Dust has power.

I was a baby when Mount St. Helens erupted. I grew up hearing stories of the weeks-long impact it had as far east as our North Dakota prairie home. It took several days, but eventually this fine, silt grey dust made its way across the spring prairie. Sitting on cars, lightly tinting the flower blooms, changing the smell of the valley from its usual thick, black, muddy earth smell to the slightest metallic scent.

And what it did to the sunsets. Prairie sunsets are already among the most majestic of God’s creation. So flat you can see the curve of the earth, the light stretches itself endlessly over the rounded sky, touching the black earth in spring, making the wheat dance with amber flecks in summer, and reminding us we are not in control as the winter wind lifts crystals that sparkle at dusk.

But in 1980, dust filled the sky, creating dark bursts of red, followed by long, lingering purple brushstrokes as the earth curved into eternity. Sunsets people have talked about for 45 years—can you imagine?

It was the dust. Powerful dust that was pressed out by the heat of the earth, four states away, floating over mountaintop peaks. This dust of the earth traveled half a continent. It covered every square inch of land. It filled the skies and changed the sunsets. Dust can change the sunsets… That’s the power of dust.

This week, we hear the words, “you are dust, and to dust you shall return.” The dust within us is made up of minerals from the earth. Elements landed on the planet as a result of cosmic collisions billions of years before any child of God ever took breath.

We are dusty creatures…. We travel the continent, covering every square inch of land. And yes, we, dusty children of God, change the sunsets—in our love for one another, when we remind another to cast their eyes to the sunset and see it. When we share life and beauty and joy, we dusty creatures change the very planet from which we came.

Dust is powerful.
We, dusty souls, beloved by God, are powerful. It’s nothing short of miraculous that the collection of dust that makes up our being—from iron of asteroids and calcium deposits once buried deep—received the breath of God, became filled with life, and formed into us. People gathered together to be fed with the bread of life.

And it is no less miraculous that any one of us, wandering this dusty temporary home, finds ourselves here with other dusty beings and shares time in this fleeting, beautiful life with them. That we share hopes, memories, and God’s undying love with one another—knowing each one of us will one day lay down, release our last Holy Spirit-filled breath, and return to dust.

But that’s really what makes life life, isn’t it? Filling our dusty, Holy Spirit-filled, grace-drenched lives with love for others because Christ first loved us.

Changing sunsets.
All of us dusty beings finding one another together in this place is as miraculous as any one of those little dust particles from Mount St. Helens swirling in the air of the North Dakota prairie, changing the sunset, before landing by another dust particle and tinting the orange blossoms of a daylily in my childhood garden.

Remember, you are dust. Remember how powerful and miraculous dust is.

Change the sunset-
Pastor Tracy Paschke-Johannes

Love is in the air this week at Lord of Life Christian Preschool with our Sweetheart Dance, Valentine’s parties, and Teacher Appreciation Week. I walked into a preschool class today for the Valentine’s party and heard one of our teachers asking the students what makes them feel loved. They responded with the most beautiful and thoughtful answers. One preschooler said when his friends share with him at playtime. Another said being home with his mom and dad. Another preschooler said snacks.

The parents arrived and the students were eating a special Valentine’s snack. The room fell quiet as it does when children are eating donuts and cupcakes, so the teacher asked the questions again, but this time to the adults. What makes you feel loved? The room got even quieter. We stood there staring at each other; what makes me feel loved? The answers to this question came flowing easily and naturally to our children, but the adults? We were stumped.

I began to reflect on an earlier lunch conversation about love languages. Love languages are the ways we express and receive love. Dr. Gary Chapman highlights 5 main love language categories in his book: words of affirmation, quality time, receiving gifts, acts of service, and physical touch. A teacher and I were discussing how my husband packs lunches for our family each day. Another teacher asked if this was his love language. I said yes, he enjoys cooking and baking. He writes lunch notes to our daughters and bakes a custom request birthday cake for each birthday. Thinking about this conversation I can quickly identify my love language as gift giving.

I express love by gift giving, but I find it much more difficult and thought provoking to think of how I best receive love. Thinking back to the silence in that room, I am not the only one. After lots of awkward silence and thought, it came to me. I feel most loved when I receive help that I didn’t ask for. I’m not great at asking for help, but I feel calm, at ease, and loved by my friends and family when they notice I need something and jump in with support.

I challenge you this Valentine’s weekend to spend time thinking about you. What truly makes you feel loved? When we feel loved, when our bucket is full, we are able to share so much more love with the ones around us. Remember, “Love is patient; love is kind; love is not envious or boastful or arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice in wrongdoing, but rejoices in the truth. It bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” (1 Corinthians 13:4-8 & 14)

With Love,
Nicole Wells
LOLCP Director

“Facts are the cornerstones of reality. At least, they used to be. In today's ultra-polarized environment, however – marked by deep political divisions, heightened social tensions, and a deluge of misinformation and fake news – facts are rather less certain in people's minds than they once were.”

