PentecostC19—6/9/19 Acts 2:1-21 Pr. Scott Kramer On Tuesday of this past week I met with my synod diversity team. (“Synod” is the name for the 100 Lutheran churches in our part of Washington state.) Our team’s job is to identify needs and opportunities for raising awareness within our synod concerning issues of race, sexuality and, more generally, power. When I say I “met” with the team, I don’t mean face-to-face. Team members serve in different parts of our synod … [Read more...]
Natural Trust
Holy Trinity—5/27/18 Romans 8:12-17; John 3:5-17 Pr. Scott Kramer Every morning one of the first things I do is open the front door and pick up the Seattle Times that’s been delivered. (We’re old-fashioned that way!) When I scan the paper I don’t need to tell you that what experience is a lot of bad news. It’s not all bad news, but there’s enough each day that over time it can have the effect of wearing down a person’s trust of other people. My wife and I have been enjoying a TV series called … [Read more...]
Stranger on the Road
3 Easter A—4/30/17 Acts 2:14a,36-41; Psalm 116:1-4,12-19; 1 Peter 1:17-23; Luke 24:13-35 Pr. Scott Kramer A week and a half ago I stopped by the Renton History Museum for the first time. The museum features a traveling exhibit titled, “Sorting Out Racism,” which is excellent and continues through May 17th. While I was at the museum I learned about an event held at the museum this past Thursday, a panel discussion titled, Undoing Racism in Renton. The panel was an African-American pastor … [Read more...]
Signs of God’s “KIN-dom”
Northwest Washington ELCA Lutheran churches recently received from our regional office a statistical study that describes neighborhoods by racial representation. Included in this study is a profile of Lutheran churches within those zip codes according to racial distribution. The percentage of people of color within our Lakeridge Lutheran neighborhood—the 98178 zip code—is higher than any other neighborhood in the survey: 68.94%. The percentage of people of color within our congregation is … [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...]
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...]