“Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth, as it is in heaven”
Just what is ‘Stewardship’? In his book, ‘Giving to God’, Mark Powell put it this way: “Stewardship is about giving to God. It is about turning total control of our lives over to God. It is about taking seriously the words that we so easily pray: “Thy kingdom come, Thy will be done.”
So here’s a question: Do we know what we are asking for? Would any of us pray the Lord’s prayer knowing that what we are asking God to do, and what we are telling God we are going to do will be life changing? Think of when Jesus prayed this prayer himself. Where was he? Was he on the shore of the sea of Galilee on a summers evening watching the sunset? Was he at the wedding at Cana, right before he turned the water into wine and saved the party? No. He was in a garden, but it was the garden of Gethsemane. Yes he prayed ‘thy will be done’, but only after he agonized about what that meant for him: Betrayal. Crucifixion. Death. Yet he turned his life over completely to the one who sent him for this task: His heavenly Father, maker of heaven and earth. He knew the reality of the situation; that it was the will of the Father to have him go to the cross. He had to trust that God would keep his promise to him. And on Easter God kept his promise to Jesus and raised Him from the dead! Death did not have the last word! Even when things looked the worst, God made a way when there seemed to be no way.
So what? God is faithful! When we pray, “Thy kingdom come,” we ask God to rule our lives. When we pray, “Thy will be done,” we ask for what God wants to happen in our lives to take place now, on earth just like it is done in heaven. One of my favorite phrases is : “We don’t know what tomorrow holds, but we know who holds tomorrow” As we look at our today’s and tomorrow’s, may we remember to ‘look to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith, who for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross, despised the shame and is seated at the right hand of the throne of God’ Thy will be done.
Rev. Mark Kindem
August 2010 |
Kara’s Last Words (at least in the Beacon…)
Wow. My time is coming to a close. I can hardly believe that I’m writing what will be my last newsletter article for the Beacon. I’m suffering a little shock that my 11 ½ months are almost over. My last Sunday (Aug 15) is but days away…
People keep asking me how I feel about internship ending. I always respond that it’s both good and bad.
Good because I’m ready for the next stage in my life. Ready to go back to school and have some time to reflect upon my experiences. Ready to see my fellow interns again. I may not be ready to sit in lectures and write papers, but I suppose that comes with the territory of being a student.
But bad because there are some people and activities I’m going to miss. I am going to miss Bible studies (whether on Tues afternoon, Wed morning or Thurs evening). I’m going to miss quilting, helping out at the Food Shelf and Soup Kitchen, and delivering Meals on Wheels. I’m going to miss Kid’s Club, Confirmation and youth group. I’m going to miss visiting with people I’ve come to know over the course of my time, whether at church, in homes or during chance meetings around town. There were some activities I did not get to start and/or finish (like ice fishing and curling). And those are just some off the top of my head.
I have been blessed with being able to say that I’ve learned a lot this year. It has been a rough year with a lot of space to learn and grow. I’m not going to lie and say that it was always peachy, but I will say that I appreciate just how much I have learned.
There were some true high points of working with Bethel-ites (pretty sure I just made up a word to name the people from Bethel Lutheran). I loved being able to talk and pray with people, to worship God as a community, to serve the community, and to spend some fun times playing games (like cricket on the lawn).
But there were also times when I struggled with writing sermons, preparing Bible studies, visiting with people, leading worship, etc. I’ve had a few bouts of being too sick and tired to do anything besides sleep (usually due to overextending myself so that I would come down with some virus).
But all of those challenges have helped to strengthen me both as a person of faith and as a future minister. I’ve had to learn (or re-learn) how to set up boundaries, recognize when I need to rest, and give all my worries over to God. I’ve been humbled and chastised at times, but I also have become much stronger in my personal faith and trust in God through the challenges.
Thank you for walking with me on this part of my journey.
Blessings and Peace to you all
Intern Kara Wiechmann
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Kara Wiechmann’s Bio [Internship at Bethel from September 2009 to August 2010]
I was born in 1984 to my parents Kendall and Diane. I have four younger sisters (Kayla, Kendra, Krissa Marie and Kiana). I do not have any brothers (but do have a new brother-ln-law). My immediate family is quite close (with only seven years between me and the youngest) despite our many and varied interests. My parents were both from large families, so I also have numerous aunts, uncles and cousins. Three of my grandparents are still alive, with my paternal grandfather having passed away New Year’s Eve 2007. I grew up in a small town in South Dakota as the daughter of working class parents who always encouraged their children to be involved in whatever activities they chose. My parents helped to build my trust and faith in God by taking my sisters and I to church and encouraging us to be active participants in church youth group, Vacation Bible School, and Sunday School. I was also involved in band, choir, volleyball, basketball, school play, TORCH (anti-drugs and alcohol group) and National Honor Society. I was an honor roll student who found academics easy, and because of this ease I decided to be a foreign exchange student my senior year of high school. I spent a year in Lichtenau, Germany under the Congress-Bundestag Student Exchange Program. I enjoyed meeting new people, taking classes, traveling, and learning to speak German fluently. I still keep in contact with my host family and some close friends. I attended Augustana College in Sioux Falls, where I majored in Religion with minors in German, Modern Foreign Language and Philosophy. I was involved with campus ministry staff, worship and youth outreach teams, German National Honor Society, German Club, Women’s Choir, and College-Community Band. I worked part-time four years and one summer at Mikkelsen Library, two years as a sacristan and one year as an outreach coordinator at Augustana’s Chapel of Reconciliation. I went on three service
learning trips to Pine Ridge Indian Reservation, which were eye-opening to a new culture. I was a Bible camp counselor for one summer with Lutheran Outdoors at Outlaw Ranch in Custer, SD and one with Nebraska Lutheran Outdoors Ministries at Sullivan Hills in Lodgepole, NE. I went to seminary directly after college graduation in May 2007. At Luther Seminary, I worked part time at the library on campus and enjoy being able to get to know people. I help out with occasionally with the youth group and attend worship services regularly at Salem English Lutheran in Minneapolis, my teaching parish. I realize that I was being called into ministry while in Germany, although I thought as a youth pastor. During college and summers as a camp counselor, I realized that I was being called to ordained ministry in general. I have changed over the years to become more confident to live out my life and calling as a Christian and future pastor, and my time at seminary has helped me to evolve with both doubt and confidence toward the unknown future ahead. |
