Newsletter
Gardening the Heart
Gardening the Heart
Dear Mount Calvary Lutheran Church,
What makes some places appealing and others not? Can you feel the atmosphere of a situation when you walk in? What you are feeling and trying to describe is what consultants frequently describe as culture. There are many sayings about culture. Consultant guru Peter Drucker once said, “culture eats strategy for breakfast.” Likewise, we are told, “culture is what people do when they aren’t thinking about what to do.” To nerd out for a second, the etymology of the word culture is fascinating. It actually comes from the Greek verb for gardening. Perhaps you can hear echoes of the word culture in the words agriculture or horticulture. Lent is traditionally a season of taking inventory, of looking inside, of looking in the barns of our hearts. What is in there? Is it prize crops or manure? Probably both, as we are sinners and saints. Yet, if were tired of being the ones with bad culture (or vibes for our younger readers), or if you’re just tired of sin, Lent is a time for that culture-building work of gardening our hearts. Yet, if you're like me, you have probably never done this intentionally before. With this metaphor in mind, what does it look like to garden the culture of our hearts?
One begins gardening by planting, and the right crops have to be planted. Jesus told a story,
“A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and immediately they sprang up, since they had no depth of soil, 6 but when the sun rose they were scorched. And since they had no root, they withered away. 7 Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8 Other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9 He who has ears, let him hear.”
- Matthew 13:4-9
This is a familiar story, and an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. The seed is simply God’s Word; it must be planted in the soil of our hearts. This can be through the Sunday service, Bible Study, audio booking the Bible on the way to work, or during a time of family devotion. When it comes to planting, God’s Word is the right thing to prioritize. Under the right conditions, God’s words produce the fruits of the Spirit. If you’ve been in church a while, you’ve heard them before, but here they are again: “the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control.” These and so many other virtues will come from God’s word.
Successful gardening requires nurturing the young plants. Let’s suppose that God’s Word is producing, and it always does, some green shoots in our hearts. We have some temperance with our turnips, peace and patience with your pumpkins, and all-around virtue on the vine. What now? Let me tell you a story. I was blessed to grow up in a house with a yard and a large garden in the backyard. This was not a vegetable patch but a manicured collection of water-tolerant trees and shrubs. Every year, they would all have to be trimmed and pruned. This would literally take several long mid-summer days of rare Seattle sunshine. It would go on the family calendar, and we would trim and prune and pick up the remains for a couple of afternoons. It was done because pruning makes way for new growth. Under the present conditions, growth is limited. Yet when there is a setback, more growth can occur in the long term. Hardships are God’s way of pruning the goodness in our hearts if we can recognize it. Naturally, difficulties are not pleasant or enjoyable, yet from them comes growth if we acknowledge with the author to the Hebrews, “God disciplines everyone he accepts as a son.”
Finally, one must pull weeds to be successful at gardening. Weeds can look desirable, like the oft-desired dandelion. Weeds do spread fast when they are allowed to take root. They reproduce like rabbits. However, weeds are simply not what we are trying to grow. We don’t even really know where they come from. Maybe you’ve heard people in church talk about something called original sin. Original sin says, amongst other things, that humans have an inclination to do evil, and this inclination will almost manifest itself sooner of later like weeds in a garden. It’s not a cheerful thought, but it is a practical one. Why is my child doing this? Original sin. Why is my adult child not doing this? Original sin. Why is my boss a jerk? Original sin. Why can’t the Cardinals have a good team? They are cursed, which is something different… The call of discipleship is to renounce the weeds, no matter how desirable they look, and pull them up. It can feel hopeless, but we do have a choice. In my work with addicts, many folks with an addiction have an external locus of control. They attribute the addiction to their circumstances, which are often unjust and rightly wrong. Sin always hurts someone. Yet, pulling weeds is as simple as saying no. Really saying no to what would choke out the good God is trying to grow in us. We cooperate with the gardener, God, in this area. You can have an internal locus of control.
My friends, culture drives who we are and what we do. Now more than any other time of the year, we focus on becoming better people. It sounds simplistic and a tad moralistic, and perhaps it is. Yet, if we don’t do it, it won’t be done. This spring, join me in the fields of the heart, preparing the soil for a beautiful harvest at a later date.
May the God of all grace be with you in these 40 days.
