Dave's testimonial sermon

Workmanship? Are we truly God’s workmanship, masterpiece as our 2nd lesson said?

How can we tell? Are we born with these talents, these passions?

Are we really predestined to be one thing or another, or do we have choices?

And choices, boy don’t we choose the wrong ones way too often.

Yes as Lutherans we believe are simultaneously Saint & Sinner.

I am not a theologian, so let’s today Stacey and I offer you some real examples of God’s workmanship and how we answer our call.

First up, let me give a little testimonial on my life so briefly I’ll take you through 50 years.

When I was born in 1958, I was already blessed with two sisters 1 and 6 years old, and three brothers 8. 9, and 10. Suffice to say, my parents were Saints as well as Sinners. As they put all of us thru Roman Catholic school for eight years, with mass at least once a week in school. It was in one of those services when I was in second grade that the third grade teacher, Mrs Clement came up to me afterward and told me that she tells her students to watch how I sing during church, they all should. Where did that come from, the singing that is… My mom, sure she sang; and Dad mumbled the songs, and I had an Aunt who at clear loud voice would recite “Lamp of God” instead of Lamb and we kids would all giggle.

Fast forward to Eight grade when I graduated I was the second shortest in a huge class. Being that height, you either learn to be tough, or to get along with everyone. I choose to get along.

Next up Middle School, I made friends with Kent Aubry. The star halfback of the football team, and I was no jock. So while he beat me routinely on the tennis court, he taught me my first chords on a cheap guitar I landed somehow. Even those tough up the neck chords, and boy they sounded bad.

High school was a blur, but my English teacher Steve Gibson has stuck with me forever. I later found out he was an ELCA Lutheran but when I knew him he was a chunky round face jovial person who lit a fire in me to write… oh did I write… journal upon journal of intensely personal searching that was sometimes very dark. I love the story he told of his old house that had full size windows in his bedroom that he accidentally had the blind zip up and have him expose himself naked. Maybe that’s why his image is burned into my memory. HA.

Teen years brought more questioning of my faith. My dad always inspired me “if you’re going to do a job, Do it right” He also never missed a weekend mass, and he made sure he routinely visited his mother in the nursing home… but he was one incredible racist. This plus other adults made me think church was full of hypocrites, but I never lost my relationship to God. I prayed continually for a girl friend.

Donna & I started dating late my Junior year, and it was an interesting three year run that even included her trying to commit suicide over her low self esteem created by her mother. Well about that time, Lori showed up in my life, and She was the one God had intended.

I could go on and on about the old phrase behind every good man is an excellent woman, and it would be true. And from a faith view point her and I were on the same page for different reasons with organized church. We even were married by a lawyer in a house; radical eh? We had a great life as a couple of dinks… (dual income no children)… but one day we decided to try and Poof over night we had a wonderful healthy talkative boy named Dustin.

It was the birth of Dustin that brought us back to church, and we easily made a home at HLC. Barry Bertleson than noticed us as regular attenders and asked that I join the counsel. It took three years of asking and I said yes. Well the rest of the history most of you know, so what’s up with workmanship or call?

Well I could go on, but how did God bring me here… Predisposition to a call?… I think not, I think he used teachers like Mrs Clement and Steve Gibson, friends like Kent and Donna, members of the faith like Barry, and my family Dad, Lori, and Dustin to form my person and my desire to share my gifts. So is your call to enable, or maybe someone has been talking to you?