10th Sunday After Pentecost

e-Connector
Keeping the members of CALC connected.

August 1, 2021

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am.” (John 14:1-3)

Yesterday I officiated at a Funeral service for Ella B., a longtime member of Grace Lutheran Church, West Kelowna, BC. In many ways it was a sad day. Only a handful come to the service. It was terribly hot and it was terribly smoky. You could not see more than 500 feet in front of you. Yet, our smoke filled Okanagan Valley inspired the theme for my sermon.

The smoke is a metaphor for those times in our lives that we are stuck. The times when the world around us is on fire and that fire is beyond our control. The raging inferno is sometimes caused by war, pestilence or natural disaster. The uncontrollable fire could be the effect a life threatening medical diagnosis; the loss of a loved one, or other personal tragedy. Regardless of the cause, the smoke generated by the fire disorients, sickens and obscures our vision. The smoke causes us to lose hope and lose our way. We may find refuge from the smoke temporarily by hiding away. It takes a force larger than we are to restore our smoke-filled world. It takes wind to blow the smoke away and rain to douse the raging inferno.

Ella had experienced smoky days, months and even years. She was born in Poland. She lived through WWII as a young woman. She lived through a Russian occupation. During this time she lived in thick black smoke. She and her family believed in God. They believed that God was in control and that God would dissipate the smoke and put out the inferno that raged around them. God kept them alive in the thick black smoke and eventually put out the raging inferno around them and blew the smoke away.

She emigrated to Canada. She met and married Bill. They had a child Don. Life was wonderful. Then an inferno hit again. Their son Don died. Ella was enveloped in smoke once more. Once again she trusted that Jesus was in the smoke with her. Over time, the flames died down and the smoke cleared by God’s grace. She and Bill continued to live together. Loving and sacrificing for one another.

Years later an inferno burned around them. As they aged, illness set in. Ella’s dementia caused smoke to billow around her. Bill was also placed in a care home and he passed soon thereafter. The smoke around Ella grew thicker and thicker. Yet, she declared that Jesus was with her. During the last years the smoke became particularly thick. Yet, Jesus was with her during these dire times.

November of last year, Jesus put out the fire that raged around Ella and cleared the smoke. He came back for her and took her to be where he is, in heaven above.

When we lose a loved one their death ignites a fire in our hearts, minds and souls. Like smoke, grief and loss surround us. This smoke takes our breath away. It causes tears of sadness and regret to well up and we cry. The smoke disorients us. We cannot see the future. We become stuck. It is at times like these that we need Jesus. We need to hear his voice in the Gospel. We need his touch. We need to be fed by him through the word and through the sacrament. Through the means of grace, Jesus can douse the flames and the Holy Spirit can dissipate the smoke.

ILT - A New School Year is Coming

ILT will start it’s thirteenth fall semester on August 23, 2021. Enrollment is currently open and the early registration deadline of August 1st is coming quickly. In this new academic year, ILT will continue to work toward its mission: ILT, an institution of higher education shall preserve, promote, and propagate the classical Christian tradition from a Lutheran perspective. This mission is accomplished by training pastors, scholars, and lay people to live out their vocations in Christ.

There are many important things going on at ILT this coming year to help us achieve this mission.

Fall semester of 2021 marks the second year for the Ph.D. program. This program is providing education for future scholars. Pastors and teachers from many parts of the world and from many different Lutheran traditions are working together in courses not only to more deeply understand the Christian tradition but also to engage in the world today. There will be more than 15 students studying in the Ph.D. program this fall.

Another important development at ILT is the growth of the undergraduate school. ILT began offering an accredited undergraduate degree program in Ministry in the fall of 2020. This fall, ILT will be expanding this program and offering accredited associate/bachelor’s degree programs in Humanities and in Entrepreneurial Studies. This gives undergraduate students three options, each with a pathway to the Master of Divinity degree or other graduate studies.

A third important development is the establishment of the Kathrine Grosen Scholarship fund for ministry students. $75,000 in scholarships will be awarded each year for students in the Master of Divinity, Master of Ministry, and Master of Chaplaincy degree programs. This is the first year this scholarship is available to students.

ILT’s vision statement says: Centered in the word of God and the Cross of Christ, ILT students will be grounded in the Bible, rooted in the classical Christian tradition, understand the contemporary cultural horizon, and think critically in the proclamation and advancement of the Gospel. This vision is captured through the success of our students as they go out into the church and the world to serve Christ and his people.

ILT has many options to help people at all stages of their academic life. Whether it is certificates, undergraduate degrees, degree completion, continuing education, or advanced degrees, ILT has a solution to help all students to achieve their goals.

There is still time to enroll. If you are interested please contact Joel Williams, jwilliams@ilt.edu.

September 11, 2021
9:00 AM to 6:00 PM
Coast Nisku Inn and Conference Center
Nisku, Alberta

Click the button below. You will be re-directed to CALC's website. Click on "CALC ONLINE" in the navigation pane at the top of the Homepage and you will be directed to an alphabetical list of congregation's with online worship services. Click and enjoy!!!

10th Sunday After Pentecost

He Still Clears the Smoke and Douses the Flames

Rick Bergh.

FOR THE PAST 35 YEARS, HE HAS HELPED PEOPLE NAVIGATE THEIR GRIEF JOURNEY AND FIND JOY IN THEIR NEXT CHAPTER.