In Jesus’ Service,
Pastor Kurt
Why We Fast
If a Christian from the first few centuries of church history visited Mount Calvary, he or she would find many familiar aspects. Communion, the eucharistic, has been central to Christian life since the beginning. The same goes for preaching, scripture reading, music, prayer, and even potlucks! (Originally, called agape or love feasts.) However, one aspect of faith that was central to Christian life for centuries, which has all but disappeared from Christian life in this country, is fasting. Fasting, often talked about but little practiced during Lent, uniquely deepens our dependence on God.
Jesus fasted and expected his disciples to fast too. Famously, Jesus fasted for 40 days. Jesus also said, “when you fast” (Matthew 6:16). The keyword here is when, not if. Likewise, we can see from Acts 13 and 14 that the first Christians fasted before making significant decisions. There is clearly some connection between fasting and a heightened awareness of God.
Like most of you, I did not grow up fasting. On the contrary, I recall thinking of fasting as something the Catholics did. Even they seemed to have watered it down. The Midwest Catholic fish fry is a wonderful, raucous celebration of gluttony that would put a Vegas buffet to shame. On vicarage, a jolly and rotund guest preacher who was known for his frequent trips to the town's doughnut shop humbly began a sermon on fasting, saying, “Clearly I’ve never done this!” I credit this man for having the courage to preach on fasting. Eventually, through his message and the sheer number of references to fasting in scripture, I decided to give it a try. I chose to fast on Ash Wednesday, and I thought I was going to faint after completing school chapel that morning. By the afternoon, I could not stop thinking of food. It seemed like I was just making life hard for myself. Fasting was making me less productive, and the Protestant work ethic in me thought, “Surely God wouldn’t want that!” I tried to stick it out. I still had work to do ahead of the evening service at Mount Calvary and began to pray desperately that God would give the insight needed to lead a quality service, or at the very least, just get me through it. Then it struck me, this was the point. Desperate prayer. Fasting is not a relic from the past, nor is it some magical formula to earn brownie points with God; fasting drives us into prayer.
Fasting is also a practice in self-discipline. Sometimes, we falsely equate Lent fasting with giving up sin. I have heard men say, “I am cutting back on alcohol this Lent, I know I have a problem,” or “I am giving up internet pornography for Lent.” Friends, we should always give up sin! Don’t wait for Lent. The 1st of Luther’s 95 theses was, “When our Lord Christ Jesus said ‘repent’ he willed that the entire Christian life be one of repentance.” To repent means to turn away from sin. It is an urban myth that Luther was somehow lighter on sin than his contemporaries. On the contrary, Luther’s initial concern was that the church needed to repent from both her many sins and her human-made, shortsighted solutions to sin. Only the blood of Jesus can cover our sins. Jesus calls us to repent of sin, receive his grace, resist sin, and repeat this process continuously! We are all called to resist sin. This is the real, game-time performance of being a Christian. Enter fasting. Fasting is a practice for resisting sin. If you can resist food for one day, you can resist that sin that you return to time and time again. Fasting is firing blanks so that when the real fight comes, you’ll be ready.
Our ministry for college-aged guys at Mount Calvary is called Memento, meaning “to remember.” This is a church wide program across the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod. One of the things Memento asks us to remember is fasting and other Lenten disciplines. This Lent, our guys, led by Joel, have committed to the following:
· Total fasts on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday
· Skipping a meal on Wednesdays and Fridays
· Giving up all sweets and alcohol during Lent
· Giving up social media for Lent
· Only listening to sacred music and Lutheran influencers during Lent
· Daily devotions
· A scripture reading plan
· Reading a book together
· Working out together as a group three times a week
I am honored to join them in these. I could not be prouder of their commitment and zeal. These guys know they must manage themselves before they can fully take advantage of other opportunities that come their way. I would encourage you to take Lent for the opportunity it is. Yes, if you have not turned away from that favorite sin of gossip, or from the covetous call of online shopping at work, please do. Run away, pass Go, and do not look bad. Also, please apply the principle, “you get out what you put in,” to Lent. If you join our young men in some of these disciplines, you may be pleasantly surprised by the results when harder times come.
