2 Pentecost B—6/7/15 Genesis 3:8-15; Psalm 130; 2 Corinthians 4:13-5:1; Mark 3:20-35 Pr. Scott Kramer Three weeks ago in New Zealand a five year-old boy was hit by a car in front of the home of Harman Singh. Harman Singh is a Sikh and, like all practicing Sikh men, he wears a turban in public. But when he saw the little boy bleeding on the pavement he unwrapped his turban and used it to cushion the boy’s head and neck until the medics arrived. What makes this act of compassion … [Read more...]
I Spy
Holy Trinity B—5/31/15 Isaiah 6:1-8; Psalm 29; Romans 8:12-17; John 3:1-17 Pr. Scott Kramer Funny the things we remember from childhood. I don’t remember much but for some reason I think of toys. Some of the first toys I remember were spy toys. Those of you of a certain age may remember decoder rings, invisible ink pens. One of my favorites was a toy gun from 1964. I didn’t know anything about the Cold War but I knew that I liked this spy gun. It looked like a portable transistor … [Read more...]
Choose Love
5 Pentecost B—5/3/15 Acts 8:26-40; Psalm 22:25-31; 1 John 4:7-21; John 15:1-8 Pr. Scott Kramer Some of us are old enough to remember when Bruce Jenner won the gold medal in the decathlon at the 1976 Olympics. Almost forty years later he’s back in the news again, making headlines for a very different reason: Bruce Jenner is transitioning to a woman. Meanwhile, in our nation’s capital the U.S. Supreme Court is hearing arguments for and against the constitutionality of gay marriage. In … [Read more...]
Holy Impatience
3 Easter B—4/19/15 Acts 3:12-19; Psalm 4; 1 John 3:1-7; Luke 24:36b-48 Pr. Scott Kramer Why are you frightened, and why do doubts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet; see that it is I myself. Touch me and see, for a ghost does not have flesh and bones as you see that I have! Jesus is impatient. Easter is a season of holy impatience. Earlier in Luke, the first ones at Jesus’ tomb were some women. When they arrived at the tomb, they saw “two men in dazzling clothes.” … [Read more...]
Faith and Doubt
2 Easter B—4/12/15 Acts 4:32-35; Psalm 133; 1 John 1:1-2:2, John 20:19-31 Pr. Scott Kramer Before we gathered here for worship last Sunday many of us gathered around a fire by the lake before dawn and as we worshiped the sky grew brighter and the sun eventually rose above the horizon. Light and darkness are Easter themes and the author of our gospel and epistle readings this morning loves the language of light and dark. For example, in today’s second reading John assures us that God is … [Read more...]
Right Under Our Noses
EasterB15—4/5/15 Acts 10:34-43; Psalm 118:1-2,14-24; 1 Corinthians 15:1-11; Mark 16:1-8 Pr. Scott Kramer And they said nothing to anyone, for they were afraid. Some wise guy once said that this verse is the Lutheran approach to evangelism! Let us pray… *** But seriously, what do you think? Silence and fear. The Easter story we just read has no empty tomb, no angels, and no happy ending. What kind of an Easter story is that? Welcome to Mark's gospel! These women at the tomb … [Read more...]
“Down Under” Reflections for Lent: Laughing Buddha, Suffering Christ
"Down Under" Reflections for Lent: Laughing Buddha, Suffering Christ Having returned from a recent trip to visit family in Australia, Pr. Scott offers reflections on highlights of the experience in light of the season of Lent. The eye of Christ The last thing I want when traveling to a tropical area in the middle of winter is to spend a lot of time indoors. In Australia, we spent the great bulk of our time outdoors. We did, however, want to visit at least one local museum so we … [Read more...]
Seasonal Change
5 Lent B—3/22/15 Jeremiah 31:31-34; Psalm 51:1-12; Hebrews 5:5-10; John 12:20-33 Pr. Scott Kramer When we moved from Seattle to Fargo back in the late 90s my wife and I had some adjustments to make. Culture, the demands of her training and climate were all factors. Today marks the second full day of spring. Even here in Washington where the weather is milder the seasons change and we gradually make adjustments to those changes: Our wardrobes change. Our routines may change. We … [Read more...]
“Down Under” Reflections for Lent: Down Under Water
Having returned from a recent trip to visit family in Australia, Pr. Scott offers reflections on highlights of the experience in light of the season of Lent. One of my “bucket list” goals over the years has been to see the Great Barrier Reef. It’s being affected by climate change so the voices of some observers have taken on a see-it-before-it’s-gone urgency. While in the northern coastal city of Cairns my wife and I took a day trip to a nearby island. There we escaped the summer … [Read more...]
News of Grace
4 Lent B—3/15/15 Numbers 21:4-9; Psalm 107:1-3,17-22; Ephesians 2:1-10; John 3:14-21 Pr. Scott Kramer I still haven’t gotten used to the idea of going to my phone for the news. I’m still an old-fashioned newspaper guy. Maybe you get your news from your tablet, radio, or TV—there are lots of choices these days! But regardless of where we get our news there’s a more interesting question: How do you know what to believe? News is not just one thing. The cover story for this month’s … [Read more...]
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