“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) This weekend is All Saints Sunday and as we gather as God’s people we will be reminded that we do not gather just with the people in the room. The communion of saints ... Read more ..read more

Joseph said to them, “Do not be afraid! Am I in the place of God? Even though you intended to do harm to me, God intended it for good, in order to preserve a numerous people, as he is doing today. (Genesis 50:19-20) Some of you reading this may remember the bumper sticker religion series we did ..read more

Jesus said, “You did not choose me, but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last…” (John 15:16) Jesus’ call in our lives is to join with him in the work of loving the world. As much as we want to be in charge of our destiny ..read more

Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law. (Romans 13:10) We begin a 5-week series on faith and civics this week – a journey into what it means to be a Christian and participate in public life. In our baptism we are joined to Jesus and called to continue the ministry of Christ in the world. This work is called “the vocation of the baptized.” It is the way we live out our identity and the body of Christ in daily life. We begin this series with Romans 13 because it is a place where Paul talks about living in a world governed by others. How are Christian ..read more

To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.  (1 Corinthians 12:8) As Lutherans, we don’t often think of ourselves as Spirit-filled people. We think the Pentecostals focus on that. But Paul is very clear, all of us who trust Christ have the Spirit – it’s the only way to believe in Jesus. And the Spirit manifests itself through each of us to do God’s work. God does this because as the church, we are to continue to do the work of Christ. The risen Jesus has ascended so that the Spirit could descend and bring Christ’s presence to us. But this is no longer just in on ..read more

Now I appeal to you, brothers and sisters, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you be in agreement and that there be no divisions among you but that you be knit together in the same mind and the same purpose. (1 Corinthians 10:10) I have worked in the church for almost 4 decades. Much of that has been in congregations as a parish pastor. But much has also been as a consultant to other congregations in my roles on a synod staff, on the national churchwide staff and as a church consultant. There is nothing uglier that a serious church fight. The congregation where I first ser ..read more

So when they had come together, they asked him, “Lord, is this the time when you will restore the kingdom to Israel?”He replied, “It is not for you to know the times or periods that the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” (Acts 1:6-8) Imagine the disciples’ anticipation of finally getting some answers when they spent time with the risen Christ. But they had little satisfaction when they asked their question, “Is this ..read more

Mark 14:3-11 Nelson Mandela learned what Jesus knew: Struggles are harder when we go alone. Jesus is now getting close to the end. He has to decide how to live out what are likely his last few days. He knows that most of the people in power are angry. He knows his disciples lack unity. He knows that as he came into the temporal world and joined us in our mortality that dying is the only doorway out. So how will Jesus spend his time? Mark tells us of a dinner at the house of Simon the leper, who lives in Bethany. Although Jesus grew up in Nazareth, Bethany is his home away from home. It is wher ..read more

Based on Mark 13:1-8, 24-37 When Mark wrote his gospel, the world was a shifting mess. The Apostle Paul had recently been executed. Peter was likely in jail awaiting execution. The Roman emperor Nero hated Christians and was also likely to have been mentally ill. It was a scary time. People wondered, is this the end or is the end getting close? Worry was the norm, especially for Christians at the time. This may not sound like a story from 2000 years ago. I hear and see the same thing now. Climate change is scary. Russia is talking about being willing to use nuclear weapons. There is dissatisf ..read more

When challenged by the leaders of his time about what was the most important commandment, Jesus replied, “The first is, ‘Hear, O Israel: the Lord our God, the Lord is one; you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ The second is this, ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no other commandment greater than these.” The entire work of God is based on who God is. 1 John tells us that “God is love.” It isn’t just that God loves – God IS love. The essence of God’s identity is love itse ..read more