HOLY WEEK---No Time for Wusses

"HOLY WEEK ---No Time for Wusses"

To All the KING's Men,

It might very well be urban legend, but there is evidence that my Texas Lutheran College, now University, fraternity, Omega Tau, coined the phrase, "WUS." I'm sure you've heard it. It is NO compliment! Call someone a "WUS" out of the blue and you very well get a sucker punch to the jaw...unless they really are one! A real WUS that is...

To refer to someone as a 'WUS' is to suggest that they:

a) "can't hack it" or worse yet---"won't hack it" ---whatever the task may be;
b) demonstrate behaviors others might refer to as "sissie" or "chicken"; OR
c) come from questionable background & exhibit character unbecoming of a human being

After all, one's first exposure to the fraternity's "WUS" savvy language is normally discovered in the form of a question. And that question was normally asked by an Omega Tau pledge (me and 100's of others over 50 years) upon learning that the letters "W S" were to be painted on the left sleeve or our pledge shirts. "What does 'W S' stand for, sir?" comes the query. Then comes the ego crash as Omega Tau pledges are asked a retortive question, "Pledge, what is the lowest thing on earth?" And whether they know the answer or not, the answer is promptly given----"Whale Shi%$#" which is then mentally and emotionally compounding as the fraternity pledge learns that his palce in life is LOWER than that! Worse than WS...wow!

But, whether the Omega Tau fraternity actually coined the term WUS, I cannot confirm 100%. However, what I can confirm is that whether you were ever involved in that fraternity or not, Holy Week is no place for Wusses...no place for chickens, no place for sissies and those of questionable character for Holy Week is time and place where the power of God was both placed under attack and unleashed into the world from Introduction to Epilogue. It's God's story and work as seen from the cross and God's redemptive work and glimpse into the future from inside the bowels of an empty hewn stone tomb...a story which requires courage and certain tenacity to enter into.

You see it's one thing to ride into Jerusalem and be hailed as a king! That had happened many times before...but never did the King ride in on a donkey. Jesus changed the story. It's one thing to go and celebrate the Passover meal with your family and closest friends; but it's another thing to change the flow of the dialogue and place a whole new set of rules about what happens when that meal is shared again. Jesus established new trends and traditions that are held tightly to even today. Normally, a king would not go out in public to pray with the expectation that "some" would be out to get him, betray him and hand him over to death. But, Jesus faced betrayal and arrest in a public place under the banner of prayer. It's one thing to be ridiculed and laid out to die for all to see...even the heroic story of William Wallace wants us to root for the good guys..but Jesus was hung out to die in between 2 common thieves. The new king of Israel...just 5 days prior is now equal to a couple of neighborhood thugs. No 11 PM news flash here.

Even his burial was strained and strange. No ritual. No preparation. Just hurriedly carried from the site of the crucifixion to a borrowed grave. You would think that the one who knew he was to go up to Jerusalem to die for God's people would have had the foresight to have a burial plot lined up. Then the disgrace of all the rumors and his own friends on the run, the Roman rulers placed armed guards at the tomb entrance to secure the body. Even Abraham Lincoln didn't get that kind of attention!

And then...what happened...the power of God at work...rolling stone, vanquished guards, empty burial cloths & an angel with a simple message.."He's not here. He is risen, just like he said."

No, this story is not for wusses. It is a whirlwind of terror and destruction followed by a peace that passes all human understanding. Have you ever considered what happened to Jesus on the cross? How many times have you heard other men...men of all ages say..."Church? Church? Naw, I don't want to hang around with all those goodie-goodies and sissies!" OR that wonderful moniker... "Church is for women and kids!" Do you think they have any idea of what Jesus endured on his way to the cross...the mockery, the spitting, the ridicule, the lashing of a whip to the back and having it cleansed with a lotion of lemon and salt? Have the "tough guys" we know ever heard that part of the story.... to say nothing of his being nailed at the feet and wrists, with a crown of thorns shoved into his scalp and forehead, having his side pierced and taking part in a slow death of self-asphyxiation? Very few cultures have ever devised such a cruel way of dying...most of us will die with much more dignity and far less pain. So much for tough guys...for when most men hear the real details of Jesus' final hours...they go running to the TV to watch another episode of "HOUSE", NCIS or take in an ESPN Classic show that they already know the outcome... No, my good friends...Holy Week and all that it brings is not for wusses...

But, Holy Week IS for all of us...in whatever place and posture of life we find ourselves. Luther discovered that great gift when he heard so loudly the words of Jesus at the Last Supper..."given and shed ..."FOR YOU..." which he, in turn, translated as "pro me,"...."FOR ME!" No matter where or how we find ourselves, the drama of Holy Week was all orchestrated by God for the benefit of God's people...the meek and mild Jesus we hail all to often was instead a man of great grit, a man's man who could take it...take so much that Paul reports he took on the sins of all the world...for all times and all places... I know no man who could do that.

