“…in you all the families of the earth shall be blessed.” (Genesis 12:3) God has asked Abram (we often know of him as “Abraham”) to leave the security of his home and make a journey to a new place. He is to take what he can with him, but he ...

I have set my bow in the clouds, and it shall be a sign of the covenant between me and the earth.  (Genesis 9:13) We often think of God as perfect and when we are at our worst, we also think that God values perfection more than anything else. Whenever ...

So Boaz took Ruth and she became his wife. When they came together, the Lord made her conceive, and she bore a son. (Ruth 4:13) The last chapter of Ruth brings the story to a happy conclusion. Ruth and her mother-in-law Naomi started out alone and wrestling with poverty. They have immigrated ...

“Ruth said to Naomi, “All that you tell me I will do.” (Ruth 3:5) We often find ourselves in a difficult situation and are not quite sure what to do. But God places wise people in our lives for a reason. They can shape and guide us in our lives ...

And when she rose up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, saying, “Let her glean even among the sheaves, and do not reproach her.”  (Ruth 2:15) We often think of charity as optional. It is something we do because we want to. We are free to do it or ...

Ruth said, “Where you go, I will go; Where you lodge, I will lodge; your people shall be my people, and your God my God.” (Ruth 1:16) This verse is one of the most famous lines in all of scripture. It is often used in weddings as a way of emphasizing ...

Love as a Way of Life Beloved, let us love one another, because love is from God; everyone who loves is born of God and knows God. (1 John 4:7) The centrality of love lies at the heart of the Christian message – at least as Lutherans understand it. Love ...

“Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God…” (1 John 4:1) Have a question? Let’s Google the answer! In today’s world we routinely head to the Internet to find answers to questions. But the fact that it is on the web is ...

To Speak the Truth This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light and in him there is no darkness at all. (1 John 1:5) This message is an important one. No matter how bleak things appear and what we may think of ...

First Hand Witnessing “We declare to you what was from the beginning, what we have heard, what we have seen with our eyes, what we have looked at and touched with our hands, concerning the word of life.” (1 John 1:1) We begin 1 John with this verse about witnessing. ...

The Trouble With Wanting “You shall not covet your neighbor’s stuff.” Exodus 20:17-18 (paraphrased) One sign of maturity is knowing when enough is enough (and when too much is too much). People who have recently moved or are contemplating moving in the near future become very aware of just how ...

Walking the Extra Mile One thing Lutherans are clear about. We don’t do anything because it will earn a reward from God. We don’t have to. God who is gracious and good simply loves us and offers life to us because God is gracious and good. That’s the end of ...