seen
Fortunately the rest of Hebrews 11 gives all kinds of tangible, assessible ways to see faith, here, and now, and in the flesh. In it, there’s 18 sentences, out of 28, that begin with the words “by faith.” Each sentence then continues by providing examples of what faith looks like for many of the heavy hitters of the Old Testament, including Abraham, Jacob and Moses.

And in this we end up with a kind of map that details where faith intersects with our daily life. Here’s what that looks like for Abraham.

By faith Abraham set out, away from home, to receive his inheritance, not knowing where he was going.

By faith he stayed in this new land, which was foreign to him, waiting for God’s promise.

By faith Abraham and Sarah then conceived a child. Even though they both thought themselves too old.

For it was by faith that Abraham listened to God, and stayed true to where God was calling him. And this faith then led to a series of others that followed God’s call on their life, including Jacob, and Moses, and Mary, and Christ, and Katie and Marin Luther, all the way up to you and me.

How did they have the strength to follow their creator’s plan?

By faith.

Today
All this leads us back to our confirmands, and their statements of faith.
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So what does faith look like for you, new graduates? My guess is your backstory likely goes kinda like this…

By faith, you were formed, in a divine union between two people. In a plan that dates back to the beginning of time.

By faith you’ve been brought to the waters of your baptism, claimed as a beloved child of God. This weekend you’ll confirm this claim, and do so in front of hundreds.

By faith you’ve celebrated communion, eating of the bread, drinking of the wine. In this you take all that Christ has done through his life, death, and resurrection, and become one with it.

By faith you have spent the past three years learning of what was, up until then, the faith of a previous generation. From Old Testament to New to the Protestant Reformation you’ve had an awful lot to absorb and reflect on.

And, by faith, you now boldly proclaim what you’ve learned, making this faith not of others, but now your own.

And that’s that, right? Confirmation.graduation.done.clap.

Hopefully not ?

Tomorrow
Let me encourage you, new graduates, to continue to live by faith. Both now and for all your days.

By faith dive into high school. Give it all you’ve got.

By faith consider college. It is for some, but not all. Listen for the voice of God to guide you.

By faith seek out love, perhaps marriage, perhaps children. When the time is right, of course. Mom and Dad may have an opinion on when that is, I’d imagine ?

We are called to be in relationship with each other, in so many ways. Keep your creator in the middle of them all.

By faith follow your vocational call, whatever that call may be. Be open to some surprising paths. I myself continue to be surprised with where God’s called me. Aka didn’t see this one coming.

Some of you are called to be pastors, or teachers, perhaps prophets. Others healers, builders, and bus drivers too. If your call is from above you will be blessed, and bless many, many others along the way.

By faith give back to this world. A world our savior Jesus Christ loves so much. Heal the sick. Feed the hungry. Right the wrongs. Love your God. Love your neighbor. This is a common call, for each of us. And an important way we live out our faith.

Close
Let me encourage you, graduating young adults, to make your faith visible. Be convicted, through faith, of things not always seen.

Make your faith visible in everything you do.

Make your faith visible in every facet of who you are.

For when you live, by faith, your journey will always be fulfilling.
For when you live, by faith, your time on earth will be as it should be.
And when you live, by faith, your journey, young adults, has only just begun.

Amen.