Everyday Lutherans

Judges 4:4-9 4At that time Deborah, a prophetess, wife of Lappidoth, was judging Israel. 5She used to sit under the palm of Deborah between Ramah and Bethel in the hill country of Ephraim; and the Israelites came up to her for judgment. 6She sent and summoned Barak son of Abinoam from Kedesh in Naphtali, and said to him, “The Lord, the God of Israel, commands you, ‘Go, take position at Mount Tabor, bringing ten thousand from the tribe of Naphtali and the tribe of Zebulun. 7I will draw out Sisera, the general of Jabin’s army, to meet you by the Wadi Kishon with his chariots and his troops; and I will give him into your hand.’” 8Barak said to her, “If you will go with me, I will go; but if you will not go with me, I will not go.” 9And she said, “I will surely go with you; nevertheless, the road on which you are going will not lead to your glory, for the Lord will sell Sisera into the hand of a woman.” Then Deborah got up and went with Barak to Kedesh. Deborah, a prophetess.  That’s right

Grace and peace to you from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen. For many people, we long to be in the presence of God.  Yet, what must you do to stand in the presence of God?  Absolutely Nothing.  God comes to you.  You do not come to God. You do not need to do anything.  God does the work for you.  Today, we are reminded of the journey that God has lead his people on.  Although even before Abraham, God created us.  Through Scripture, we hear that though we were created, we wanted more. We wanted more control, more say in our life, we want things our way.  Even within our lives today, we think that we know what is best.  We have heard the story but do not think that it matters or even worse, we don’t share it with others.  So let’s very quickly review what it is the story that we celebrate.   Moses was the one who received the Ten Commandments.  The very foundation of what your life should be within this world. This gift of love is something that we should study, understand, and li

Since our last reading, there are a few things that happened within the whole story of the Bible that you should be aware of. The last time we gathered, the Hebrew people fought and defeated the enemies that lived within the Promised Land.  After forty years of wandering in the desert, of growing closer to God, and having trust that God would give them the victory over the enemies, the Hebrew people enjoyed peace within the Promised Land.  Yet that peace lasted for only a short time.  Within the next generation, they began to worship false gods.  The gods of the people around them and forgot the laws and statutes that God had given his people.  As punishment against the people, God sends the people of Midian against the Hebrew people.  Do you remember the last prominent Mindianite that we encountered?  It happened a while ago, in fact it was four books ago in Exodus.  It was Jethro, the High Priest of Midian and Moses’ father in law.  Now the Hebrew people were living und

For some people these words are something that are a reminder.  Something that they long for and should strive for.  They are words that stop them from saying something that they shouldn’t. They are words that stop them from doing something that they shouldn’t. For us, love is something that we hope will cover all things within your life.  Yet love is a feeling.  It is something that is not rational.  With love being our motive, we do things that do not make sense.   When we are a child, we reason like a child.  Those of you with children can attest to the many questions that a child will ask.  Why is the sky blue?  Why is the grass green?  Why can’t I have chocolate cake before I eat my carrots?  While a parent may be racking their brain with the scientific answer, an answer that would be far complex for a child to understand.  That the light from the sun shines through the atmosphere.  Contained within that light is a full spectrum of color and yet through the molecule

This question was raised by a confirmation student. While I wrestle with this question, it is one that all people wrestle with. There are evil things that happen all around our life. A fire will destroy someone's home, a flood will destroy farm lands and the death of a loved one. These are all terrible things that happen within the world around us. Yet is God the one who causes these events? I would argue that God does not however, God has the power to stop them. This is quite the distinction. For the original cause did not come from God, such that we know. For God knew the difference between good and evil. This was something that God did not intend for us to know. Yes God created us, happy, healthy and enjoying the world around us. It was not until we disobeyed God and learned the difference between good and evil that suffering truly began. For the punishment for disobeying God is death. However, God had mercy on us. Instead of killing us out right, God allowed us to l