Love Letters:   Alpha & Omega. Pastor Fritz Wiese.   18 May 2025.   Christ Our Shepherd Lutheran Church.

In the name of the father son and Holy Spirit. Amen. Last week I appreciated attending again the Senior Pastors of Larger ELCA Congregation’s Conference. As part of the design team, one of my roles was to take ELCA presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton to the airport at the end of the conference. She wanted to know all about Christ Our Shepherd. And she wanted to offer this video greeting to you. So, let’s take a look.

(Bishop Eaton video)

Indeed, there is a lot of coming and going these days at COS. Wonderful chapters wrapping up for which we are grateful and new chapters that stir our hearts. Our graduating seniors, Karl Dietmeyer, Pastor Wes, and our sanctuary renewal process.

How serendipitous that our lectionary texts today address new chapters. In our gospel, Jesus is preparing his disciples for his departure. “Little children,” he says, “I am with you only a little longer.  And where I am going you cannot come.” (at least for now).  Jesus’ own ascension, like all the transitions we honor today, contain mixed emotions.  We celebrate missions and life chapters completed faithfully. But for us, like Jesus, releasing one chapter in time in order to start another, comes with a few tears and worries in addition to hip hip hoorays. And Jesus certainly knows this for us.

One encouraging word from the Lord comes from our first lesson.  Those of you who read my Wednesday note know I played with Revelation’s imagery of letters.   Indeed, frequently, just a few letters tell a big story. For instance, we honor our graduating seniors today. What a good-looking group.  Each one of them headed to college in a few months.  Right or wrong, our society has dramatically organized their last four years around the letters, A,B,C,D, or F.  (Whatever happened to the E?)  GPA, SAT, and ACT.  God bless them!

Another big reason we celebrate today is Karl Dietmeyer.  We richly honor Karl and his decades of superb musical leadership. We wish Karl and wife Cheryl Godspeed as they prepare to move to Wisconsin to be closer to young adult children. Over the years Karl has brought together dynamically the talents and hearts of countless musicians around the simple letters of CDEFGA and B, with a few sharps and flats thrown in.

Finally, we celebrate the very first Sunday of our new pastor, Pastor Wes Smith along with his wife, Jess and two beautiful kids. We can’t wait to get to know him. But we realize COS of PTC, GA as part of the ELCA would not be talking with Pastor Wes from IN without his RMP and letters of M.DIV and STM.

Simple letters describe so much of our lives. Our personalities can be explored via ENTJ or INFP. We enjoy watching HBO or the NFL and MLB. We watch how the S&P is faring. We catch up with friends via FB and X.

But as we celebrate our amazing seniors, Karl Dietmeyer, and Pastor Wes, we rejoice how just TWO letters emerge as key to their stories. Alpha and Omega. (A and Ω.)  The first and last letters of the Greek alphabet. In Revelation 21, Jesus says this: “I am making all things new .  . (and) these words are trustworthy and true.  I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end.”

These are emotional times as our seniors, Karl, and Pastor Wes all conclude one chapter of their life stories and commence another.  Bittersweet moments, perhaps, as some must say goodbye to them and others get to say hello.   Yet, we rejoice in knowing that Jesus is the co-author of their stories!  As Alpha, Jesus is with them and us, at the beginning of their stories.  As Omega, Jesus is with them and us, at the end of our stories.  And all the chapters in between, providing grace, hope, and purpose and love!

Like the wonderful Borning Cry song professes from God’s perspective:  “I was there to hear your borning cry.  I’ll be there when you are old.  I rejoiced the day you were baptized to see your life unfold.”

Once upon a time, there was young couple getting married. The service at the church was lovely. It was a gorgeous day and so everyone moved outside for photographs before the reception. When the photographer sent all the prints back, they were delighted.  Until they saw that in each photograph, just above the marriage couple’s heads in the horizon, but clearly visible, was the passage on the church’s message board. You know those signs in front of some churches that highlight events or Scripture, right?  In this case, the sign featured in bold letters Luke 23, Jesus pleading from the cross, “Father forgive them for they know not what they do.” Ha ha ha.