There is, of course, a danger in fasting or any other spiritual discipline. In my study on grief, we recently reflected on Luke 18, where Jesus tells this story,
“He also told this parable to some who trusted in themselves that they were righteous, and treated others with contempt: 10 “Two men went up into the temple to pray, one a Pharisee and the other a tax collector. 11 The Pharisee, standing by himself, prayed thus: ‘God, I thank you that I am not like other men, extortioners, unjust, adulterers, or even like this tax collector. 12 I fast twice a week; I give tithes of all that I get.’ 13 But the tax collector, standing far off, would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but beat his breast, saying, ‘God, be merciful to me, a sinner!’ 14 I tell you, this man went down to his house justified, rather than the other. For everyone who exalts himself will be humbled, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted.”-Luke 18:9-15
I love this story. It is one of the reasons we named our son Luke. This is the gospel in a paragraph. Notice how the Pharisee said, “I fast twice a week.” Our training comes to nothing if it comes to boasting. Wherever you are in your walk with the Lord, please know that, in our failures, in our sin, in our frustrations, Lent teaches us to pray that simplest prayer, “God be merciful to me a sinner.” And He is.
In Jesus’ Service,
Pastor Kurt
Remember God, Remember His Word
Dear Mount Calvary Lutheran Church,
Did you read the best-selling book in the English language in 2025? No, it wasn’t on the New York Times’ best seller list, but the Bible sold 18 million copies in the United States this last year. This is nearly 9 times the number of the next best-selling book, Sunrise Reaping by Susan Collins. Bible sales were up 20% year over year, outpacing previous years. Generationally, Gen Z led all generations in Bible purchases. The most popular translation was the English Standard Version. The good book remains a great read.
Yet, the Bible is often bought, rarely read, and less understood. Christianity Today reports that less than half of self-identified Christians in the United States have read more than a few chapters on their own. The Bible itself says, “All Scripture is breathed out by God and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness.” (2 Timothy 3:16) How sad it is when God’s own Word for our lives collects dust as a paperweight, shelf ornament, or mere heirloom? Well intentioned Christians often cite ignorance of the Bible as a barrier to study. Who wants to miscommunicate with God? Enter the ancient Christian tradition of group Bible study.
Bible study is our preparation for the challenges of modern life. The Psalmist juxtaposes the Bible with self-help literature when he says, “Your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path” (Psalm 119:105). Additionally, we hear Solomon say, “The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom, and knowledge of the holy one is insight” (Proverbs 9:10). In a world overwhelmed by the noise of social media, podcasts, and literature, the call to study the Bible is a call to return to the source, a call to return to a certain simplicity. Prominent 20th-century Lutheran theologian Dietrich Bonhoeffer called the Bible the “church’s book”. Now this may seem obvious, as most church pews have a Bible in them, but he meant that the Bible owns the church, not the other way around. The Bible tells us who we are, who God is, and what God has done for us. The Bible tells us how to live, how to be wise, and how to act justly. We sit as students under the Bible, not as academics trying to exegete every last word. A good Bible study is less about us studying the Bible and more about the Bible studying us.
Last year, I asked the people of Mount Calvary to renew the habit of attending worship every Sunday. The sabbath is an invitation to rest, worship, and experience a little bit of heaven during the week. You have risen to the challenge. My ask this year is, would you please consider making Bible study an indispensable part of your routine? As we return from the holiday season, we are proud to offer not one, or two, but three Bible studies on Sunday morning. If you cannot attend Sunday morning, would you consider a private Bible study routine? Perhaps enlist a friend, church member, or me as an accountability partner to help you in that discipline? If you would like to attend a group Bible study, but the Sunday times do not work for you, I would be happy to even recommend a Bible study at another church. We simply want everyone in the Word this year. Our theme is: Remember God, Remember God’s Word.
I think I know what you're thinking: you don’t have the time. I have these thoughts all the time: “I am afraid that if I commit to a private reading of the Bible in the morning and even enlist an accountability partner, I may be late to work if I am not careful.” Maybe you’re thinking, “I want to go home after church and watch the Seahawks beat the Cardinals again.” Finally, perhaps you’ve said, “I want to spend time with family on Sunday (who can argue with that), and Bible Study at church pushes that time back an hour.” My friends, we have the time. The average American spends 5 hours a day watching TV, scrolling social media, or actively looking at media online. These time chunks don’t come all at once. 15 minutes of Facebook here, a YouTube video on lunch break there, a news article in line at the doctor’s office, and an extra episode of your favorite show at the end of the day. Worse still, all this media is entertainment and is often designed to provoke you to anger, fear, and sadness, with only the occasional feel-good story as a reprieve. Bible study, like exercise, dinner with family, or talking with a friend, is true leisure and makes us more human. Can you take an hour out of the approximately 35 hours a week we spend looking at media online to intentionally study God’s Word?
