Everyday Lutherans

I am a young pastor.  I want to change the world, I want to change the church that I love and above all, I want it to be a place where people experience God's Love.  A place where people can gather and be who God created them to be to share their gifts and talents with one another.  Allowing people to do this is the very foundation of a congregation so that they can dwell in God's Word with one another.  From this foundation the congregation of people can determine what God is calling them to do to serve the whole community around them. As I have gone through my education, I grew to realize that there are so many factors and dynamics that happen within a congregation of people that influence the whole congregation but not always in a positive way.  For as you welcome more people to be present in a community there is also the arrival of sin and personal will in which they feel that they need to be right. We need to live out our Baptism The gift that is found in C...

There are a few occassions that a church is full: Funerals, Weddings, Christmas Eve and Sunday School Christmas Program. How else could we use this resource that God has given to us? Could there be a restaurant to serve the community, cater meals for events, support people with jobs? Could there be a day care to care for the children? Could there be classes? Social gatherings? What if we dreamed what the life of the church could do for a community?

In watching the Grammys, the Oscars, the Tonys, and other award shows got me thinking.  What if the church had something like this? What if we got together and celebrated some of our news worthy preachers, writers, teachers, disciples and found ways of encouraging others in their ministries? Loading... As names are added in the "Other" section, I will try and add them to the list.  Please know that you can edit your submissions.

Today, I would like us to draw our attention to the First Corinthian reading.  Paul is writing this letter to the church in Corinth.  The people are gathering there and arguing about why they are gathering together in the first place.  Some are saying that they are gathering together in the name of Paul, or other teachers whom they have heard from and liked what they heard.  Along with that, the people are confusing the aspects of this earthly world with the aspects that God created and would like to happen here in this world.   Paul writes the letter in hopes to get the people to stop arguing amongst themselves, but instead realize why they are gathered together in the first place.  Paul is having them get back to the basics and real purpose of the church. He is having them go back to the very beginning, to their Baptism.  He calls them to know and understand that teachers come and go, but what truly matters and what our focus should be upon is that o...

Reaching this milestone within blogging has had me thinking.  Why am I doing this?  Am I doing a good job at this? I started blogging so that I could have a place to share some of my thoughts, sermons, and think through concepts that will help me in life and in my job.  I also wanted to improve my writing skills and means of communication.  Therefore most of the reason that I began this blog was personal. As I think and wonder if I am doing a good job at this, I have wondered, how shall I measure success?  I could go through the number of posts, the number of readers, how much I feel that I have grown through this blog.  I have not had a lot of posts, most are sermons and a few personal thoughts about theology.  If I look only at the number of readers, it is not very good record.  I average about twenty eight readers per post and in the whole life of my blog, I have had seven thousand separate views upon all of my posts.  Above all, I started...

John the Baptist comes into the world for two purposes.  One is to declare for all to hear and for all to know and rejoice in this great understanding that the Messiah is coming.  The other is to Baptize and to prepare people to receive this Messiah that is to come.  Yes, John, the John the Baptist, would take his loud booming voice and his long bony finger and declare to all: How God created all things in the world by the very word spoken by God.  That word of God was there from the very beginning.  That word of God became flesh, lived and dwelled among us.   People knew and understood John the Baptist was going around calling people names, but these are names that declare who people are in the world.   John the Baptist calls Jesus, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sins of the world.  Why is Jesus called the Lamb of God?  A lamb was used at sacrifice in the temple.  A pure, unblemished lamb was selected to give to God.  Thi...

Romans 2 "when you judge others; for in passing judgment on another you condemn yourself, because you, the judge, are doing the very same things." (Romans 2:1) When a Christian is on their journey of faith, there are many questions that they may encounter but also many people with different voices.  Part of being a Christian is, as you are going through this life, you are able to walk with your Creator, Sustainer, and also your Redeemer.  Yet it is this continued relationship and journey that we must and need to be reminded of it's importance.  So often I have heard people who call themselves Christians, but they fall into this same pitfall.  They want to be right, they want to help those around them, and they want others to know and experience God the way they do.  But the way that they go about sharing that is in direct opposition to the way in which God has approached them. These same people will often point out in others the way in which the other person is ...

Today we gather to be reminded of the Baptism of our Lord.  The day in which Jesus begins his ministry within the world, that we bear witness to Jesus being claimed by his heavenly Father as his very own.  It is here in Jesus’ Baptism that we hear God declare to everyone with ears to hear that here is God’s beloved child.  Here is our Lord, here is our Savior, and here is our Messiah.   Take a moment and think, think about your own Baptism.  Now for many the time in which your Baptism took place is different.  For some of you, you were Baptized when you were older, you remember the water on your head and the promises that you made before the whole congregation.  For some of you, you were Baptized when you were a baby.  You do not remember the water being poured over your head, but your parents made promises that they would raise you in the Christian faith. Then at the time of your Confirmation, you came before the congregation to declare that you ...

What I learned: This past year was one in which I learned a lot professionally and personally.  In my personal life, I have learned the need for hobbies, close friends, and the importance of reading.  This past year, I have enjoyed a few hobbies of cooking and baking that helped me understand the simple and basic things that are needed within life.  I enjoyed the hobby of gardening in which I was blessed with a bountiful harvest of beets, potatoes, green beans and peas.  The beets were canned and given away to family to enjoy.  I took the potatoes and gave them to neighbors and family.  As I shared the gifts that I had been given, I was reminded to be doing this within every aspect of my life.  The other vegetables, I froze and have used them in meals and am constantly reminded of how God cares for me and works with me in caring for the world. Professionally, i learned a great deal that I am still reflecting upon.  I started out this year, in whic...