Everyday Lutherans

Today we gather to celebrate an event that happened some 2000 years ago.  It is given to us to know and to celebrate today because it was such a great gift that it impacts us even today. We are gathered here to celebrate the unexpected, some experiencing feelings of shock, amazement, and confusion as to how this event happened. After a long and difficult journey of Lent, we at long last come to the beginning. Normally after a long and hard journey, a person is met with the end, a time of rest and time for recovery.  However, today we find ourselves at the empty tomb.  We arrive at the grave to find the loved one, who we placed there to be gone. We arrive at the beginning of a new life. Within our modern world, when a person dies, the immediate family gathers together.  Word spreads within the community.  We gather together for a prayer service.  We gather together for a funeral at the church.  We mourn the loss of the loved one and comfort one anothe...

The sermon from Pope Francis was wonderful.  I had to share the good news that he delivered to all of Christianity.  It was a simply yet beautiful message about understanding the place in which our faith is found and founded upon.

Lately I have read many understandings of Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and even Easter. However, I am struck that so few are talking about the in between, what about Holy Saturday? (also known as (Latin: Sabbatum Sanctum), Easter Eve or Black Saturday, or among the Coptic Christians as "Joyous Saturday" or "the Saturday of Light" is the day after Good Friday . It is the day before Easter and the last day of Holy Week in which Christians prepare for Easter.) Christianity has done a great job at celebrating Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday and even having powerful Good Friday worship services. (Or the other popular rolling all three together into Passion Sunday, although I am not a fan of this but that is for another blog post.) The church has even done a great job of promoting the Easter story. It is after all why Christians are called Christian. If you need further proof, look at how the candy companies are attempting to commercialize such a large holiday in s...

Tonight we gather together. The true and the faithful, those who take time out of our busy schedules to come to the Lord’s Table.  Also those who would betray Jesus because he does not live up to our expectations because we want Jesus to do so much more. We gather at the Lord's Table to be reminded of the feast and the many blessings that God has given to us and to be reminded of the times within our lives that God has interceded for us in places and events that seemed too large for us to take on by ourselves.  We receive the gift that we have longed for, but could not earn for ourselves.   Tonight within the Exodus passages, we hear of the first time that God told the people to come to the table. To be saved from death and be released from the bondage of slavery within the land of Egypt. We hear that the people must gather together, sacrifice a lamb on the family’s behalf.  So God will bring judgment against those who do not realize the power and strength of the Tru...

Today is a joyous day indeed.  Today we hear of David entering the city of Jerusalem and also his descendant Jesus enters into the city of Jerusalem. David enters into the city dancing and basically looking like a fool for the Lord.  David is bringing forth the Ark of the Covenant, the container for the Ten Commandments that were given to Moses and also the presence of God.  For where the Ark of the Covenant went, often time, the people would be blessed. Now God would bless the King and the nation will grow and be prosperous.  For David knew that it was not his ability, skills or success but that the success and prosperity would be gifts from God.  David wanted to build a place for God to reside.  However, what we want for God is not what God wants for himself or for us.   God did not want a place that was great and magnificent because a building is easily built, it is also easily destroyed.  What God wanted was the heart of the peo...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lP5MiAEDysg Alright so if you know the tune for Gangnam Style, this is a parody.  However, I am not gonna use words with this.  I just wanted to give you a visual. I thought about using  this dance for the children's sermon for two reasons.  At one church we are talking about Palm Sunday and the other both David entering Jerusalem and Palm Sunday.  Both celebrations. I will explain each of the moves to the youth and congregation. Ride the pony - riding the horse of Jesus as he entered into Jerusalem. Lasso - Cheering and trying to get Jesus to notice you Sasshay - Someone stands in front of you but you can't stop dancing cause you are so excited. I would only do this for a minute.  I thought it would be fun but also would be something modern in the church.  I think that the people would enjoy it.  But what do you think?

