Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
I pray that you’ve had a blessed week.
This coming Sunday is the fiftieth day after Easter, which means Sunday is the Day of Pentecost. As we read in the Book of Acts, “When the day of Pentecost had come, they were all together in one place. And suddenly from heaven there came a sound like the rush of a violent wind, and it filled…
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
I pray that you’ve had a blessed week.
You know, as a Lutheran pastor, I am often asked about what Lutherans believe. In our congregation, we have many people who are not life-long Lutherans, and so they have heard differing thoughts and interpretations of scripture before, and now they want to know what they “should” believe. I understand…
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
I pray that you have had a blessed week.
Our Gospel text for this Sunday is John 14:15-21. When we ended our Gospel text last week, although it sounded like Jesus was finished talking, he actually had more to say, and this Sunday we get to hear the continuation of the story. If you remember, last week Jesus told the disciples to not let their…
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
I pray that you have had a blessed week.
In early April, as most of us in the church were frantically preparing for Easter, 32 of the 65 synodical bishops in the ELCA descended on Washington, D.C., to meet with congressional leaders.
The reason for these meetings was for our bishops to advocate to our congressional leaders for such issues…
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
I pray that you had a blessed week.
In our Gospel text for this coming Sunday, John 10:1-10, Jesus ends by saying, “I came that they may have life, and have it abundantly.” Jesus didn’t come just so we could have the promise of an awesome new life after we die. No, according to our Lord, he came so that we might have an awesome life in…
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
I pray that you had a blessed week.
This past Thursday was the annual National Day of Prayer, and I was asked to attend a prayer gathering at Mosaic in Kansas City, Kansas. Now, Mosaic is a faith-based organization that serves people with intellectual disabilities and its mission is to advocate for people with intellectual disabilities and provide opportunities…
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
I pray that you had a blessed and happy Easter.
What a great day of joy and celebration Easter was. I love Easter morning! And this year, with the sun shining and the weather so gorgeous, it seemed especially joyous. Almost 300 people came to Salem to worship. We shouted that Easter proclamation, “Christ is Risen! He is risen indeed, alleluia!”…
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
I pray that you have had a blessed Holy Week.
As I write this letter, I am preparing for our Maundy Thursday service and our Good Friday service. By the time you read this letter, though, Good Friday will be over and the whole church will be in a time of waiting. Holy Saturday, although most of us really don’t do anything on this day, is…
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
I pray that you have had a blessed week.
As we prepare for Holy Week, we prepare to celebrate what many find to be a confusing holiday, Palm Sunday. Think about it, on this day, we begin our worship with great joy by reading about the triumphant entry of Jesus into Jerusalem. It’s a great time of joy and just when you think we will continue…
Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ:
I pray that you have had a blessed week.
Whenever I ask a group of adults to share their favorite scripture verse or bible story, inevitably, someone in the group will offer up John 11:35 which says “Jesus wept.” Now, although this is a powerful verse, for it indicates the love Jesus had for all of creation, most people really remember this…