T-shirt seen at recent Othello-Rainier march 2 Pentecost A—6/14/20 Romans 5:1-8; Matthew 9:35--10:8 [9-23] Pr. Scott Kramer One of my friends told me this past week about an acquaintance who has been in anguish over the past weeks. This person has been agonizing not only about the death of George Floyd, but also about larger questions of racism in this country. She said, “I want to fight racism. I wish people of color would just tell me what to do!” It’s hard to fault … [Read more...]
Distractions to Justice
22 Pentecost C—11/10/19 Job 19:23-27a; Luke 20:27-38 Pr. Scott Kramer Susan Goldberg is the tenth editor of National Geographic magazine and the first woman to hold the post. It’s good timing. Next year marks 100 years since the United States Congress ratified the 19th Amendment to the Constitution, giving women the right to vote. The November issue of the magazine is titled “Women: A Century of Change,” and reflects the struggles and successes of women around the … [Read more...]
First Things First
3 Pentecost B—6/30/19 Galatians 5:1,13-25 Pr. Scott Kramer On the Sunday before Independence Day it seems appropriate that our reading from Galatians is all about freedom: Christ has set us free to live a free life. So, take your stand! Never again let anyone put a harness of slavery on you! Well, what does freedom mean to you? If we were to take a survey this morning, some familiar responses likely would rise to the top: freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom of the … [Read more...]
The Power of Love
2 Pentecost C—6/23/19 Luke 8:26-39 Pr. Scott Kramer Who is Dylann Roof? Some of us saw the film Emanuel this past Monday. Four years ago to the day, a young man named Dylann Roof walked into Mother Emanuel AME Church in Charleston, South Carolina. He sat through a Bible study before standing up and shooting nine members of the congregation dead. What possesses a 21 year-old young white man who belonged to an ELCA Lutheran Church to commit such a horrific act against nine … [Read more...]
The Quiet Place
9 Pentecost B—7/22/18 Jeremiah 23:1-6; Mark 6:30-34, 53-56 Pr. Scott Kramer Friday is our day off together, so this past Friday my wife and I did what we love to do this time of year and that’s hike in the mountains. We drove to Mt. Rainier National Park and started out on the trail. We weren’t alone. The trail follows a major road just outside the park for a mile or more so there was plenty of traffic noise. On the trail itself were dozens of people, and because this is Seattle, everybody has … [Read more...]
A Choice of Stories
7 Pentecost B—7/8/18 2 Samuel 5:1-5, 9-10; Ezekiel 2:1-5; Mark 6:1-13 Pr. Scott Kramer (Guest Preacher at Immanuel Lutheran Church, Seattle) It is good to be with you this morning! I am honored to be asked by Pr. Priscilla to be with you today. Some of you know Pr. Rick Pribbernow of Open Door Ministries. Pr. Rick is a member of my congregation and is preaching for me today. He asked me to send you his greetings. I’d like to share with you this morning a quote from Thomas Keating. Fr. Thomas … [Read more...]
Friends
6 Easter B—5/6/18 Acts 10:44-48; Psalm 98; 1 John 5:1-6; John 15:9-17 Pr. Scott Kramer Some of you knew Jim Fenner, who was a member of this congregation for decades. Jim died earlier this year. Two weeks ago some of us attended a gathering of friends and family just up the hill at the Skyway VFW Hall to remember Jim’s life. Who knew that one week later, last Sunday, a gunfight would break out in that same VFW parking lot? Two men died and several others were injured. This is just … [Read more...]
Superheroes
4 Lent B—3/11/18 Numbers 21:4-9; Ephesians 2:1-10; John 3:14-21 Pr. Scott Kramer Three weeks ago I drove down to The Landing movie theaters in Renton. I was hoping to be among the first to see Black Panther, the latest of the Marvel superhero movies. I couldn’t get in; it was sold out! Apparently, this movie is not only a big deal here. In only three weeks, worldwide Black Panther has grossed $1 billion. I read in the paper this morning that it is now the all-time greatest superhero movie, … [Read more...]
Come and See
2 Epiphany B—1/14/18 John 1:43-51 Pr. Scott Kramer I have found that the best way to make time pass quickly on a 13-hr. flight between Seattle and China is to watch movies. That’s mostly what I do, and over the past two weeks on two flights I watched a total of at least eight movies. Some were pretty good; some, not so much. Have you ever seen a movie that was so good that you just had to tell others about it? I remember lots of powerful movies; for my generation, the original Star … [Read more...]
Just Showing Up
5 Epiphany B—2/4/18 Isaiah 40:21-31; Psalm 147; 1 Corinthians 9:16-23; Mark 1:29-39 Pr. Scott Kramer I shared with you last week that my Uncle Rod died at the age of 85, following a few brief months of living with leukemia. Here’s a line from his published obituary that gives you an idea of what he was like: He loved meeting new people and would often choose to go in the “singles” line at the chair lift while skiing just to have the opportunity to meet and talk with others on the ride up to … [Read more...]
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