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 ...

Can You Unplug? “In six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but rested the seventh day; therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and consecrated it.”  Exodus 20:11 We live in a busy world. People work seven days a week. Part of the work done ...

Indeed, the whole earth is mine. But you will be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation. (Exodus 19:5-6) This week we turn to our summer scripture. It will be a chance to explore a few series of texts and dig deeper into a few important themes. It ...

And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. (Acts 2:2) Jesus had told them to wait for the Spirit to come. They didn’t know what to expect – they just went where Jesus ...

Paying Attention to the Right Things When Jesus had said this, as they were watching, he was lifted up, and a cloud took him out of their sight.While he was going and they were gazing up toward heaven, suddenly two men in white robes stood by them. They said, “Men of ...

I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ.  (Philippians 1:6) I do a lot of ministry coaching and I find that often people who I am coaching feel a bit overwhelmed about ...