This quote from Peter Dockrill, in the Australian online science journal Science Alert (www.sciencealert.com, Feb 1, 2021), confirmed what many of us have suspected and witnessed: facts don't hold the weight and certitude they once did.

Dockrill argues, “If you really want to stand a chance of changing somebody's mind on a serious topic, there's something else you should be telling them: Your own personal experiences.”

This has always been the strategy of the Christian faith – testimony. From the beginning, those who encountered the living God shared their own experiences, declaring what they knew to be true. Over and over, first person accounts of redemption, forgiveness, reconciliation, healing, and even resurrection moved skeptics and naysayers to belief. Those who saw, heard, and tasted the goodness of God could speak with assurance after experiencing the presence of the living God.

Personal experiences are what constitute much of our Holy Scripture. The Bible is a journal filled with people sharing their God encounters.

The leper couldn’t keep their mouth shut after Jesus’ cleansing touch (Mark 1:39-45), but recounted their story while displaying their renewed skin for all to see. Zacchaeus was so overwhelmed by Jesus’ presence and forgiveness that he made amends with all he had scammed (Luke 19:1-10).

A Samaritan woman went to the well to draw a bucket of water, but also found her heart filled with living water when she encountered Jesus (John 4:1-42). John tells us, “Many Samaritans from that city believed in Jesus because of the woman’s testimony.”

After experiencing a “great light from heaven” which called him by name, the prolific persecutor of Christians, Saul/Paul, became one of the greatest missionaries and disciples of Jesus, telling stories of hope and freedom grounded in Christ. (Acts 22 and beyond).

What’s your story? How have you encountered God? When have you been overwhelmed by the presence of the Creator in creation? When has Jesus walked with you or a loved one? Have you heard the still small voice of the Holy Spirit? How do you share these stories with your family, friends, and strangers?

Sharing our encounters with the living God is so central to what we do at Lord of Life that we’ve included it in our mission statement – “live, share, and celebrate!” Yes, sharing includes offering our time to serve God and neighbor. And yes, sharing involves being generous with our finances, but it also demands that we tell the stories of faith. We not only share the biblical stories and those who have gone before us, but also share what we have seen with our eyes and hearts.

I love to tell the Story,
Pastor Lowell Michelson

I grew up in the golden age of Saturday morning cartoons. The concept of ‘screen time’ hadn’t been invented yet, and I was allowed to watch them for as long as they were on. I am still a die-hard Looney Tunes fan. One of my favorite storylines features Sam, the sheepdog, and Ralph, the coyote. For those of you who haven’t seen it: we see Sam and Ralph walking to work, lunchpails in hand. They greet each other, punch in at a time clock, and then spend the morning pursuing opposing goals. Ralph tries to capture sheep, and Sam repeatedly thwarts him. Then, the noon bell rings, and Sam and Ralph eat lunch side by side. After lunch, they resume their antics until it’s time to clock out. They bid each other goodnight and walk home.

The comedy of the Sam and Ralph skit comes from their diametrically opposing goals. As a community of faith, we are fortunate to begin all discussions and conflict resolution with a common goal of sharing God’s love with everyone. Yes, we all have very different life experiences that often give us opposing ideas on how to achieve our mission, but we are grounded in the bedrock of being beloved siblings in Christ. One of the best experiences I have at Lord of Life is being part of the couples’ Bible study. We joke that we eat dinner, laugh together, and sometimes even talk about the Bible. In reality, I feel that the friendships formed through eating and talking together give us the strength and confidence to really wrestle with the big questions of faith. We don’t always agree, but I always come away with something challenging to think about. I am grateful for everyone’s candor and respect, and I value every friendship I have made there. 

I thought back to Sam and Ralph as unlikely models of Christian behavior as I reflected on Pastor Lowell’s recent sermons. In these interesting times, we are all out in the world just trying to get by, confronting evil, and looking for a bit of hope. What a difference it makes in our day, or even in our life, when someone else takes the time to acknowledge us, sit side by side with us for a while, or wish us well before going on their way. What difference would it make in the world if we shared the gentle, patient, kind fruits of the Spirit with those we view as an enemy: An elected official? A reporter? A millionaire? A person experiencing homelessness? A scientist? An NRA member? A Greenpeace member? A protestor? An ICE agent? 

No matter who you are or what you believe or don’t believe, I wish you love, joy, peace, forbearance, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. I want to sit with you and hear your story. I hope it challenges me to live like Jesus.  

