Rally Sunday, September 16, 2018

2 Timothy 3:14-17

I was born to be a pastor.

I learned to be a good teacher.

Both are important and both are a part of who I am.

Which is why today is so dog-gone important to me. Because on this day: Rally Day, we are all called to rally ourselves, to rally our minds and our spirits around the Word of God. On this day we remember and we embrace that we are called to enter into a discipline of learning and teaching. We need to know and to understand what it means to be a child of God; we need to k now and to understand what it means to be God’s servants in the world.

A scholar wrote about the verses I just read from 2 Timothy:

The purpose of Scripture is the purpose of good schooling—to produce the well-instructed and disciplined adult, proficient and well equipped in the graces and skills required for a positive role in church and society…

                                    (The New Interpreter’s Bible vol. 11, p. 852)

Which is just a fancy way of saying we want to grow good kids here, and we want to have understanding adults. We want our adults to understand holy scripture, to understand Lutheran tradition, to understand the things we need to know as followers of Christ so we can teach our children.

Learning is lifelong.

Which is why we begin today a journey we are calling AB-Yes!

AB:

Affirmation of Baptism.

To affirm is to say “yes” to something. To affirm our baptism is to say yes to what God has done in our lives.

Saying “yes” to baptism is to say “uh huh!” Saying “yes” to baptism is to say “I want to be a child of God. Saying “yes” to baptism is to say I want to be a follower of Christ. Saying “yes” to baptism is to say I celebrate that I have been washed in the waters of baptism; I celebrate that God has cleansed me of my sin. Saying “uh huh” is to say that I know God forgives me and I revel in that forgiveness.

AB-Yes! is a process I have designed for use here at Our Savior’s, a learning process that one can begin in third grade, if one chooses, or later if one wants. AB-Yes! is a learning process anyone at any age can take part in. AB-Yes! takes the place of what was once known as confirmation, and it takes the place of what was once known as Sunday School. AB-Yes! is our attempt to embrace the needs of modern families while at the same time calling all of us at all ages to think about our need to learn about our faith and our need to affirm our faith—to say “yes!” to God and God’s gracious activity again and again and again.

We begin AB-Yes! this morning, with this sermon and with the intergenerational learning experience I will lead in Fellowship Hall, beginning at 10:30am. It will end by 11am.

I was thinking about my own experiences as a child, growing up in a traditional Lutheran family, going to worship and to Sunday School every week. I was trying to remember what Sunday School was like for me, what we did.

I actually began remembering a lot of things: memorizing bible verses, singing songs, collecting offerings to send overseas, doing crafts. I remember high school Sunday School, my teacher and the books we read together and the incredible conversations we had. My favorite memory was from when I was in Sunday School as a youngster. I remember my classmates and myself sitting around a kidney shaped table. I remember looking across the huge room at other children sitting at other kidney shaped tables. I remember seeing another member of my family leaning with his/her head under the table, picking his/her nose. I remember feeling mortified! And amused.

Learning in the context of a congregation is vital. We need to learn what our faith tells us about what it means to live in this world. We need to learn what scripture teaches us about ourselves and about others. We need to learn what God expects of us as God’s children—whatever our age.

Most importantly, we need to learn all the different ways God expresses God’s love for us and for the world.

This is why we rally today.

This is why we gather. To hear. To learn. To know. To believe. To share. To have hope in God’s wonderful promises.

Amen.

Moroccan Vegetable Ragoût

Serves 3 to 4

Ingredients

1 tablespoon extra-virgin olive oil
1 medium yellow onion, thinly sliced (about 1 ¼ cups)
1 3- to 4-inch cinnamon stick
1 ½ teaspoons ground cumin
2 cups peeled and medium diced (½-inch) sweet potatoes (about ¾ lb.)
1 14- to 16-oz. can chickpeas, drained and rinsed
1 14 ½ oz. can diced tomatoes, with their juices
½ cup pitted green Greek or Italian olives
6 tablespoons orange, preferably fresh
1 ½ teaspoons honey
 8 cups lightly packed very coarsely chopped kale leaves (from about ½ lb. kale)
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

1. Heat the oil in a 5- to 6-quart Dutch oven or other heavy pot over medium-high heat.
2. Add the onion and cook stirring frequently, until soft and lightly browned, about 5 minutes.
3. Add the cinnamon stick and cumin and cook until very fragrant, about 1 minute.
4. Add the sweet potatoes, chickpea, tomatoes and their juices, olives, orange juice, honey, and 1 cup water; bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to medium low and simmer, covered, stirring occasionally, until the sweet potatoes are barely tender, about 15 minutes.
5. Stir in the kale. Cover and continue cooking until wilted and softened, about another 10 minutes.
6. Remove and discard the cinnamon stick.
7. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Roasted Parmesan Herb Sweet Potatoes

Prep Time: 10 mins

Total Time: 45 mins

Servings: 4

Ingredients

3 tablespoons olive oil
4 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 teaspoons Italian seasoning
1 teaspoon garlic powder
3  large sweet potatoes, peeled and diced into small cubes
parsley, for garnish (optional)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 400ºF. Lightly coat a large baking pan with nonstick cooking spray or line with parchment paper. Set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, combine olive oil, Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder. Add diced potatoes and toss to coat.
3. Spread potatoes in an even layer onto prepared pan. Bake for 32–35 minutes, or until lightly browned and crispy. Remove from oven and let cool for 5 minutes.
4. Sprinkle with extra Parmesan cheese and parsley, if desired. Serve immediately.

