3 Advent A—12/15/19 Isaiah 35:1-10; Psalm 146:5-10; James 5:7-10; Matthew 11:2-11 Pr. Scott Kramer 1The wilderness and the dry land shall be glad, the desert shall rejoice and blossom. Recently my wife and I made a visit to the Amazon Spheres. The Spheres sit in downtown Seattle--glass and steel geodesic bubbles that house four floors of subtropical garden. Admission is free but they are so popular that you have to book well in advance. I love green living … [Read more...]
Fork in the Road
2 Advent A—12/8/19 Isaiah 11:1-10; Romans 15:4-7; Matthew 3:1-12 Pr. Scott Kramer If you’re a local sports fan, you know what the big story was this past week. Chris Petersen, Husky coach over the past six years, suddenly resigned. Well, coaches do resign, but typically in order to take a more prestigious, challenging, and usually better-paying coaching position somewhere else. What made this announcement such a big deal is that Petersen resigned without any new coaching … [Read more...]
Season of Advent(ure)
You might have heard that our congregation’s life together took an unexpected turn when Lakeridge Lutheran was asked if we would host Tent City 3. TC3 for months had been trying without success to secure a site for the winter months. We received the request on a Tuesday. After a flurry of meetings that same day, on Wednesday our council voted to welcome the “campers.” On Saturday TC3 residents began setting up camp and they’ve been with us now for a week and a … [Read more...]
Saints
2 Advent B—12/10/17 Isaiah 40:1-11; 2 Peter 3:8-15a; Mark 1:1-8 Pr. Scott Kramer Can you imagine John the Baptist driving a sleigh through the night with eight tiny reindeer? Imagine John, dressed not in red and white winter gear but camel’s hair. Imagine John dropping down the chimney and happy to find not milk and cookies but a plate full of locusts and wild honey! Hard to imagine? It’s not difficult to see why John was not chosen as the model for our modern-day Santa Claus. But St. Nicholas … [Read more...]
Big Vision, New Beginning
1 Advent B—12/3/17 Isaiah 64:1-9; 1 Corinthians 1:3-9; Mark 13:24-37 Pr. Scott Kramer In our reading from words of the Apostle Paul to the Corinthian church: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ! It’s the first Sunday in Advent, but today we start with the Christmas story! In our reading from Mark's gospel Jesus cautions his followers to be alert, to be awake. Wise words, for Christmas sneaks up on us fast! There were no shopping malls in Jesus’ day. There was … [Read more...]
God’s Dream
4 Advent A—12/18/16 Isaiah 7:10-16; Psalm 80:1-7,17-19; Romans 1:1-7; Matthew 1:18-25 Pr. Scott Kramer So, how did you sleep last night? Over the past three weeks of Advent we’ve heard a lot about the need to be wakeful, and we hear it again today. Be alert! Be aware! Pay attention to the unexpected ways that God shows up among us! But there is value in sleep. We need sleep, right? And here, on the final Sunday in Advent, Joseph is sound asleep! How he was able to sleep I have no idea. He’d … [Read more...]
Good News!
3 Advent A—12/11/16 Isaiah 35:1-10; Psalm 146:5-10; James 5:7-10; Matthew 11:2-11 Pr. Scott Kramer Did you know that KFC--Kentucky Fried Chicken--has been licensed to sell marijuana in Colorado? Did you know that loggers in South America have cut down the world’s oldest tree? Did you know that a Texas turkey farm was found to be contaminated with the Ebola virus? Did you know that Facebook is reporting the names of gun owners to the Department of Homeland Security? Did you know that…none of … [Read more...]
Cats and Dogs
2 Advent A—12/4/17 Isaiah 11:1-10; Psalm 72:1-7,18-19; Romans 15:4-13; Matthew 3:1-12 Pr. Scott Kramer Today we at Lakeridge Lutheran Church continue our celebration of 70 years; 70 years of being a presence in the neighborhood and, at our best, being Christ to the community, providing a glimpse of God’s unconditional love for the world…and a hint of Christ’s realm on Earth! For me personally, our congregation’s anniversary is one of several opportunities to celebrate. In September I attended … [Read more...]
Keep Awake!
Advent1A—11/27/16 Isaiah 2:1-5; Psalm 122; Romans 13:11-14; Matthew 24:36-44 Pr. Scott Kramer Anybody remember the 1970 book “The Late Great Planet Earth?” Some of you who are younger might be more familiar with the “Left Behind” series of novels and movies that appeared in the 1990s and early 2000s. These best-sellers used today’s reading from Matthew, with other Bible passages, to describe the “end of history.” The idea is that God will suddenly one day appear in the clouds to snatch away … [Read more...]
Higher and Lower
4 Advent C—12/20/15 Micah 5:2-5a; Hebrews 10:5-10; Luke 1:39-55 Pr. Scott Kramer Something earthshaking happened in Paris, France, recently. Do you remember? Did you notice? Maybe it’s the terrorist attacks a little over a month ago that come to mind, but that’s not what I’m talking about. Soon after that tragedy, from November 30th to December 12th, the nations of the world came together in Paris for the 2015 Climate Change Conference. By the end of the conference, each nation had agreed to … [Read more...]