Your sibling in Christ,
Cara Hasselbeck

Two weeks ago, I had the unique opportunity to visit the Holy Land with my brother to attend the Consecration of the new ELCA Bishop of the Holy Land, Bishop Dr. Imad Haddad. My short journey was defined by profound swings of emotion and deep gratitude. It is a place that is steeped in the deeply spiritual and incredibly tragic at the same time.

I felt a heavy sadness when walking the cobblestones of the Via Dolorosa in old Jerusalem (Latin for the “Sorrowful Way” – the pathway Jesus walked to his crucifixion) and immense joy following the marching band procession as we weaved our way through the same streets to celebrate Bishop Haddad at the Church of the Redeemer. Or an extreme weight at walking through the Olive trees at the Garden of Gethsemane where Jesus prayed with his disciples before his crucifixion to the awe of standing where Jesus was born and cradled in Mary’s arms in Bethlehem at the Church of the Nativity. For any believer, these are not mere historical sites; they are walking where the Prince of Peace lived and shared the message of God’s love to all, especially those who are marginalized.

As we moved between the birthplace of Jesus in Bethlehem and the holy sites of Jerusalem, we were also forced to confront the modern reality of the Palestinian people. Daily life is burdened with slow, intrusive checkpoints with armed guards and the random, intentional closing of checkpoints that forces hours of rerouting. Families that have lived on the land for generations are treated as outsiders. It is heartbreaking to pray at the site of the Nativity while knowing that, just outside the door, many Palestinian Christians and Muslims face systemic displacement, economic hardship, and a lack of basic independence.

I understand that the history and conflict in the Holy Land is deeply complicated and tragic on many levels, but experiencing this once seemingly far away land has been eye opening. I have so much more to learn and am filled with gratitude for this opportunity. I pray that this experience in the footsteps of Jesus—in the places he lived, preached, and was crucified under Roman occupation—deepens my empathy and understanding of those who are marginalized and oppressed, both in places we can’t see and right at our doorstep.

We can’t honor the Jesus of the past if we are indifferent to the realities of the present. Pray with me that our hearts and minds are opened to paths of peace, empathy, action and love as Jesus’ life and ministry teach us.

Always learning and growing with you,
Angie Seiller, Director of Faith Formation

“Generosity is contagious!”

This refrain kept popping up as our church council gathered recently and spent time reviewing the joys of the last year, before jumping into the exciting things ahead for 2026. Across everything we witnessed and participated in over the last twelve months – worship, serving, finances, prayers, caring for one another, living, sharing, and celebrating, generosity was a holy and active contagion among us!

Even if you didn’t personally step into some of these areas, our collective community – of which you are a part – certainly did. I name you as part of the joy of generosity that dwells among us.

You helped make worship moments happen. Not only showing up, reading Scripture, leading prayers, offering music, or serving communion, but also greeting those who came through the doors by offering a word of welcome, refreshing the coffee, helping people find a seat, clicking slides, zooming cameras, baking bread, pouring wine, tidying up the sanctuary, and vacuuming following the bustle of services.

You helped haul trees in for Advent decorating, hang wreaths and garland, string lights, and stage Nativity sets in a variety of locations and then, with virtually no warning, six weeks later you stuck around after worship or came back after brunch to pack up trees, lights, Nativity scenes, greenery, and other Christmas decorations.

You dropped off hundreds of canned goods to replenish empty food pantry shelves. You donated new and gently used tennis shoes and boots for those in need of reliable footwear. You added extra gloves and hats to your shopping list so we could smother our Tree of Warmth and then share winter essentials with those in need of a little extra snuggle. You purchased toys and gift cards so no child would have to go without on Christmas morning.

You went above and beyond with your financial generosity so we could not only meet our mission spending plan goals, but also embrace an additional opportunity to repave the parking lot and install a new sound system.

You dropped off gift cards for grocery stores and gas stations so we could help people in need when they swing by unexpectedly in moments of personal crisis or acute need.

You created cozy bedrooms and served delicious and nutritious meals for Family Promise guests who called Lord of Life home while experiencing a season of being unhoused.

You sat with someone who needed to talk. You visited someone in the hospital. You drove someone to a doctor’s appointment, gave a lift to worship, and picked up a friend for a book or Bible study. You called a friend you haven’t seen at church for a while and texted someone “God’s Peace be with you!” during worship.

I could go on and on with the beautiful ways that this sacred virus of generosity has infected our lives and is spreading in our communities.

Our theme for worship, learning, and serving moments this year comes from Micah 6:8:

“He has told you, O mortal, what is good, and what does the Lord require of you
but to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?”

Thank you for the countless ways your heart, mind, words, prayers, hands, and feet are in motion for God’s work among us. I hope that our generosity and joy continue to spread hope to people and places we cannot imagine!

Come, Lord Jesus, come!
Pastor Lowell Michelson