Building Relationships with Our Neighbors
Then an angel of the Lord said to Philip, “Get up and go toward the south to the road that goes down from Jerusalem to Gaza.” (This is a wilderness road.) So he got up and went. (Acts 8:26-27a)
It seems to be human nature to stay where we are comfortable unless we have to move. Even though Jesus talked about the church’s witness being to the ends of the earth, at this point in the book of Acts they have pretty much stayed in the Jerusalem area. So, a combination of persecution hitting the church and an angel giving Philip a kick in the backside sends them out. God doesn’t want us to stay in one place – God wants us to go out!
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Abundance: Seeing the World Like Jesus
When the crowd was satisfied, Jesus told his disciples, “Gather up the fragments left over, so that nothing may be lost.” So they gathered them up, and from the fragments of the five barley loaves, left by those who had eaten, they filled twelve baskets. (John 6:12-13) Is the world God made ...
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Embodying Jesus’ Love
“If one member suffers, all suffer together with it; if one member is honored, all rejoice together with it.” (I Corinthians 12:26) As we reflect on how we look our best as a congregation, one of our guiding principles reminds us that at our best you will see us “Caring and ...
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Becoming the People We Were Made to Be
The season of Lent is a time to reflect on who we are in reality and who we are called to be and become in Christ. It has been a season focused on many things over the centuries – but the call to include “repentance” on the list has always ...
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God is with us (in all things)
Then King Nebuchadnezzar was astonished and rose up quickly. He said to his counselors, “Was it not three men that we threw bound into the fire?” They answered the king, “True, O king.” 25 He replied, “But I see four men unbound, walking in the middle of the fire, and they are ...
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Jesus Knows You (and loves you)
“Come and see a man who told me everything I have ever done. He cannot be the Messiah, can he?” (John 4:29) The story of Jesus’ encounter with the Samaritan woman at the well is one of my favorite stories in all of scripture. It crosses so many boundaries in ...
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All Saints – A Chance to Give Thanks
“Rejoice always, pray without ceasing, give thanks in all circumstances, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.” (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18) This weekend is All Saints Sunday and as we gather as God’s people we will be reminded that we do not gather just with the people in ...
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God uses even our bad stuff
God does not stop when the cross comes. Quite the opposite, God uses the cross to remind us that God won’t quit loving us and doing good among us, even when we are at our worst.
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Jonah and the Big Fish
Our series on the Bible – where it came from, what’s in it, and how to use it – is underway. Last week we looked at scripture as “inspired from below,” a way of saying that the Holy Spirit worked in the lives of people and they then shared their ...
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Sent to do the work of Jesus
Jesus said, “You did not choose me, but I chose you. And I appointed you to go and bear fruit, fruit that will last…” (John 15:16) Jesus’ call in our lives is to join with him in the work of loving the world. As much as we want to be ...
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Love – the basis for faith in public life
Love does no wrong to a neighbor; therefore, love is the fulfilling of the law. (Romans 13:10) We begin a 5-week series on faith and civics this week – a journey into what it means to be a Christian and participate in public life. In our baptism we are joined to ...
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A Spirit for Today
To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. (1 Corinthians 12:8) As Lutherans, we don’t often think of ourselves as Spirit-filled people. We think the Pentecostals focus on that. But Paul is very clear, all of us who trust Christ have the Spirit – it’s ...
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