Bible Study includes the following benefits:
· Community. Bible study is a great opportunity to get to know other people at church beyond simply saying hi and bye in passing.
· Learning with leaders. In addition to time with other people, Bible study provides an opportunity to spend time with our wonderful leaders and ask questions.
· Personal growth. Bible study clearly connects you with the story of your salvation. Because we are made to be in a relationship with God, Bible study also gives several natural benefits currently in high demand in the secular world, such as reduced stress and greater self-awareness.
For this next season of ministry, we are pleased to offer the following Bible Study opportunities:
· Morning Joe. Please consider joining Joe Richter in the church lounge as he walks through the story of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation. This will be a great study for people of all experience and ages, but may be especially helpful for adults who could use a refresher on the Bible as a whole.
· Memento. Pastor Kurt will lead this group of men committed to prayer, accountability, and spiritual discipline. Group members will commit themselves to fasting and other ancient Christian practices during Lent. Memento is part of a new, grassroots men’s ministry initiative taking off in other Lutheran churches. More information can be found here. memento70.com
· Summit Sisters. Clara Hellwig will lead this group of young women meeting outside in the courtyard. Please consider joining us for prayer, encouragement, and fellowship.
As you consider how best to remember God and His Word this year, I want to remember the end. At my internship congregation in the medium-sized town of St. Charles, MO, there was a woman named Beaulah. Beaulah was 104 years old in 2020, a Cherokee originally from Oklahoma, and she lived in a 2-bedroom stilted home on the edge of the Missouri River. Beaulah was a character, and she was known for a couple of things: smoking several packs a day and having nearly the entire Bible memorized. As the COVID-19 pandemic was in full swing and the backdrop to many conversations, she often talked about how she remembered the Spanish Flu epidemic as a small child in 1919! She remembered so much even as her health failed. When I visited, I would read from scripture, saying, for example, that I was going to read from 1 Corinthians 15. She would say, “I remember this” and recite the passage from memory. Beaulah is one of those people I look up to. When God writes the final pages of our earthly life, I want to recite scripture from memory. I feel pretty confident that I won’t remember or care to remember what was on the front page of the newspaper on January 2nd. I certainly won’t care about my Candy Crush score or the reel from my high school acquaintance, with whom I haven’t spoken in 10 years. I will care, as a human being and as God’s son, that I remember Him, knowing He has always looked over me. Join me in making 2026 the year we Remember God and Remember His Word.
In Jesus’ Service,
Pastor Kurt
Follow Jesus
Welcome to part two of our look at Mt. Calvary’s new mission motto: “meet Jesus, follow Jesus, service central Phoenix with Jesus.” Previously we heard about how in worship we meet Jesus. Specifically, in the Lord’s Supper we meet the risen body of Jesus himself. Like the disciples on that first Easter, we touch the Savior and our faith is engaged and strengthened in the midst of our fear and uncertainty. This month. we turn our attention to the phrase, “follow Jesus.”
It seems like Jesus is always inviting people to follow him. When Jesus approaches Peter, Matthew, or countless others he says, “follow me.” If you were to imagine and reflect on this conversation how do you hear Jesus’ words? Does Jesus sound stern? Tender? Cautious? Is there a sense of indifference or a sense or invitation? If I had to guess, Jesus must have said these words in the most matter of fact kind of way. The person he was speaking to would have been floored by Jesus’ request. Rabbis often had disciples, followers, who would learn from them. These followers would copy the entire way of life of the Rabbi. If the Rabbi happened to walk with a limp, the disciples would walk with a limp. If the Rabbi was a vegetarian, the disciples would become a vegetarian. Imitation of the Rabbi was the goal. A Rabbi would choose followers from the students in his Hebrew and Torah classes. These students were essentially elementary school age. It was an honor to be chosen. The student-disciple was almost guaranteed to become a Rabbi himself, or perhaps a scribe, or a government official. Becoming a disciple was a path to social mobility in Jesus' society. It was unheard of for a Rabbi to ask an adult man with a family, Peter, or a man with an established profession, Matthew to be his disciple. Jesus transforms and redefines discipleship.
