First Lutheran Church | Pastor's Blog
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First Lutheran is a vibrant ELCA congregation gathered from the Greater Portland area and beyond. We worship together each Sunday morning and offer a variety of Christian education, fellowship, and community outreach activities for all ages. Whether you are searching to find a church home, trying to figure out who God is, or just plain curious, you are welcome here!
First Lutheran Church | Pastor's Blog
6M ago
During this Thanksgiving month in our worship and life we are focusing on what it means to respond with gratitude for all that God has done for us and all He gives to us. Our worship services this month are featuring special testimonies about how the speakers have been blessed and what they did in ..read more
First Lutheran Church | Pastor's Blog
6M ago
Dear First Lutheran friends, My wife, Linda, and I THANK YOU very much for your warm welcome and gracious hospitality upon our arrival here in Portland on Saturday, May 13th! We so appreciated the gift basket we found when we first entered the parsonage kitchen, the delicious lasagna meal we enjoyed on our first evening ..read more
First Lutheran Church | Pastor's Blog
10M ago
Transition times like what we’re in here at First Lutheran Church are times of liminality. “Liminality” comes from the Latin limen, meaning “threshold.” It is like standing on the threshold between one room and another. It is an evolving state of an individual, place, organization, or institution, in the space between and an ending and ..read more
First Lutheran Church | Pastor's Blog
11M ago
Dear First Lutheran friends, My wife, Linda, and I THANK YOU very much for your warm welcome and gracious hospitality upon our arrival here in Portland on Saturday, May 13th! We so appreciated the gift basket we found when we first entered the parsonage kitchen, the delicious lasagna meal we enjoyed on our first evening ..read more
First Lutheran Church | Pastor's Blog
1y ago
What is a Christian’s job? What is it that God expects of us? There are many answers depending on where one turns. One answer could be, “I am to love God with all my heart, soul, mind, and strength. And love my neighbor.” That answer would certainly be acceptable. I must admit, that in these ..read more
First Lutheran Church | Pastor's Blog
1y ago
How do Lutherans define disciple and discipleship? If you are at a loss don’t worry, so was I.Luther used the words disciple and discipleship but the words themselves did not become apart of Lutheran theological vocabulary until much later, perhaps first in DietrichBonhoeffer’s Discipleship, better known today as The Cost of Discipleship. That’s fourhundred and ..read more
First Lutheran Church | Pastor's Blog
1y ago
“Mortal, eat this scroll that I give you and fill your stomach with it.” Then I ate it, and in my mouth it was as sweet as honey.” — Ezekiel 3: 2-3 “So I took the little scroll from the hand of the angel and ate it; it was sweet as honey in my mouth ..read more
First Lutheran Church | Pastor's Blog
2y ago
Wisdom and Proverbs 8 Does not wisdom call out?not understanding raise her voice?At the highest point along the way,the paths meet, she takes her stand;beside the gate leading into the city,the entrance, she cries aloud:“To you, O people, I call out;raise my voice to all mankind.You who are simple, gain prudence;who are foolish, set your ..read more
First Lutheran Church | Pastor's Blog
2y ago
When it comes to love, there’s no such thing as a “safe investment.” It’s impossible to love without being vulnerable; loving at all means that your heart will ache and probably be broken. If you want to avoid this, you have to avoid giving your heart to anyone, even a pet. Instead, you have to ..read more
First Lutheran Church | Pastor's Blog
2y ago
The phoenix has been used as a Christian symbol of the resurrection since the first century. The phoenix is said to have been an eagle-like bird with beautiful red and gold plumage that lived in Arabia. Every 500 years, the phoenix would build a nest of frankincense, myrrh, and other sweet-smelling woods and when the ..read more