God loves each one of us, and there is nothing you can do to change that. Baptism is an affirmation of God’s claiming us as God’s own. 
“Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore we have been buried with him by baptism into death, so that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life” (Romans 6:3-4). 

This newness of life seems to be bursting all around us this time of year. Creation is shaking off the dormancy of winter and exploding into blossoms. In the church sanctuary the baptismal font is filled with glass pebbles instead of water for the season of Lent. You are invited to take as many as you want to put in your pocket, or on your windowsill, or anywhere else you want to remind you that you are baptized. In a few weeks the font will once again be filled with water. Then you can splash in it and remember life abounds.

There are still storms to come. As I write this, the weather forecasters are teasing us with the probability of thunder and hail tomorrow, most likely when I am driving home in the evening. Maybe I should put one of those glass pebbles on the dashboard. Get away from me, fear and distress. God loves me and that overcomes everything.

​                   Peace be with you. May you continue to walk with confidence that God is with you. 

The season shifts. The days are finally getting longer. (There are morning people in this world, and there are night people. There are people who love the quiet darkness of the winter, and there are people who long for the light and the beginning of new growth that is soon to emerge. I am married to my opposite in both cases. Mornings cannot be addressed without coffee, and I take joy in the lengthening days.)

In the other Washington, soon a new Congress will be sworn in as well as a new President. We do not know what the future holds. In God we have hope that we are moving toward greater love, greater peace, greater joy. A favorite quote made famous by Martin Luther King Jr is “We shall overcome because the arc of the moral universe is long, but it bends toward justice.”

I believe that is where the writer of the letter to the Hebrews is going. We are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses. They are all those heroes of our faith, Abraham and Sarah, David the King, Elijah and Elisha, Moses, Paul and his traveling companions, Mary and Elizabeth, Grandma Grace. All of these show us the way as we race into the new day. We are moving into Epiphany. The Magi come seeking the infant Jesus bearing gifts. We read as they approached, they were overwhelmed with joy. They entered the house and paid homage to Jesus. Here, while Jesus is still in infancy, already the world is finding hope in him. The light is shining in the darkness, and the darkness will not overcome it. The whole world is seeking and finding life in the Christ child. We are not alone in this. We are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses.

​So let us run the race that is set before us. As we transition to whatever is to come next, we leave the known and what we think is stable for the unknown and what may well be unstable. As we transition into this next chapter, we do so with the risen Christ in our midst and the comfort of the Holy Spirit all under the watchful eye of the loving Father, who loves us and holds us and sustains us. Blessings to you as we transition into the next Season that now lies before us.

Peace be with you, Pastor Jessie

Your memories of Thanksgiving may be as wonderful, or they may be not so much. If not the holiday, then think on other meals where hospitality was 2 extravagant and wonderful food and drink were abundant. That is a taste of the kingdom of heaven on earth.
Thanksgiving is on my mind now. I was thinking about a thanks giving verse, and of course it is a song that comes to mind. “Give thanks with a grateful heart. Give thanks to the holy One. Give thanks….” That popular song is based on Psalm 9:1.
I will give thanks to you, Lord, with all my heart;
I will tell of all your wonderful deeds. 
That is how I feel as I consider we have been on this journey together for a year now. I began as your pastor on All Saints Day—a day that seems like a thin space between us and eternal life in the near presence of God. We anticipated the Advent of Christ together, and we celebrated the coming of the Christ child—God with us, Immanuel. Then Epiphany and Lent, where we gathered with our friends at United Lutheran, until we came to Easter and the glorious celebration of the resurrection only to settle into the long green season of growth. I am thankful. I am especially thankful this year for our life together.
We shared all these seasons. There was joy, and there were moments of grief and profound sadness as we said goodbye, or rather ‘until later’, to some of our community. We weathered the challenges as a small part of God’s family. Family is what we are, and this becomes more and more evident as we look towards the end of this month and the gathering of family at Thanksgiving. It is a time to look back and count the numerous blessings that we have received from God over the course of the last year. Friends, family, meals prepared, and meals shared, those many small blessings that remind us that each one of us is a beloved child of God. We look forward also to the New Year that is to come and the holiday season that begins again with Thanksgiving. 
I am thankful for your care and support. I am thankful for your love for each other. I am thankful for the light you are to the world where you find yourselves, and I am thankful as we gather each Sunday to be fed with Word and Sacrament, and really awesome music. Thank you all. Thank you, God, for bringing us together. I pray for our continued journey together that we will share in joy, hope, peace and life in Christ.
Peace be with you, Pastor Jessie 