It has been said that becoming Jesus’ disciple is the easiest thing in the world and the hardest thing in the world. Becoming Jesus’ disciple is easy since Jesus doesn’t just take honors students as his disciples. There is always room in the crowd following Jesus. Jesus doesn’t chase away strangers who would approach him with their requests and acts of reverence. Jesus says, “my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” As it concerns difficulty, Christians are not called to transcend our humanity, we are called to the practices Jesus practiced. Jesus encourages us to practice charity, prayer, fasting, hospitality, and rest. The discipleship Jesus invited people too was also different in difficulty. Whereas traditional discipleship was a career pathway, Jesus warns that his disciples will have more trouble than most.
Discipleship and growing in discipleship always involves other people. We not only follow Jesus but other people are in need of Jesus. The other person is the object our Jesus inspired practices.
As the pastor of Mt. Calvary I consciously create opportunities for Christians to practice their discipleship. Bible study and worship give us more time with Jesus. Activities such as fellowship, Light Rail Relief, and care for others in the congregation are all opportunities to practice our Jesus practices.
Join us this weekend in person or online for moments to practice our discipleship.
In Jesus’ Service,
Pastor Kurt Hellwig
425.420.6826.
Meeting Jesus
Dear Mount Calvary Lutheran Church,
Where do you see Jesus? Do you see Jesus? It's okay to hesitate in your response. We Lutherans rightly hesitate to explain everything about God as it seems almost arrogant to claim how God is working in our lives. Alternatively, perhaps we don't feel worthy or spiritual enough for Jesus to work in specific ways in our lives. Nevertheless, Jesus says, "I am with you always, to the end of the age."
The former Lutheran Hour speaker, Rev. Dr. Dale Meyer, once said that churches can sometimes feel like museums, and sermons more like history classes. We hear about Jesus in a similar way that someone might learn facts about George Washington or Abraham Lincoln. We appreciate Jesus' "contribution" to Western civilization, our personal values, and even our salvation, in the same way we admire Lincoln's leadership or Washington's integrity. While I love museums and am something of a history buff, religion, Christianity, and Jesus are not merely things of the past. The cross does not belong in a museum. Jesus is changing lives now. The best is yet to be written. Jesus' words, "I am with you always," aren't mere sentimentality. Jesus is alive, and He really is with you, whether you're lying in bed or walking on the street.
At their retreat in June, the Mt. Calvary council adopted the mission motto, "Meet Jesus, Follow Jesus, Serve Central Phoenix with Jesus." Come meet Jesus. This is a bold claim, as we are stating that we have personally met Jesus and know where to find Him. We are guaranteeing that others will meet Jesus if they come to church. Such a claim might seem quite bold, even arrogant. I once saw a billboard that read, "Pray to talk to Jesus, text and drive to meet him." The message was clear: do not text and drive. The implication was that you have to die to meet Jesus. To the contrary, we are saying that you can meet Him on Sunday mornings at Mt. Calvary.
Where? Our relationship with Jesus reaches its peak in the Sacrament of the Altar. Jesus says, in reference to the bread and wine, "This is my body, and this is my blood." We touch the Risen Jesus. Like "doubting" Thomas, we put our hands in the side of Jesus and exclaim, "My Lord and my God!" This is "our theology" of the real presence. It's simply realizing that our prayers, "Come Lord Jesus," have been answered. On Sunday mornings, we actually meet Jesus. When the pastor brings communion, he brings nothing less than Jesus. We could go on. Jesus says His words are life now and always. We hear from Jesus every Sunday. He is speaking to you. Jesus has authorized words of forgiveness to be spoken in His name. We hear these words on Sunday too. Jesus is fully human. When we meet another human, we encounter them in their humanity through the humanity of Jesus. All parties in any face-to-face human encounter share Jesus. They have Jesus in common in a world of division. This leads us to follow Jesus and serve with Jesus.
Blessings for the week ahead,
Rev. Kurt Hellwig
The Promise of Regret
The plans of the heart belong to man, but the answer of the tongue is from the LORD. -Proverbs 16:1
The end of something is always a time for reflection. The end of the school year is a time for celebrating. The student, parent and teacher alike celebrate. But celebration (and the relief of grading being done!) gives way to reflection. The last days or even months on a job can be a time for wrestling. The end of life finally affords the time to analyze decisions we hastily made years ago.