The Lord’s Prayer is one of those all encompassing prayers that you can pray whenever you need to.  The prayer was taught to the disciples within the Garden of Gethsemane. However, the prayer is one that embraces Jewish teaching from many of the Old Testament books.  With Jesus giving this prayer to the disciples, we bear witness to full knowledge that Jesus holds of the teaching from God. Even the unique relationship that we have with God now, that he is present among us.  Within this great prayer, there is one line that I would like to focus on for this season.  “forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who trespass against us.” First, we should probably talk about the word trespasses.  We often think of it in the verb form: Enter the owner's land or property without permission.  Yet it is also a noun: A voluntary wrongful act against the person or property of another, especially. unlawful entry to a person's land or property without ...

The hymnal is something that you find in nearly every church.  As one enters into the worship area of the sanctuary, a person finds the hymnal that contains liturgy, hymns (songs) and even important teachings of what the congregation believes in their understanding of the church, God and the individuals.  Within these books, people are able to learn the songs that shape their faith, begin to wrestle with important questions of God and their relationship, but also having a connection between the church and their home. For hundreds of years, people would memorize the parts of the service that were repeated over and over again, it was these parts that shaped their faith and understanding of God.  For they were on their minds and they were able to reference them as they worked, talked with others, and reflected upon their life. For hundreds of years this was the foundation of faith formation.  Then came the arrival of the printing press and also the Reformation.  On...

Lord, if you would have been here my brother wouldn’t have died. Mary and Martha had faith in Jesus, who he was and what he was doing within the world.  When Jesus came Lazarus, the brother of Mary and Martha, had already died.  However, death is not something that separates us from God.  Jesus called Lazarus out from the tomb and into the very presence of himself. To have a loved one return and seeing them once again when you expected never to see them again, may sound too good to be true, but that is the gift that Jesus gives to us.   Mary and Martha are so filled with joy that their brother who had been dead is now back and living among them.  No not as some zombie but actually alive, back to his old self.  They could not put into words how grateful they were for what Jesus had done for them.  So instead of words, Mary showed Jesus just how truly grateful she was.  She took perfume and cleaned his feet.  Not simply with water...

Hearing the word of God spoken to you is a hard thing to handle. Actually doing the Word of God is even harder to handle.  The elders of the city knew that Samuel was with God and that Saul was not truly in the favor of God.  However, Saul was the king that was given to them.  We are lucky, within our nation, we can speak ill of our leaders, we can mock them, belittle them, and even disrespect them without being hauled off to prison, taken out to the street and killed or simply having your tongue cut out.  Yet the anger that Samuel could be bringing is far worse, the elders wish to know, “Is God angry with us because of Saul?” Reassuring the elders that the people shall be safe for now and that they need not worry about God’s wrath, puts them at ease.   However, Samuel does not tell them why he is there. Samuel goes with Jesse, a man who was righteous and who loved and trusted God.  However, God does not choose the oldest son, the son who woul...

2For if I cause you pain, who is there to make me glad but the one whom I have pained? 3And I wrote as I did, so that when I came, I might not suffer pain from those who should have made me rejoice; for I am confident about all of you, that my joy would be the joy of all of you. 4For I wrote you out of much distress and anguish of heart and with many tears, not to cause you pain, but to let you know the abundant love that I have for you. 5But if anyone has caused pain, he has caused it not to me, but to some extent—not to exaggerate it—to all of you. 6This punishment by the majority is enough for such a person; 7so now instead you should forgive and console him, so that he may not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow. 8So I urge you to reaffirm your love for him. 9I wrote for this reason: to test you and to know whether you are obedient in everything. 10Anyone whom you forgive, I also forgive. What I have forgiven, if I have forgiven anything, has been for your sake in the...

I am sure many people wish a burning bush moment within their life.  A time in which things are clear and God is calling you to do something.  However, think about that, what God was calling Moses to do was to stand up against people whom he called family and release the new family that Moses just realized he was a part of.  Moses was able to do wonders within the world but through those wonders thousands of people suffered. Alright so let's try a different way, "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." Well then that would you mean that you have to take the time, read the stories, understand them and figure out how they can help you in your current situation. Not only that but make sure it is actually God's Will and not your own that is guiding you. There are many helpful resources to help you as a church figure out what it is God is calling you to do within the community.  It is also important for you as God's people to pray and reflect to unde...