I know that riding a tandem bicycle with my husband builds us up both physically and spiritually. So why is the first verse that comes to mind when I think of tandem riding “Do not be mismatched with unbelievers” (2 Cor. 6:14a)? Why not something that sounds more positive like “Therefore encourage one another and build up each other, as indeed you are doing” (I Thess. 5:11). The reality is both are true.

​When we were dating Maitland and I were riding our bicycles out on the Centennial Trail out of Snohomish. He says, “Look at that. Isn’t it beautiful?” and points to a custom made tandem on the trail. I looked at him and said firmly, “No.” 

Now he and I both knew the “no” had nothing to do with the beauty of the tandem. It was “no, we are not going to get one.” 

After seven years of marriage one morning we drove to Seattle to “look” at a tandem I saw on the shop’s website, and we came home 2 with it. Why did it take seven years? It took that long for us to build the trust to work that closely together. Then there is the little matter of who gets to be in control. Tandems are sometimes called divorce bikes. The tandem shop owner reworks that and calls them relationship accelerators. Wherever your relationship is headed when you start riding a tandem, it is going to go there faster than it would have otherwise.

Back in those early days on the Centennial Trail, I was the more experienced bicycle rider. Maitland was and is stronger and faster, but he had to learn bicycle safety and trail etiquette, like moving off the pavement when you are stopped for a few minutes, and announcing when you are coming up behind a walker or another rider you are about to pass. Then there was the challenge of matching our riding styles. Strong as an ox, Maitland turns the pedals more slowly but powerfully. I spin faster in a lower gear and can do so all day, but I do not have much power. On the tandem, he is the captain, the one in front who steers and shifts the gears. I am the stoker, the one in the rear, who provides my share of the power. As we moved to tandem riding, Maitland worked on spinning the pedals faster, and I slowed my cadence down to be in rhythm with him.

We work hard on being matched. One of the great things about tandem riding is we can hear each other well without having to turn our heads or raise our voices. Maitland is constantly telling me what is up ahead as far as hazards go, like other riders, walkers, dogs, stop signs. I also tell him if I spot something, like a deer on the side of the road. Saying it works much better than just screaming, which is my natural reaction to dangers. 

We have been riding the tandem together now five years. We are to the point where we can sense how the other is feeling through the pedals. There are days when we are energetic, and the feeling is crisp. There are days when energy is low, and let’s just tool along and have a relaxing ride. 

​So what does all this have to do with faith? As we work together we are also aware of the beauty of God’s creation around us, the blessing of our own lives and health and the opportunity to be there, and an awareness that God is with us as we navigate the way. Build each other up. Respect what each other brings to the table, or to the bike. Be considerate of each other’s needs. Recognize when the other is having an off day and do not be overly critical. Pull together. Learn together. All good things for us to keep in mind in all of our relationships. May you also have happy trails and happy riding.

​“The heavens declare the glory of God; the skies proclaim the work of his hands.” (Ps. 19:1)

​I will get to the heavens, but first I want to share God at work on the earth. Last evening a doe wandered into the field in front of our house. As my husband and I watched out the window, it became clear that she had a new baby with her. The little one could not have been more than a day or two old. It was tiny with spots. They grazed for a few minutes. Then the doe’s head went up.

The two moved more toward the center of the field, and the fawn settled into a depression in the grass. The grass is high enough that it could no longer be seen. About that time a coyote ran across the top of the field about a hundred feet away. There are bushes lining both sides of the field, so we had no way of telling if it was circling through the bush towards the deer. For maybe twenty minutes the doe stood next to her baby with head up watching the bushes. We slipped out onto the porch and stood there watching with her. Eventually she seemed confident that the coyote had run off. The fawn came to its feet, and the two of them ran off down the drive. We look forward to seeing the momma and her baby again soon. The coyote, not so much.