Regret is a common feeling in these moments. Whether it is simply spending another Summer day inside, or looking at an endless forest or stars on precious days away in the mountains, regrets flood the mind; worry works its way in.
Regret is powerful because it forces us to confront the reality that life is a zero-sum game. There is only so much time and we have to spend it somehow. We may question why we didn’t apply ourselves harder. We may question why we didn’t spend more time with our kids or friends and stayed late at the office instead.
Reflection on regret often shapes our behavior going forward. We may experience intense guilt over decisions we made that we knew were wrong - sinful. We may be paralyzed in the face of an uncertain future. Regret causes us to question our decision making abilities. Regret could drive us into intense speculation and cost benefit analysis on how to spend our time. Worse yet is the realization that there might not be more we can do.
The Bible is rich in language about the human heart. The heart is the seat of desire. Humans desire all kinds of things but we may especially desire more time or time for a do over. These plans of the hearts belong to man, Proverbs tells us. Proverbs, one of the wisdom books in the Bible, gives us an additional thought, “the answer of the tongue is from the Lord.” This seems like an unlikely way to the thought, “the plans of the heart belong to man”. Heart and tongue are different body parts. God and man are different. I think the key comes in considering the difference between plans and speech. Plans are full of potential. Speech is occurring in the present. Plans are something we dream up. Sometimes we are called to speak. Sometimes we must simply act in a moment.
Will we have regrets about what we say? Maybe, probably, when we consider the zero-sum nature of time. Nevertheless, the answer is from the LORD. He who made heaven and earth has put you on the earth for this time. The most common question I get is, “pastor, why am I still here?” Often it is an older adult asking the question. But, it is also a question the middle aged person and even the young person asks from time to time. The answer is, “you are still here for the reason that God put you here in the first place: to do His work wherever we are, in accordance with whatever gifts and abilities he has given us.” This work or action might be as simple as a spoken word. It might be spoken to a nurse or a child. It might be the person we go out of our way to see. The beautiful thing about God is that he has eternity and he is merciful. These traits give us the confidence to act. When given endless time and endless goodness, God will not leave our deeds, His plans, unanswered.
May God be with you in all your thoughts and deeds this Summer.
In Jesus Service,
Pastor Kurt
Dear Mt. Calvary Family,
I can remember as a child grocery shopping with my mom. Naturally, I was impressed by the bakery section, the cookie aisle, and the sports drinks. Mom would always say, “is that something we need or something we want?” The point is a staple of personal wisdom. We all have things we need and things we want.
Things we need include food, water, shelter, transportation, other people, God’s Word and certainly God’s grace. Things we want often have to do with the type of shelter, transportation, or experience we want. Wants are not bad as long as we recognize them as wants.
God is good. He really is. He provides for his people in his time. In the Old Testament, we read that God brought the people of Israel out of slavery in Egypt. While in the desert, God provided them with mana, bread from heaven, water, and meat. He provided them with leaders and a livelihood. He showed his mercy to them over and over again despite their sin. He gave them everything they needed. The problem often came when they wanted something that simply wasn't on the agenda or on the menu. They craved the melons they had back in Egypt. God was serving bread and quail that night, again.
Nevertheless, God is really, really good. God never failed to give his people their needs. The Bible never mentions a single person dying from thirst, hunger or exposure while wandering in a desert comparable to the Sonoran Desert without air conditioning in those 40 years. God’s Word and his unconditional mercy was a constant presence. God also gave them wants beyond their imagination in his time. He brought them to a land with not just melons but one flowing with milk and honey. God never fails to give you your daily bread. God often in his time gives us much more as well.
Please allow me to share one of my favorite passages with you. Jesus says,
“Therefore I tell you, do not be anxious about your life, what you will eat or what you will drink, nor about your body, what you will put on. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothing? Look at the birds of the air: they neither sow nor reap nor gather into barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not of more value than they? And which of you by being anxious can add a single hour to his span of life? And why are you anxious about clothing? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow: they neither toil nor spin,yet I tell you, even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. But if God so clothes the grass of the field, which today is alive and tomorrow is thrown into the oven, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? Therefore do not be anxious, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ For the Gentiles seek after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them all. But seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, and all these things will be added to you.
“Therefore do not be anxious about tomorrow, for tomorrow will be anxious for itself. Sufficient for the day is its own trouble.”