Now, I think all of us are quick and right to disagree.  “We don’t know what we’re doing?”  Ba humbug.   These seniors they’re fantastic! They thoroughly researched their colleges, know what majors they’ll study and even selected careers. Undoubtedly, they completely know what they’re doing.

As for Karl and Cheryl, as they start to put their house on the market, they know exactly what they will donate and what they will pack.  They know with precision, down to the hour, their new schedules and friend groups up in Wisconsin.  Just like anyone else who wraps up living someplace for decades and then moves across country, all details are crystal clear.

And as for Pastor Wes, after meeting our top-notch COS search committee and the two Meet & Greets, there’s not ONE iota of doubt that out of almost 10,000 ELCA congregations, COS is the one and only perfect match for him and his family’s next chapter.

Well . . .  truth be told, if we’re honest, all of us might have a few questions and worries about how our next chapters unfold, right? It’s not like we’re clue-less. But we certainly can say with humility and grace that we need Jesus’ blessing accompaniment, as always!

And that’s where as people of faith we get to say, not “FORGIVE them” but “FAVOR them.” Lord, favor our seniors.  Favor Karl and Cheryl.  Favor Pastor Wes and Jess and their kids.  Favor Christ Our Shepherd as we embark upon another 50 years. Favor us, Lord, because sometimes it’s true we don’t know what we’re doing 100% of the time.  How can we as people not just FACTS but FAITH?  But YOU know what you’re doing, Lord. And you know us very well.  We know that you care for us, love us, and are with us every step of our way.  You were there at the alpha, our borning cry. You’ve promised to be with us at the Omega, at our ends, with just one more surprise.

Let’s close with one final word of encouragement from the Lord.   In our gospel today, Jesus encourages his followers by simplifying for them the purpose of their next chapters:  it’s love.  “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another. ³⁵ By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you have love for one another.”

So, graduating seniors, it would be fun for us to watch a montage of all your accomplishments thus far in life.  Your GPA, athletics, and involvement in the community. But as you venture forth, Jesus says success these next four years--some of you five or six, but that’s another story --is to explore who God has designed you to be and start figuring out a life pathway whereby you might multiply as much love as possible in the world and for the world.

Karl and Cheryl, oh my gosh.  As we acknowledged in yesterday’s reception, we could go on and on about our appreciation for you.   Karl, you are probably on my Mount Rushmore of dynamic volunteer Christians. Out of the goodness of your heart, you enriched our worship and music life beyond words.   At COS we use the acronym of CONNECT to explain the discipleship pathway of Jesus. And one of the Ns stands for “nurturing in small groups.” Just about every week for 2.5 decades, you brought together three small groups, (the flute choir, the clarinet choir, and the Brass choir) for not only music making, but fun and faith. What a gift on so many levels. But Dietmeyers, as you go forth to Wisconsin, you have heard Jesus clarify your future for you. Ultimately, it’s not about how many new music groups you might support or launch. It’s not even about how many diapers you will help change or car-rides you give to the grandkids. It continues to be about how much LOVE you get to show to your family, new congregation and new friends in the name of Jesus.

Pastor Wes. The Divinity school of Princeton University for an M.Div. and then a Master of Sacred Theology at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia. But despite your degrees and despite how cute your young family is, it will be the LOVE in Jesus’ name that you model for us and share. It will be Jesus’ love, into which you help lead us, that really gets Jesus excited.

Christ Our Shepherd, as we move forward into the next 50 years—many of you hold dreams. To really rev up using Palmetto Road as a platform for the community. That we show creativity in connecting with people of all ages and blessing them with relevant faithful connections. To use dynamically our beautiful refreshed worship spaces. But amid all our dreams, we know it’s only to the extent that LOVE pulses through our strategies that we accomplish Jesus’ directives.

So, my friends, all of you wrapping up some type of chapter and beginning another and all the emotion that goes with that, whatever letters you use to describe your situation, remember two:  Alpha and Omega.  Jesus was with you at the beginning of your story, he’ll be there at the end.  And all along the way, he holds you, leads you, encourages you with  . . . LOVE.  Let us enjoy that love story, together.  In Jesus’ name, Amen.