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...]
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...]
Room for You
Easter C16 Acts 10:34-43; Psalm 118; 1 Corinthians 15:19-26; Luke 24:1-12 Pr. Scott Kramer Years ago on a trip to Israel my wife and I planned to visit some of the places that were important parts of Jesus’ life. One of these was the traditional place of his birth in Bethlehem. It’s a small, cramped space, with room for only a few people, beneath the floor of a church that was built above it. The traditional place of Jesus’ birth is not a shelter for animals, such as we find in the Bible. It’s … [Read more...]
Winter Into Spring
5 Lent C—3/13/16 Isaiah 43:16-21; Psalm 126; Philippians 3:4b-14; John 12:1-18 Pr. Scott Kramer Imagine yourself taking a walk this afternoon with a friend. After worship, you set out through the neighborhood. Looking around you, you say, “Wow! Look at the magnolias, the azaleas, the daffodils, the camellias, the cherry trees, the plum trees, the hyacinths, the forsythias—all in bloom! Look at the color! And oh, the fragrance! Not only that, but as of today we have an extra hour of daylight. … [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...]
Have You Seen the Rainbows?
3 Advent B—12/14/14 Isaiah 61:1-4,8-11; Psalm 126; 1 Thess. 5:16-24; John 1:6-8,19-28 Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. Do not quench the Spirit. Well, what do you think? Do these seem like realistic expectations? And yet, St. Paul is clear in his letter to the Thessalonians that this is what Christian faith looks like. To be a disciple of Jesus Christ is to allow these high standards to guide our … [Read more...]
For the Sake of Peace
2 Advent B—12/7/14 Isaiah 40:1-11; Psalm 85:1-2,8-13; 2 Peter 3:8-15a; Mark 1:1-8 The heavens will pass away with a loud noise, and the elements will be dissolved with fire…the heavens will be set ablaze and dissolved, and the elements will melt with fire. –2 Peter 3:10,12 December 7th: A deafening roar filled the room and the entire ship shuddered…One and a half million pounds of gunpowder exploding in a massive fireball disintegrating the whole forward part of the ship… Seconds after … [Read more...]