As a congregation God has been good to us. He is meeting our wants and needs. Chiefy, our need for his Word and grace. Note the worship schedule for the week before Easter:
4/2 Palm Sunday 10am
4/6 Maundy Thursday 7pm
4/7 Good Friday 2pm
4/9 Easter Sunday 10am
There will also be Easter Breakfast at 8:30am on Easter Sunday. The men of the congregation will make breakfast for our families, ladies, and visitors. Please make plans to attend and bring a friend. If you are interested in helping out please contact Pastor Kurt.
God has been giving us our wants too. There are three really exciting projects in the works at Mt. Calvary:
This last week I received the news that we have officially received a grant from an outside source for $42,000 in new livestream equipment, audio equipment, and professional installation. Praise God! If you can’t make it to church you will soon be able to watch church from home. This equipment will also be a powerful evangelism tool. God is good.
Mt. Calvary will also be receiving a new roof. This roof will go on beginning 4/3 and should wrap up in about a week.
Finally, Mt. Calvary will be meeting with a delegation from Christ Greenfield Lutheran Church in Gilbert, AZ on March 29th. The purpose of this meeting is to acquire the software and marketing tools to use the livestream equipment well, and to discuss a vision for Mt. Calvary. What does Mt. Calvary want to be known for in the community? In an area with many historic churches, why Mt. Calvary? How can we communicate this to future Christians all around? It is going to be an exciting time to scale up evangelism and outreach.
As always, you can reach me anytime at the contact information below:
In Jesus Service,
Pastor Kurt
425.420.6826.
khellwig@vlhs.org
Family in Christ
The week between Christmas and New Years is one of my favorite weeks of the year. My dad worked as a store manager for Walgreens for most of his life. The weeks before Christmas were his busy time of the year, and our family as a whole rushed from place to place to celebrate like many other families. The week after Christmas always brought quiet, reflection, and much needed family time together. This is now doubly true for my own family since Christmas is still the busy time of year at work.
The week between Christmas and New Years is that week when, hopefully, those words, “all is calm, all is bright,” are realized. The week brings reflection. Reflection brings feelings of accomplishment or regret based on how the past year has gone. If we were to fast forward to the end of 2023 what would we have regrets about? What might have to happen for us to feel accomplished? What needs to happen for Mt. Calvary to have a satisfying and accomplished 2023?
In my first few months at Mt. Calvary, one refrain I have heard from you is that we have to grow. This is a God pleasing desire. It is one rooted in some regrets and some aspirations for the future. I agree that we need to grow. But, why should we grow? Here’s what I mean: we don’t want to grow just to pay the bills with more ease. We want to grow because God is in the business of saving and transforming people. He wants to restore his world. He wants to restore you. We call this the mission of God. We want to grow because God cares about people. He has called his church to care for people. Hopefully, church is a place for people to receive hope, forgiveness, a hand up, and even tough love from time to time.
It is understandable to ask, “how are we going to grow?” I am increasingly convinced that we will grow when we are growing. We will transform lives when we ourselves are transformed. Others will be saved when we take the truth that God has saved us and place it at the core of who we are each and every day. God has saved you from others, from oppressive contemporary life, from the devil, from yourself. We will grow when we are authentically and genuinely different. We will grow when people know us as a place that is radically transformed and different.
This Epiphany season we will be walking through a sermon series called, “The 6 Ps of Mission.” This will explore that question, “Why do we want to grow?” The penitential season of Lent will give us the opportunity to practice the mission more intentionally. Watch for the sermon series, “6 Spiritual Habits Every Christian Should Do.” Additionally, watch for more information about community groups and outside partnerships.
I hope and pray that the year 2023 is decisive for Mt. Calvary. I would like to close with this analogy. If the church is a car, the Holy Spirit is the engine. He powers the church. Vision is in the driver’s seat. Vision determines where we are going. Relationships are in the passenger seat. Relationships are vital for the journey. They are the co-pilot informing the vision. The structure and buildings of the church are in the backseat. They are important but they are tools for the vision. This Spring we will attend to the necessary and important work of structure and buildings (there is a new roof coming!), we will continue to grow in relationship and love for one another, but I hope we will by the power of the Holy Spirit arrive at a vision, a direction, for where we are going. This will require some sacrifice of time and commitment. Please make a renewed effort to attend the next few weeks. This is going to be an all hands on deck process. This is God’s church. This is your church.
In Jesus Service,
Pastor Kurt