Everyday Lutherans

Today we hear a very familiar story of the woman at the well. I am sure that many of you have heard this story once, twice, or even twenty times before. It is a very important story within the Christian faith. Now just because it is a familiar does not mean that we can not dive in deep and find greater meaning. We can understand more about the people, the concepts and ideas that are shared among these people so that we can learn and grow even more for our own life. We can dive into the aspects that truly stand out to us. It has as much meaning as it did then when it happened as it does to us today. Jesus comes and speaks to a Samaritan woman in the noonday heat. In order to truly understand this story, a person should truly understand why Jews and Samaritans did not spend time together. The story goes back hundreds of years. When the people were taken out of the Promised Land of their Ancestors. Here, there were the twelve tribes of Israel, the Chosen People of God. It was this...

Throughout the years of teaching confirmation, Bible study, and hearing people’s questions of faith. i have answered a lot of questions. More often than not, people are seeking to put God and God’s Word into their own understanding of what God is trying to say to them. People are also striving to take the message and apply it to their own life. Yet sometimes it comes down to not having the answer because the question is one that can not be answered. Today, we hear about a man named Nicodemus. Nicodemus was a leader within the Jewish Temple, he was a man who knew the Scriptures and knew that God was still having a relationship with the people in the world. As a leader in the Temple, he was a person who others would come to ask questions. Nicodemus was a person who people expected to have answers to their difficult questions. Nicodemus hears about the works that Jesus is performing for the people. How Jesus is able to share lessons of wise counsel to people, having large crowds com...

Today within the gospel, we hear of Jesus going into the wilderness and fasting. Now fasting is something that we think about in terms of fasting from food, from the sustenance that we need in order to survive. You stay away from your typical diet but you are allowed to drink water. However, there is something that needs to be clarified, when a person fasts, there are different ways of fasting. For many of our Catholic brothers and sisters, during Lent, they will fast from any forms of meat but then on Fridays, they are able to eat fish. This was a way for the Catholic people to be able to celebrate in a small way the sacrifice of Jesus Christ on Good Friday. So I share all of this with you because even when we talk about Jesus fasting in the Gospel and people fasting within Scripture, there is a distinct reason and purpose for them to put their bodies, their stomachs, and their lives through this experience. The purpose of fasting can also determine what it is you are trying to re...

Your phone rings and it is your child’s number. “Hi Timmy, what are you up to?” The voice on the other end is not your son, Timmy. “Hello, Mrs. Johnson, this is the Sheriff's Office. I am calling to let you know that your son was involved in an automobile accident. Can you find someone to bring you to the First Memorial Hospital?” You have to sit down. You can not believe what it is you just heard. “Yes, I will be there.” Nothing else matters right now, you want to get to the hospital there for your son. Ellen saw you on the phone and that you had to sit down. She comes over and asks if everything is alright. “I need to get to First Memorial Hospital.” Ellen understands and gets you there. You get to the ER and Timmy is there on a hospital bed, awake, but you can see the scrapes. Timmy says, “I am so sorry about the car. I will buy a new one.” None of that matters though. What matters is he is there and you are there, together. Ash Wednesday comes in the midst of our busy l...