"For Christ also suffered for sins once for all, the righteous for the unrighteous, in order to bring you to God. He was put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit, in which also he went and made a proclamation to the spirits in prison." - 1 Peter 3:18-19 For our sake Christ was crucified under Pontius Pilate; he suffered death and was buried. On the third day he rose again in accordance with the scriptures; he ascended into heaven, and is seated at the right hand of ther Father. - Nicene Creed   Holy Saturday is often felt to be a "lull" time in the Easter weekend, a quiet t ..read more

Adapted from a sermon preached on February 18, 2024. There is a symbol that is dear to Lutherans because it was dear to Martin Luther, one that can remind us of the basics of our faith, and accompany us this year on our own Lenten journey. This symbol is the Seal of Luther, or the Luther Rose, and you can see it in countless churches around the world, including right here at Hope! There is a beautiful stained glass version of it right at the entrance to our worship space, created by our own Janet Loewen. The origins of the symbol are a little obscure, but it is known that Luther’s writings as ..read more

A sermon preached on Transfiguration Sunday, 2022 on Luke 9:28-43. - PK In 1827 astronomers looked into the night sky and saw an unusual sight. A star was there, where previously there had been nothing. Over the next ten years the star increased in brightness until it became the second brightest object in the heavens. And then it was gone, leaving astronomers to wonder and theorize. A contemporary astronomer recently described what happened to Eta Carinae, as the star became known, from 1827 to 1835. “It was as if for that brief decade the outer envelope of the star was peeled back, allowing a ..read more

THE SUMMONS: Star of the Nativity W.H. Auden   I am that star most dreaded by the wise, For they are drawn against their will to me, Yet read in my procession through the skies The doom of orthodox sophrosyne: I shall discard their major preservation, All that they know so long as no one asks; I shall deprive them of their minor tasks In free and legal households of sensation, Of money, picnics, beer, and sanitation.   Beware. All those who follow me are led Onto that Glassy Mountain where are no Footholds for logic, to that Bridge of Dread Where knowledge but increases verrigo: Thos ..read more

On Sunday, December 31 instead of a sermon I read some poetry by David Whyte, excerpts from his book Consolations: The Solace, Nourishment, and Underlying Meaning of Everyday Words. Here are his words on forgiveness, which is the great work of Christ and the vocation of all his followers.   Forgiveness is a heartache and difficult to achieve because strangely, the act of forgiveness not only refuses to eliminate the original wound, but actually draws us closer to its source. To approach forgiveness is to close in on the nature of the hurt itself, the only remedy being, as we approach its ..read more

Advent Homily: on the Three Comings of the Lord Bernard of Clairvaux   We know that the coming of the Lord is threefold: the third coming is between the other two and it is not visible in the way they are. At his first coming the Lord was seen on earth and lived among men, who saw him and hated him. At his last coming “all flesh shall see the salvation of our God,” and “they shall look on him whom they have pierced.” In the middle, the hidden coming, only the chosen see him, and they see him within themselves; and so their souls are saved. The first coming was in flesh and weakness, the m ..read more

Enter in to the joy Robert Farrar Capon The Parable of the Talents… is about a judgment rendered on faith-in-action, not on the results of that faith. Not only does the lord of the servants who doubled their talents praise them precisely as faithful ("well done, good and faithful servant"); the doubling seems to be due more to the talents themselves than to the efforts the servants put into doing business with them. The servant who was given five makes five more; the one who received two makes two more. To me that says that the grace of acceptance does its own work; all we have to do is trust ..read more

Right when we need the solace of Scripture amidst the Middle East violence, the lectionary for this week includes one of the most barbaric stories in the entire Bible. It's a painful reminder that some of the violence in our world today is rooted in the violent texts of our religious traditions. Slaughtering your enemies and then celebrating it in poetry seems to have divine sanction.  In Judges 4 a housewife named Jael defeats a king named Jabin by... Read more at JourneyWithJesus.net ..read more

from: Some Modern Beatitudes – A Sermon For All Saints Sunday by Nadia Bolz Weber   Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are the agnostics. Blessed are they who doubt. Those who aren’t sure, who can still be surprised. Blessed are they who are spiritually impoverished and therefore not so certain about everything that they no longer take in new information. Blessed are those who have nothing to offer. Blessed are they for whom nothing seems to be working. Blessed are the pre-schoolers who cut in line at communion. Blessed are the poor in spirit. You ..read more

  November, to me, is always one of the hardest months of the year. When I think of November I think of barren trees, cold air, grey skies, and frost. It’s really winter now, but without the fun part because there usually isn’t enough snow yet to play in. In the church we begin November with All Saints Day, and in the culture we continue with Armistice Day – both of which have us remembering those who have gone before and are now at rest with God. In 2023 November seems heavy with grief, fear, and anger as wars continue to rage. It’s a month truly “surrounded by evil and bordered by death ..read more