Everyday Lutherans

Exodus 19:3-14 NRSV 3Then Moses went up to God; the Lord called to him from the mountain, saying, “Thus you shall say to the house of Jacob, and tell the Israelites: 4You have seen what I did to the Egyptians, and how I bore you on eagles’ wings and brought you to myself. 5Now therefore, if you obey my voice and keep my covenant, you shall be my treasured possession out of all the peoples. Indeed, the whole earth is mine, 6but you shall be for me a priestly kingdom and a holy nation. These are the words that you shall speak to the Israelites.” 7So Moses came, summoned the elders of the people, and set before them all these words that the Lord had commanded him. 8The people all answered as one: “Everything that the Lord has spoken we will do.” Moses reported the words of the people to the Lord. 9Then the Lord said to Moses, “I am going to come to you in a dense cloud, in order that the people may hear when I speak with...

Moses was a person who was saved as a child so that he could do some great things when he was older.  Yet part of his journey, he ran away to a land where he was safe.  However, God called Moses to the land of Egypt so that the Hebrew people could be set free.  God allowed the Hebrew people to be slaves within the land of Egypt for four hundred years.  Yet during this time, the Hebrew people prospered from seventy people to a people who were numbered in the millions. What is God calling you to do? How is God speaking to you in your life? Where is God calling you to serve for God's plan and not your own?

Exodus  14: 4, 6-7, 15-20 NRSV 4 I will harden Pharaoh’s heart, and he will pursue them, so that I will gain glory for myself over Pharaoh and all his army; and the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord.” And they did so. 6 So he had his chariot made ready, and took his army with him; 7 he took six hundred picked chariots and all the other chariots of Egypt with officers over all of them. 15 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Why do you cry out to me? Tell the Israelites to go forward. 16 But you lift up your staff, and stretch out your hand over the sea and divide it, that the Israelites may go into the sea on dry ground. 17 Then I will harden the hearts of the Egyptians so that they will go in after them; and so I will gain glory for myself over Pharaoh and all his army, his chariots, and his chariot drivers. 18 And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I have gained glory for myself over Pharaoh, his chariots, and his chariot drivers.” 19 The angel of God who was going...

Social Media is all around us.  It is the way we connect with friends or family.  We can share photos, videos, and even what we enjoy.  There are a variety of social media platforms and each one offers a means in which the person can present themselves or even what they want to share.  Facebook, Twitter, and wikipedia are all places in which people can share ideas and information.  Instagram and Tumblr allow you to share images with a caption.  (This feature is also on facebook.) Regardless of what interface you or other use.  It has a profound impact upon a person's life.  A person will engage their device which allows them to share with others around them or at a distant who are following them.  When Christ came to his disciples he told them to "Follow Him".  Christ engaged these men and brought them into relationship with himself and one another.  Yet that is what the church is, the very body of Christ.  Allowing people to g...

Have you ever thought about Jesus looked like?  I have seen many paintings of Jesus.  Sometimes with flowing brown hair, like he had just had it shampoo and conditioned along with trimmed at a salon.  I have seen him in paintings with no dust or even a scratch on him.  These paintings were not of the actual person.  Let's be honest, Jesus was a peasant, a commoner who would not be worthy enough or have the wealth enough to actually afford an artist to do the work of painting him.  However, more importantly, painting of people was not something that they did during the life of Jesus   People were more likely to have their faces carved into coins, statues or other mediums in which actual likeness could be achieved.  So none of the paintings that we have of Christ are actually of him but that does not mean that they do not give us insight into the person of who Christ is and what he did look like. Jesus probably did have a beard, long hair ...

Growing up, I had always seen corn and soybeans.  While I spent the year in Wisconsin, I got to see the tobacco being harvested.  Well this year came another treat. I got to see the Beet Harvest.  These beets would be picked, piled and then taken to the factory so that they can be processed into sugar. So here is my experience.  I talked with one of the farmers in the congregation and he said I could see it.  I arrived out in the field when they had just loaded a semi.  That's right the semi drove right next to the tractor and was loaded up with the beets.  Since the tractor was at a stand still, I hopped into the cab of the semi and road along to see where the beets go after they are done in the field. Getting in to the cab, I started to talking to the driver.  He is also a member at the congregation.  So after catching up on what's new at his place, he started telling me about the process.  He takes his load over to a big pile.  E...