Scott Hoezee writes about a more dramatic display of God’s awesome creation that does have to do with the heavens: Perhaps many of us have had occasion to witness the approach of a storm over a large body of water. Having lived my whole life near Lake Michigan, I have seen gathering storms over that vast lake (people who come from Europe and see Lake Michigan cannot believe it is called a “lake” since it looks more like an ocean from the shore!). Such storms begin slowly. The western horizon out in the direction of Wisconsin begins to darken. The darkness spreads and you begin to hear the first rumbles of thunder (sound travels remarkably well across water so you hear the thunder out over a lake much earlier than over land). Then the lightning begins to appear, a chill wind kicks up and before you know it, the full power of the storm is upon you. (It is a good time to get off the beach too!) The waves kick up, the thunder is loud and seems to echo forever, bolts of lightning strike the water and the temperature can drop 25 degrees in mere minutes. Hail sometimes falls. All in all, a fearsome, even frightening and dangerous spectacle.

Our Tuesday afternoon group is studying the Psalms. First we learned that there are more Laments than Psalms of Praise. The Laments show up a lot less in our Sunday worship. They can be comforting in distress, or they can be tough reading. I find myself thankful that at this point in my life, I resonate with the Psalms of Praise more than the Laments. I also totally get that as we are walking along side of each other in troubled times, the Laments speak our heart song.

We are now in the time after Pentecost. This is the long green season of slow growth. I hope and pray in this season we will watch the baby critters grow and rejoice at the beauty and power of God at work around us. I also know that whatever comes our way the Lord is with us. May you be blessed to see the hand of God at work this day and this season.
​-Pastor Jessie McKenzie 

May holds Mother’s Day and a week later, Pentecost. I associate Mother's Day with family and also my favorite rhododendrons blooming at my old house. The rhododendron flowers are white with purple and pink and lavender, lining the driveway on bushes taller than me. A week later the red of Pentecost explodes along with the red rhododendrons with its own vibrancy. All of creation seems to be proclaiming that the Spirit of God is stirring things up. That stirring up is happening in community.

Part of me is still traumatized by COVID. The trauma for me is that it kept us apart. People were told that being together could end life. We also knew that being apart dulled the color of our lives. We need each other. Now as we are able to be together again, I for one value more than ever what we share. Like the flowers that are blooming, we bring our own color and vitality to the garden. We may be white with purple in the middle, or bright yellow daffodils, or the red of Pentecost, maybe a rose. Or we may be the sturdy brown trunk that holds up the blooms, or the many shades of green leaves. 

It is only a week from the bouquets of Mother’s Day to the flames of Pentecost. There again the dominant theme is that the Spirit is there bringing together the variety of people. Differences become part of the beauty as we are able to listen and understand each other. 

What kept us apart no longer has power. The power is in the love of God holding us together. We may spread the fertilizer a little too thick, or we may not be able to tell just yet what is a weed and what is a future vegetable for the dinner table. For now let us just be together and celebrate the color all around.

May you be blessed this season by the beauty of creation and the beauty of the faces surrounding you. 
-​Pastor Jessie McKenzie

The women who had gone to the tomb fled in terror. They were seized with awe, and they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. They had followed Jesus for three years, growing in hope that “the kingdom of God has come near.” Then Jesus was taken from them and crucified.

​Three days later they are struggling through the ordinariness of life, going to the tomb to anoint the body with spices, as was the custom. They fuss over who would move the stone away so they can enter. Then God once again breaks through the ordinariness of life. The young man, an angel in the tomb, says in essence, “Remember Jesus told you three times that he would be crucified, and on the third day rise again. He got up and has gone ahead of you to Galilee, like he 2 said he would.”

