A More Just World—Expanding Understandings of Welcome

The theme of lost and found has many layers. On a parental level, the boys played hide-and-seek with Michele and me when they were young. They would either squeal with joy or put on a frustrated face when found because they wanted to stay hidden. Also, I lose things from time to time—don’t we all. Thankfully, there is a difference between misplaced and lost.

Of course, lost and found is also a powerful theme on the Biblical/faith side of life as well. I have been taught from my earliest memories that God does not like things or people to be lost permanently. What is lost should be found and thus included. Jesus’ parables from Luke 15 record three stories back-to-back-toback about the lost and the found—a sheep from the flock, a coin by the widow, and a son from a father. In each story, the lost is valuable to the main character. When found, a celebration ensues. God takes delight in recovering the lost.

A nuance to being lost is that we sometimes find ourselves lost. What college do I attend or career to choose? The death of a loved one destabilizes life. In each of these ways, we can be lost. But, we experience being found, too. After a while, we realize we made the right college and career choice. Grief never goes away fully, but it subsides. We hope to go from a disconnected place that is unsettling to discovering a new place of emerging satisfaction. A true gift is to begin feeling the emergence of a peace within an unsettled life. In other words, it is good to be in the process of being found.

One place where gradually I am growing and deepening in my understanding is with the LGBTQ+ community. This process for me began with the coming of my nephew, Jack. While this was several years ago, it was the first time I had to consider this issue in a personal way. It was no longer about others—it was now about me and my family. When Jack came out to Michele and me over dinner that night, I was surprised with the news. But the choice I had was obvious and right before me. I love my nephew. He is part of my family. When he left that night, I walked him to his car to reiterate my promise—being gay did not change any of my feelings and commitment for him.

In October 2021 St. Andrew hosted an important Wednesday night presentation about the LGBTQ+ community. Pastor Lillejord preached an inspiring Sunday morning sermon on the topic that month, too. At that Wednesday gathering, I had the opportunity to share my story of Jack for the first time in front of a group of people. It felt good to talk about it even if I was not sure what people would say or how people might feel. I am grateful to say that I was overwhelmed by so many who expressed their gratitude and support.

Since that day I have continued in my process of learning and growing.

I want to thank my friends within St. Andrew’s Outside the Lines Support Group, especially our leader Josh Eidem.

This small group was meant to continue the conversation about the LGBTQ+ community who are our neighbors and family members, build community, and provide support for each other. We started by reading a book together, but we talked about a lot of things. Admittedly, it was a little awkward for me at the start. The topic was new for me—I was not used to talking about it. I still mix up the LGBTQ+ acronym sometimes. It still feels a little odd to combine ‘his husband’ and ‘her wife’ in the same sentence. The group has supported me and each other as we have each felt the same way at one point or another. We continue to meet the first Wednesdays of the month at St. Andrew.

My point is that sometimes we don’t know who is lost and who is found. I don’t want to presume that I know who is lost and who needs to be found. It very well could be me. I need to let God do the work of figuring this out. And, the terms ‘lost’ and ‘found’ also can be rather static terms—one is either in or out. I prefer to be more dynamic than the absolutes of ‘lost’ or ‘found’ because sometimes I feel in between. I am getting found. Overall, I grateful that it appears God is not done with me yet. I pray that I can listen, learn, and grow. I would not have it any other way.

God bless,

Peter Johnson Pastor of Service & Small Groups

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Lost in the Woods. Lost in the Bible.

Jonathan Groff sings one of the best songs in Frozen 2. If you haven’t seen it, go watch it. No seriously, right now. But you don’t need to know the plot of Elsa’s soul-searching and leaning into history, Anna’s questions of her role, or the moments of grief and loss (I told you it’s a great movie!) to hear the message of this song. In his perfect belty, Glee-ful, 80s-hair-band-rock style, Jonathan Groff sings:

“Now I know you’re my true north, ‘cause I am lost in the woods.

Up is down, day is night when you’re not there

Oh, you’re my only landmark, So I’m lost in the woods

Wondering if you still care.”

The feeling of being lost is one that all of us have come to at some point, right? And, perhaps by no surprise, it shows up time and again in the Bible. On Sunday mornings we’ll be reading three stories from Luke 15 about being lost and then found. They are amazing, but I thought I’d share a few of the B-side stories of being lost. May they help you romp further into the stories of scripture and hear God finding folks when they least expect it.

1 Kings 19: Elijah, the fiercest prophet of the Old Testament, sits under a tree in the wilderness, tired, persecuted, and perhaps afraid. God shows all the pyrotechnics of the Bible in wind, fire, and earthquake, but shows up to Elijah in “the sound of sheer silence.”

Jonah: A whale of a tale where the prophet gets lost at every corner – on a boat, in a fish, in a city, or on a hillside (sounds like Green Eggs and Ham!)

Ruth 1: Naomi is lost with the death of her husband without a family. Of all people, her daughter-in-law promises to stay with her in one of the most beautiful verses of scripture: “where you go I’ll go, where you stay I’ll stay. Your people shall be my people and your God my God.” While God does not show up in the entire story of Ruth as a character, God finds these two women again and again.

Genesis 21: Hagar is cast aside by Abraham and Sarah, left to die in the desert. In her hope for her son, Ishmael, she calls to God, who hears her voice. Hagar gives the first name of God in the Bible, “you see me.” Indeed God found Hagar and Ishmael.

One of my favorite poems from the Bible is Psalm 139: Where can I go from your spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.

Exodus 3: Moses is lost in the wilderness, wondering about his purpose, questioning his lot in life, working a menial job. But God shows up in a bush that won’t burn, reveals the Divine Name, and calls Moses to free all of Israel from the most powerful enemy on the planet—pharaoh!

We may feel lost in the woods at times. Whether we are bold enough (or beautiful enough, like Jonathon Groff) to sing a ballad or whether we close our eyes and cry like Hagar in the desert, God hears us and God is with us. This is the promise that Jesus speaks so clearly in Luke 15 and the promise that we will explore together this Lent. So join us every week on Sundays and Wednesdays to hear the good news that God is indeed finding each of us whenever we feel lost.

Matthew Ian Fleming Pastor of Teaching & Young Adults