This past week I was driving to a pastor’s meeting at our synod office when I exited the freeway, planning to turn left at the stoplight. There at the stoplight was a man with a sign asking for spare change. There were two left-turn lanes. The one on furthest left would’ve taken me right beside the man with the sign. The one next to it meant that I would avoid him. I just didn’t feel like dealing with it. I took the lane furthest from the man. When I got to the meeting we pastors did a Bible … [Read more...]
65 Reasons to Celebrate!
Dear Friends, It was a joy to gather on Sunday, honoring sixty-five years of God's work through and among us. "65" lends itself to a retirement theme. But just as retirement doesn't signal the end of life for workers, neither does it for a community of faith. Instead, with the help of PowerPoint slides I named 65 assets, ministries and reasons for gratitude. Some of these represent decades-long traditions. Remarkably, however, many have emerged since our last big celebration five years ago … [Read more...]
Clearing Out Clutter
Over the past week I’ve been busy in the yard. I’ve been cutting and digging and filling the yard waste bin. It will probably be weeks before all the leaves and branches that have accumulated get carted away. Even so, already the yard looks far less cluttered than it used to. Clutter is not just a seasonal matter; for me, it’s a constant challenge. Seems like stuff accumulates, both inside and outside the house. Outside, it’s leaves and branches. Indoors, it’s papers and boxes and clothing. … [Read more...]
What Is God’s? What Is Yours?
Many centuries ago there was a warlike tribe in Europe that had no contact with Christianity. Eventually Christian missionaries reached this tribe and many became converts. The story goes that when these people were baptized in a river or lake the missionaries noticed that they would hold one arm above the water, even as the rest of their body was submerged. The missionaries thought this was odd! Later, however, they learned the reason: When these new Christians went to battle against the … [Read more...]
Harvest Season
One of the great gifts of our Lutheran tradition is the assurance that we’re never alone. Across our nation and across the globe on this day Lutherans gather to hear the same readings. Today hundreds of thousands of people are hearing readings from Isaiah, Philippians and Matthew. And not just Lutherans! Episcopalians, Presbyterians, Methodists, United Church of Christ—all these Christians, too, are literally on the same page. There’s a downside to the discipline of following the church’s … [Read more...]
Beyond 9/11
Today, as we know, is the tenth anniversary of 9/11. What a blessing that this anniversary falls on a Sunday! The anniversary of this national tragedy raises questions of faith. One of those questions is, After painful or traumatic experiences, how do we move forward? The bedrock of our faith points to an answer found in today’s gospel: forgiveness. Lord, if another member of the church sins against me, how often should I forgive? Peter asks Jesus, As many as seven times?" 22Jesus said to … [Read more...]
What Love Looks Like
I almost asked our reader to skip today’s first reading. People are just going to sleep through this, I thought. But as Paul writes in today’s second reading, Now is the time to wake from sleep! And it’s true! If the Passover story just sounds like some weird, ancient set of rules and regulations, I invite you to “wake from sleep” and find yourself in the story. What does love look like? That was the question the scriptures invited us to ponder last week and we ask it again this week. What … [Read more...]
Distractions to Love
My wife and I just got back from Banff and Jasper National Parks in Canada. My wife and I are “national parks junkies.” Whether here in the U.S., Canada or anywhere else in the world, we love celebrating the natural beauty of God’s creation. The Canadian national parks, like the American ones, are a place where awe is the most common response to the mystery and majesty of God’s creation. In today’s story Moses is on a mountain. It’s not hard to imagine him gaping at what he sees. But unlike … [Read more...]
Annoying People
All of us have had the experience of being annoyed by other people. But, have you ever had days when it seems like no matter which way you turn, everyone is annoying? Jesus was having one of those days. In the verses leading up to today’s reading he was in a tussle with the Pharisees. No one was more annoying to Jesus than people who paid too much attention to rules, and the Pharisees were all about following the letter of the Law. He called them hypocrites, and in today’s reading he calls … [Read more...]
Get Out of the Boat
The Blue Angels are back in town this weekend. Even after all these years it still seems odd to me that they’re part of the U.S. Navy. When I think Navy I don’t think aircraft; I think “ship”! The word “Navy” itself means “ship.” We use the word to describe our worship space. This is called the “nave”—it, too, means “ship.” Strange, isn’t it? And yet, boats are an important part of our Christian story. A boat is at the center of today’s story. What was Peter thinking? He was a fisherman. … [Read more...]
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