The women respond by running away. I suspect we would have also. But that is not the end of the story. It is the beginning. If the women have fled in terror, who is left to carry on the work of Christ? This unsatisfactory ending to the Gospel points right at you and me. Jesus has gone ahead to Galilee. Galilee is where he proclaimed. “Believe and turn around, the kingdom of God is at hand.” Galilee is where Jesus called the disciples, broke boundaries between people and healed the most vulnerable, made whole those who were possessed by the demonic, taught the disciples to be disciples and live their daily lives. There is no place you can go that Jesus has not already gone ahead. Are you ready to put aside your own fear and embrace the life that Christ has given you? Christ is with you in the messiness and the beauty of your own Galilee. May you know his presence as you go about living your life. 

...​we are in the middle of Lent, a season of contemplation. We are also careening toward Easter, that great time of Resurrection and hope. Somewhere in the middle, I for one am like a little crocus, sticking my head up from the warming dirt to see if it is time to bloom in the early spring sunshine.

​Unlike that little crocus, that just goes about the business of being what it is, I need constant reminders to not worry about tomorrow. Will it be warm and sunny? Will we have another cold snap and snow dust the new green leaves?
​
Yes, we are careening toward spring. Every year that seems to happen a little faster. Yet today’s trouble is enough for today. Also, today’s beauty and joy is enough for today. Can I today, just today, I not worry about 'What will we eat?' or 'What will we drink?' or 'What will we wear?' I think I will go take a walk and see what is coming to life today in the world around me, feel the Spirit of God around me in the sunlight and in the moving air. How about you? Will you join me in letting today’s trouble and today’s joy be enough for today?

 If the feeling is “huh?” That is what is intended. The distractions are gone. It is time to refocus.
     Lent traces its roots back to when new converts to the Faith were prepared to be presented at the Great Easter Vigil for admission into the Church. Lent is a time for us also to prepare ourselves again for what the Joy of Easter holds for us. That can be through cleaning out those things that are distracting us from doing what we know is right or deeply trusting that God is for us and for our world. It can also be taking up a spiritual exercise toward love, hope, courage or faith.
     Lent is not about a game of giving up Chocolate or Coffee but rather giving up those things, behaviors or attitudes that tear down ourselves or others and that 2 will ultimately move us away from God and those whom we have been called to love as our neighbors.
​     Keep your coffee and look for something to change in your life for the better, even if it is saying “Hi” to the stranger you see every day but have never spoken to, or maybe just a friendly smile to the people who walk past you as you go about your day. Lent is supposed to be a little uncomfortable. But so is exercise, and in the long run it is good for us. Wishing you a Holy Lent this year.
​Pastor Jessie McKenzie

    ...and lift up hope, waiting, joy and love. At least I think that is what we lift up. As I write this I looked up the meaning of the candles and found many interpretations. I expect Lutheran Church of Christ the King has its own traditions, and I do not want to move away from that. For now I will go with the first four I found.
     Hope keeps us going. The little baby born and laid in a manger brings new life. Where do you see hope? Is it in knowing that God took on humanity and knows what we go through because God has been there? That God is still here, and we see the Spirit of Christ in unexpected places? Or knowing that Christ is coming, and our pain and sorrow is only temporary? I hope for LCCK as the Spirit moves among us. What is to come in the new year?
     Waiting or preparation. We anticipate and eagerly yearn for many things. But it is not a sit back and let it come waiting. It is a “how can I make beauty, set up the Christmas tree, plan the meals waiting.” It is a “caring for others waiting, reaching out to give of ourselves.” It is “a knowing that the light will shine in the darkness waiting,” and soon our hope and joy and love will be full.
     Joy is my favorite of the Advent candles. It is a break from what can be a time of introspection and maybe trying too hard and just sitting with all that is good. Joy is the peace that is in our hearts when we let go of all the hurrying and scurrying of the season and just be.
     Love is all encompassing. We are secure in the knowledge that God loved us first and sent God’s own self in the person of Jesus Christ to set us free from whatever binds us. God loves first, so we dare to love both our neighbors and ourselves. You are worthy to be loved. God said so.
     May your season of Advent be overflowing with hope, joy, peace, faith, and all those other blessings we have from God in Christ through the Spirit.
​With Love, Pastor Jessie