Sweet Potato Brownie Bites

Servings: 24

Ingredients

1 large sweet potato
⅓ cup mini-chocolate chips
⅓ cup hot coffee
2 tablespoons butter (melted)
2 eggs
½ cup light brown sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
½ cup all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
¾ cup cocoa powder
½ teaspoon salt

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350°.
2. Place a large sweet potato in a microwave and cook on high for 5 to 7 minutes or until completely softened. Scoop out of the flesh and discard the skin. Set aside 1 cup of flesh
3. Place the mini-chocolate chips in a bowl. Pour the hot coffee over the chocolate chips and stir to melt the chocolate. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, stir together the reserved sweet potato, butter, eggs, sugar and vanilla. Add the chocolate coffee mixture to the sweet potato mixture and stir to combine.
5. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cocoa powder and salt. Add the dry ingredient mixture to the sweet potato mixture and stir just to combine.
6. Using a mini muffin tin, fill the cups ¾ of the way with brownie mixture. Place in the oven to bake for 8 minutes.

Tip

1. Heat up leftover coffee or espresso.
2. Alternatively, roast the sweet potato until fork tender, for a sweeter, more developed flavor.

Apple Cranberry Coleslaw

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 10 minutes

Servings: 12 – 16

Ingredients

1 – 14 oz. bag 3-color coleslaw mix
1 large apple chopped
½ cup dried cranberries
½ cup chopped walnuts
4 green onions sliced

Dressing *

¾ cup low-fat mayo
¾ cup plain yogurt (not Greek)
6 tablespoons honey
¾ teaspoon dried, ground ginger

Directions

1.  Combine coleslaw ingredients in a large bowl.
2. In a small bowl, combine dressing ingredients and mix well.
3. Pour dressing over coleslaw and stir until evenly coated.

* For a less creamy coleslaw, use ½ c. mayo, ½ c. plain yogurt, ¼ c honey, and ½ tsp. ginger.

 

End of Summer Pasta Salad*

Ingredients

1 package (16 oz.) tri color fusilli or rotini pasta
¾ cup mayonnaise
¾ cup Greek yogurt
1 (1 oz.) package powdered ranch dressing mix
1 medium cucumber, quartered and thinly sliced
2 cups broccoli florets, roughly chopped
2 bell peppers, chopped
1 cup cherry tomatoes, halved
¼ cup red onion, thinly sliced
½ cup cheddar cheese, sliced into matchstick or grated
½ teaspoon garlic powder

Directions

1. Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil and cook pasta according to package instructions.
2. 2 minutes before pasta is fully cooked, add broccoli and cauliflower to the pot. Strain pasta and vegetables and set aside.
3. Add mayonnaise, Greek yogurt, ranch mix, and garlic powder to a large serving bowl and whisk to combine.
4. Add pasta, cooked and raw vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, tomatoes, red onion, bell pepper and cucumber), and cheese and toss to combine.
5. Cover and chill in fridge until you’re ready to serve!

*from the recipe collection of Paula Tippery

Italian Sausage and Veggies in One Pan

Ingredients

2 large carrots – 2 cups

2 red potatoes – 2 cups

1 small-medium zucchini – 2 ⅓ cups

2 red peppers – 2 cups

1 head broccoli – 1 ½ cups

16 ounces smoked Italian turkey or chicken sausage

Seasonings

½ tablespoon EACH: dried basil, dried oregano, dried parsley, garlic powder

½ teaspoon EACH: onion powder, dried thyme

⅛ teaspoon red pepper flakes (optional)

⅓ cup Parmesan cheese freshly grated (optional)

4 ½ tablespoons olive oil

Fresh parsley, salt and pepper

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400°. Line a large sheet pan with parchment paper or foil (easy to clean-up) and set aside.
2. Prep the veggies. *
3. Peel and very thinly slice the carrots. Wash and chop the red potatoes. You want the pieces quite small here. (I halve the potatoes and then cut each half into 10-12 pieces.)
4. Halve the zucchini and then cut “think coins of zucchini. Coarsely chop the broccoli. Remove the stems and seeds from the peppers and chop into medium-sized pieces. Chop the sausage into thick coins.
5. Pour all the veggies and sausage on the sheet pan.
6. In a small bowl combine all of the seasonings and salt and pepper if desired (I use about ⅛ teaspoon pepper and ½ teaspoon salt with the olive oil. Stir to combine.
7. Pour the seasonings and oil mixture on top of the veggies and sausage and thoroughly toss to coat.
8. Place in the heated oven for 15 minutes. Remove and toss around the veggies and sausage and return to the oven for another 10-20 minutes or until veggies are crisp tender.
9. Remove and top, if desired, with freshly grated Parmesan cheese and fresh parsley.

*It is important to prep the veggies according to directions to ensure they all cook at the same time.

“Don’t Knock It Until You Try It” Beet Cake!

 

Prep Time: 20 mins 

Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes

Servings: 12

Ingredients

4 eggs
2 cups sugar
2 cups flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
2 teaspoons vanilla
3 cups shredded fresh beets
1 cup chopped walnuts

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350°, grease and flour 13×9 baking pan.
2. Beat eggs, sugar and oil until light and fluffy.
3. Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and cinnamon.
4. Add to egg mixture and mix well.
5. Add vanilla, beet, and walnuts.
6. Beat for 1 minute on medium speed.
7. Pour into pan, bake for 45 minutes, or until a pick comes out clean.