Sunday, October 27, 2024 – Reformation Sunday The dialogue below has been adapted from “A Visit with Martin Luther,” written by Rev. Drue Warner of Good News Church in Suwanee, GA and “A Visit with Katie Luther,” written by Hilda Demuth-Lutze, author of Kingdom of the Birds. I delivered this by playing both parts. Today […]
I was recently asked what I thought being Lutheran was all about. Here’s my ever-evolving answer. Compassion for the Human Condition Lutherans understand humans as simultaneously saint and sinner, meaning that no one is perfect, no one can boast of being better than anyone else. Instead, we know that we are all complex, imperfect human
Sunday, September 29, 2024 – Mark 9:30-37 also Numbers 11:4-6, 10-16, 24-29, Psalm 19:7-14, James 5:13-20 I first began to understand the connection between food and its effects on my physical and emotional health in the mid-1990s, when I was diagnosed with fibromyalgia. Not only did I experience physical pain and chronic fatigue, but also
Sunday, September 22, 2024 – Mark 9:30-37 also Jeremiah 11:18-20, Psalm 54, James 3:13—4:3, 7-8a Several years ago, when I left the corporate world to become a performing singer and songwriter, I was also doing some consulting work. I’d had a long career in marketing and communications, and so I used all of my skills
Sunday, September 15, 2024 – Mark 8:27-38 also Isaiah 50:4-9a, Psalm 116:1-9, James 3:1-12 Our readings today – aside from the gospel – touch on the potential dangers of speaking and the value of listening. Both Isaiah and the Psalm mention our listening to God and God’s listening to us. And then James weighs in
Sunday, September 8 – Mark 7:24-37 also Isaiah 35: 4-7a, Psalm 146, James 2:1-10 [11-13] 14-17 “Eraser” by David Hayward | Naked Pastor You may have seen one of my favorite cartoons. It’s just a black and white sketch created by David Hayward (who goes by “Naked Pastor”) that shows a bunch of people with
Sunday, September 1, 2024 – Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23, also Song of Solomon 2:8-13, Psalm 15, James 1:17-27 Our first reading today is from a book known as both the Song of Solomon and the Song of Songs. It’s one of five books known as the Wisdom literature of the Hebrew Bible. The other four
Sunday, August 25, 2024 – John 6:51-58, also Proverbs 9:1-6, Psalm 34:9-14, Ephesians 5:15-20 In the early to mid-1800s, large groups of people left their Eastern and Midwestern homes to migrate west to California and Oregon looking for opportunity. They’d arrive in Independence, Missouri and form wagon trains of multiple families to travel together. Almost
Sunday, August 18, 2024 – Gospel John 6:51-58, also Proverbs 9:1-6, Psalm 34:9-14, Ephesians 5:15-20 Swami Vivekananda was an Indian Hindu monk and religious teacher, born in 1863 who introduced Hinduism and yoga to the West. He traveled to the United States in 1893 and spoke at a huge event in Chicago called the Parliament of
Sunday, August 11, 2024 – Gospel John 6:35, 41-51, also 1 Kings 19:4-8, Psalm 34:1-8, Ephesians 4:25—5:2 As I’ve mentioned before from this pulpit, I’ve never been married. It seems I share that life situation with the apostle Paul. Although I’ve enjoyed incredibly close friendships and have learned many lessons about how to have good