So, here's the new line for Holy Week...from one man to another... "Life's hard. Jesus showed us that. I'll walk with you. Let's walk together alongside Jesus entry into Jerusalem. Let's gather with his disciples at his supper. Let's stand with John and the woman and the soldier at the foot of the cross. Let's run to tomb and hear the angel's message..."he's not here. He has gone ahead of you just like he said."

Fact is, most of my life I've been a WUS, but it could have been even worse had I not had others to walk with me and remind of the power of God at work and how Jesus' living and dying and rising places a model of Godly living before keep me focused on the now and the future...

Holy Week is not for WUSSES...but this WUS will be there and I invite y'all to come too and grab hold of the power of God that breaks the bonds of sin and death and leads us into the coming kingdom of God...

Holy Week & Easter blessings to all the KING's men...I'm always interested in what you think...

One man at a time; no man left behind,

Brian

In Memory of L.F. Cardenas

IN MEMORY OF L.F. CARDENAS---ONE OF THE KING'S MEN...

To all the other KING'S Men,

This past week I was in San Antonio, TX at the annual Tri-Synod Theological Conference. It's the annual gathering of clergy and AiMs to learn, connect and as our bishop Mike Rinehart said, "tend to our self-care." It was a good three days filled with both joy and a couple of heartaches.

On Tuesday, I was told by Pastor Steve Cauley (Advent, Houston) that "Mr. Cardenas was in the hospital and not expected to live." He told me this because even as I was never L.F. Cardenas' pastor, I considered him a brother and friend on this journey of faith we all share together. This news was echoed by Pastor Larry Beck the next morning and Saturday I learned that a celebration of Mr. Cardenas' life would be held today. So, I'm writing this note in his honor and to the glory of God during the time of the funeral of which I wanted to but could not attend.

It is a great thing that we do as Lutheran Christians. We do not worship our dead, but we take time to celebrate the lives of our family and friends and remind ourselves that "our day will come, too!" I did not know L.F. Cardenas well. But, what I do know of him will never be forgotten. I did not know where or when he was born. I did not know his wife or his family. I've never been to his home and I don't know what kind of work he did when he was younger. But, I did know that he was a quiet leader at Advent Lutheran Church in Houston and I did know that he had a bad heart and had surgery in years past. This "bad heart," though, was also a "great heart" and that is what I want to relay to you...

In the Fall of 2003 I shared an idea with the Lutheran men of this synod at a gathering at Redeemer Lutheran Church on Lawndale. About 3-4 congregations were represented. Mr. Cardenas was present. We had chicken and I recall the green beans were excellent! I met many of the leaders of men's ministry in our synod over the past 25 years. I and one other member of my congregation were the "youngest" ones there and the idea I shared was about having an old fashioned "father-son-grandfather" kind of gathering to raise money to purchase LMM Master Builder Bibles to give to younger men in our synod.

The idea was simple. Throw a party. Sing. Men can sing well when they are together! Eat a good meal. Have a great keynote address. Make it lasting as we DO something for others. It would take a lot of men to make happen and that night as I shared the idea, I said, "I'll do this; I'll try to make it happen, but as of right now...we have no speaker, no date, no place and no money." All agreed the idea was worth pursuing and over the next few months, it happened!

And here is where L.F. Cardenas comes in. As the Lutheran men left the gathering that night many of them shook my hand and encouraged me to 'get 'er done'... but one man came to me, did not even introduce himself but placed a tattered $10 bill in my hand and said, "here's some seed money for your project. Good luck." I thanked him and asked who he was and then went home with a spirit of great joy and hope. And I took the $10 bill and placed it in an envelope and tucked in my office desk drawer.

And so, with the help of many leaders in our congregations, the support of Bishop Paul Blom, and many other pastors in our synod along with some additional seed money in the form of a grant from Thrivent for Lutherans, we had an event...one that men still talk about and one that has yet to be rivaled...with almost 300 men in attendance represented by 3 generations and honoring our Jr. Hi and HS male athletes, then head coach Dom Capers of the Houston Texans gave a wonderful keynote address along with words of inspiration from LMM National Director Mr. Doug Haugen and with music from the Harbor Light Choir made up of recovering alcoholics and those with other chemical addictions. See the story on http://www.elca.org/ and click Lutheran Men in Mission to open the pdf file for "Foundations" Spring 2004 issue... We raised over $5000 via a silent auction of sports memorabilia and as they say, "a good time was had by all."

At that gathering I found Mr. Cardenas among the men from Advent church. I walked up to him with a big smile, reached in my pocket and pulled out a tattered $10 bill. "do you remember this?" I asked him. He smiled and didn't say a word. I went on, "See what your $10 got us? Thank you L.F., your 'seed' has blessed the lives of many!" He told me that he was glad to be able to do this and I was satisfied that his good deed was recognized and I thought that would be the end of it...not so...there's more...

