In Matthew, Mark and Luke, Jesus tells his disciples to remember him, remember what he has said and what he has done.  Jeremiah, tells us that people won’t have to tell us what God has done, it will be written on our hearts.     In other words we will remember.  The best way to remember something is thru repetition.  That is why we have a three year cycle of the Story of Jesus as written by Mathew, Mark and Luke with the Gospel of John used in for special times in the Church calendar.  That is why the liturgy tends to but not always is much the same, or the Apostle’s Creed has words added or s ..read more

Most everyone reading this message has heard of the Apostle Paul.   You know the one who sees Jesus on the road to Damascus, the guy who wrote all those letters in the New Testament and of course the fellow who spent the most prison time during his ministry.  Yes that Paul.  Why did God pick him and for that matter why does God pick us? Well I believe that God’s Holy Spirit, the recruiter of the Trinity, chooses those best qualified to handle the mission.  Seriously, you might ask, you have got to be kidding.  Well St. Paul really was a great pick, a Jew’s Jew, a Roman citizen, seminary educat ..read more

Even in these times,I feel blest to be a pastor.  I have the privilege of serving God by sharing the Good News of Jesus Christ in both word and deed.  Martin Luther wanted folks to understand, it wasn’t just pastors or priest who shared this Good News.  Luther says in baptism we are all called by the Holy Spirit to serve in the name of Christ.  The idea is that we are; “The Priesthood of all Believers.” 1st Peter 2: 9 & 10 speaks about who we are as instruments of God’s grace and mercy in the world.  In the last couple of weeks I have seen this played out in so many ways, whether on televi ..read more

I have been amazed and inspired by the acts of kindness and love to one another during these difficult and scary times.  1st John 4:12 speaks about God living in us as we show love to one another.  Luther talks about us being as little Christs to one another as we share grace and mercy with others. What we are seeing, is the best of what people can be, of course there are those who cannot go beyond themselves.  Grace and mercy are not just the exclusive gifts of Christians, love is shared by all faith traditions and they do.   It will be kindness, care, mercy and grace that will get us through ..read more

The story of the boy in the bubble could be a parable for us today.  A young man played by Jake Gyllenhaal has an autoimmune system that does not work at all.  In order to go outside he is in a bubble suit, because of his desire to connect with people in the outside world he has many unique adventures.   The New Testament is filled with letters called epistles, letters written to individuals or faith communities.  In this time of physical distancing, communicating with one another is essential.  The boy in the bubble even though he was alive, didn’t feel he was really living until he made frie ..read more

In the Claymation movie “Chicken Run” there is a scene in which every chicken but one, is running around in hysteria, terrified about what is going happen next.  The one who is staying calm is not necessarily calm on the inside.   She puts on an exterior of confidence, even though she doesn’t feel that way.  This one chicken becomes the leader, she is the one who leads her fellow chickens to safety and not to chicken pot pies. St. Paul writes to the Philippians, (see Philippians 4: 4-7) a community of retired Roman soldiers.  They would know what it was like to be led by someone who offered an ..read more

The Apostle Paul writes to a young pastor by the name of Timothy, encouraging him in his mission and ministry.  He tells him to hang in there despite all the issues he is facing in the congregation he serves.  The world is not an easy place to share the Good News, particularly when there are so many other versions of the gospel, Paul calls them false gospels.  Please don’t confuse this with fake news.  The situation is not easy for Timothy and Paul knows how hard it can be. In 2nd Timothy 4:6-8 the Apostle Paul shares his own struggles as well as fatigue.  But he remind himself and Timothy tha ..read more

The story of the woman at the well from John 4:2-42 is a marvelous story of acceptance and the power of the Spirit in sharing our faith story.  But one part often is overlooked and that is the declaration by Jesus that true worship comes when we worship in Spirit and truth, not in a particular location.  This was just one of the disagreements between Samaritans and Jews.   A tale of two mountaintops, which is holier, Jerusalem on Mount Moriah or Samaria on Mount Gerizim?   Jesus makes it clear to the woman at the well, that it is not the geographical location of the temple, but ones heart is t ..read more

Colossians 3:12-15 is a text I offer to couples in pre-marriage planning for Bible verses.  It may not be as popular as 1st Cor. 13:1-13, but the point of it is about forgiveness, which means love active.  Many of us are confined to our homes, because of schools closed or work suspended, which means we get to see each other a lot more.  We are not used to it.  We love each other, but we also can irritate each other, how we handle that is what this text is all about.  Perfect harmony?  The Bible says.   What that means is that we listen to each other, adjusting for tone, pitch and volume and wh ..read more

My first sermon at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church was based on Ephesians 6:1-20 (Whole Armor of God).  Yes I had all the items listed, children’s sermon was a big hit and people wondered how I got a hold of all that stuff.  I will tell that story at another time.  But recently I have heard the line that we are at war with this pandemic, by an enemy we cannot see.   In part I agree that we are in a struggle.  But it is more than combating a virus, it is about fighting off the fear, the depression, the hopelessness and the feeling of being all alone.  The Armor is something that is given to us, our ..read more