LCH E-News—July 10, 2008

From Pastor Jeff

In the news this morning there was an update on the case of murdered child JonBenet Ramsey that caught my eye. You may remember the JonBenet, a six-year old girl was found murdered in her home in Colorado in 2006. The killer was never caught, and until recently her parents remained principle suspects in the murder. The news this morning is that the parents were removed from the suspect list on the weight of DNA testing which showed that trace DNA evidence found on JonBenet matched a small blood drop believed to belong to her killer but did not match either parent. What struck me was that the recently tested DNA sample did not come from a drop of blood, a skin sample, or from body fluid, but from invisible skin cells that might be left in a finger print or from brushing up against an object or person. DNA technology has advanced to the point that usable and testable DNA can be recovered from samples we can not see and do not even know we left! Like or not, you are leaving your DNA all over the place! Every hand you shake, every lip print on a water glass, every door you open and every stroke you type leaves a little bit of your genetic code laying around. Who knew? As I thought about all the DNA I was leaving around (sorry about that), I began to wonder: “If we are unconsciously leaving our DNA every where we go, what else are we leaving around for others to find without any clue that we are doing so?”

So I took a few minutes this morning to reflect on my day yesterday. I had left my physical DNA at the office, home, McDonalds, the Post Office, my car, the Boardroom, on three Finance Committee members, on my water bottle, in the nave—essentially everywhere. But I had left another kind of DNA lying around. Throughout my journey of the day, I had also left and invisible trail of Spiritual DNA. Every kind or unkind word, every handshake, every criticism or complement, every smile, every prayer, every encouraging email or thoughtless comment had left trace evidence and a legacy of my passing. When I am kind, upbeat, and loving, the DNA I leave has the potential to multiply itself in others leaving a wake of joy behind me. But when my interactions are selfish, grumpy, or insulting, that DNA can also multiply in others, creating a messy day indeed. How we treat one another and the world—even on a daily basis—can convict us or vindicate us as surely as the DNA evidence found at a crime scene. More importantly, the more aware we are of how we can be God’s gift of love to the world, and the more we consciously leave God’s DNA laying around for others to find, the more likely it is that we are doing the work of the kingdom. So, go out into the world and spread a little DNA!

Pastor Jeff

Schedule for this Sunday, July 13th

9:15 AM Worship with Holy Communion

3:30 PM Social gathering to See Rent

8:30 PM Pre-Compline

9:00 PM Compline

Congregational Council to Meet July 15

The Congregational Council of Lutheran Church of Honolulu will meet on Tuesday, July 15th, at 6:30 PM. If you have any business for the Council to consider, please contact Congregational President Brian Weis prior to the meeting. All meetings of the Council are open. You are welcome to attend the meeting!

B2B2B Goal Nearly Met

Thank you for your very generous support of the B2B2B campaign. We have raised over $4,000 toward our congregational goal. We are just $200 or so away from closing the campaign! Mahalo nui loa for supporting this mission, whose goal is pay off our synod office building and build a Center for Mission & Learning in Ethiopia. If you would like to make a donation, please indicate that the donation is for B2B2B.

Social Gathering to See Rent This Sunday

30 Congregational members gathered last Sunday afternoon to see the play Rent at the Mamiya Theater at the St. Louis Center for the Arts. Reviews for the show have been fantastic, and everyone who saw the show last Sunday highly recommended it. If you missed seeing the show last week, you can join Brian Weis this Sunday, July 13th, for the matinee show. The show starts at 4:00 PM and doors open at 3:30 PM. Tickets for the show are available through Pastor Jeff at the cast price of $18. Tickets are also available at the door for $27. To reserve your ticket please contact Pastor Jeff through the Church Office (941-2566) by Saturday. Tickets are not refundable, so if you reserve and are unable to attend, you will still need to pay for your ticket. Need a ride? Call the Church Office and we will make every effort to secure a ride for you to the theater. This production has a wonderful cast including our own Seth L. cast in the part of “Mark.”

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