As the evening was winding down and as people were leaving the Clarion Hotel on Hwy. 290, Mr. Cardenas approached me and was carrying a big smile as well. He grabbed my hand, and place what I perceived as another $10 bill with the words, "here, this is for your next banquet!" Then he walked away and as he did I turned my hand over to discover that the $10 bill was actually a $100 bill which led me to tears to think that there are those still in this church who have such a spirit of generosity. And then the miracle occurred...one that only God could have provided...

Now, the banquet hall was even less crowded, the hotel crew was cleaning tables and I told some of the men from my congregation of L.F.'s gift...Coach Capers was standing in that circle and heard the story and then reached in his wallet and said, "here, I'll match that $100! I had a great time tonight." And now you need to also know that Coach Capers came almost an hour before the event was to begin. He signed autographs, took pictures with fathers and sons and grandfathers and refused any kind of honorarium for speaking. "I only do this kind of thing 2-3 times a year, " he told me. While we were blessed by his words, obviously Mr. Cardenas' 'seed' had blessed Coach Capers too.

And that's my story. That's my encounter with a quiet yet generous man of God. And I suppose if you ask the men (and pastors) at Advent Lutheran Church on Pinemont in NW Houston they will tell you other stories of the quiet generosity of one L.F. Cardenas. And I know they will! That was not my last conversation with L.F. We have spoken several times since then and I will miss him at our annual synod men's gathering at Grace, Conroe this weekend. And I hope as many men in our synod as well as our pastors can come and give thanks to God for the life of L.F. Cardenas and all those who have helped shape the future of men's ministry in this synod.

One man at a time; no man left behind.

Brian

P.S. I have two $100 bills in an envelope. Anyone ready for another party?

SHORT THOUGHTS AND DIRECTIVES FOR FEB 2010

"SHORT THOUGHTS & DIRECTIVES FOR FEB 2010"

KING's Men, let's be quick about this...but let us be diligent...

THOUGHT # 1 - Our annual synod conference and gathering of men will be FEB 5 -6 @ Grace, Conroe. Thanks to the men at Grace and their friends at Tree of Life for working together to be good hosts...Cost will be $25 per person.

THOUGHT # 2 - This will event will be FUN, REFLECTION, TAKE CARE OF BUSINESS and POINT to the FUTURE...you should already have some info from the synod office to insert in your bulletins and FEB newsletters and e-mails to get this word out to the men in your church...

THOUGHT # 3 - FUN--for the men who arrive EARLY on Friday...they can go golfing or fishing...for quick info about times and cost...contact CALEB SHAW springmores@hotmail.com;

There will be a meal served in the evening for all participants...

THOUGHT # 4 --REFLECTION -- On Friday evening the men who have gathered early will share in a review of the moving, "GRAN TORINO" followed by a discussion and evening prayer.

On Saturday morning, Pastor Steve Cauley will lead a 30 minute worship service modelling, "Church for Men," and how that can be used to reach out to men in our ministry areas.

Other speakers and presenters for our assembly will be the men from Living Word LC in Katy and their "mission" story to the Lutheran congregations in Peru; DICK MOELLER of Water2Thrive will also share how men in our congregations can help with this ministry and hopefully, George and some of the men from First Lutheran in Galveston can share an update on how life on the island is...

THOUGHT # 5 -- BUSINESS -- On Saturday, Norm Smith, ELCA President for Lutheran Men in Mission will be our speaker. We will hold elections and take care of our synod business that day.

THOUGHT # 6 -- FUTURE POINT --- Our synod will host the 2011 Tri-synod gathering of LMM (Austin/2009; Waco/2007. We will want to choose a site for the that which will assist men from our synod as well as NTNL and SWT. July 2011 is also the year for our National LMM Gathering in Denver. Information on that is forthcoming.

Also, our synod has the opportunity to host a 1.5 day "Man in the Mirror" training to assist men, pastors and congregations in expanding and strengthening their vision for ministry with men...late OCT or the first weekend in November may work best...and I hope we can talk about that this weekend...

And as we all walk confidently deeper into 2010 I leave you with this prayer...

Soul of Christ, sanctify me.

Body of Christ, save me.

Blood of Christ, inebriate me.

Water from the side of Christ, wash me.

Passion of Christ, strengthen me.

O good Jesus, hear me;

Within your wounds, hide me.

Never let me be separated from you.

From the malignant enemy, defend me.

At the hour of death, call me;

and bit me come to you.

That with your saints I may praise you

forever and ever. Amen.

-Ignatius of Loyola

Now go back quickly and pray that prayer in the plural for all the men in your life...us and we...

One man at a time; no man left behind,

Brian

For more information...

Velon Burnett mvburnett@sbcglobal.com

Pastor Gigee brian@newlifelutheran.com