Everyday Lutherans

A cold winter night in December, it was about -5 that night.  I got done with confirmation and then had a council meeting of the Parish leaders.  Following that meeting, at about 10pm, I walked outside where one of the leaders had the hood of his truck up.  At first I thought that he was having engine trouble and that he would need a jump or something.  I walked over and asked if I could help in anyway.  He said, he noticed some paw prints in the snow and they ended at his truck. So he pounded on the hood and heard a small "meow".  He opened the hood and there was a small kitten that had entered into the engine in hopes to find a warm place. So I helped him coax out the kitten and since it was so late and he had dogs at home, I took home the cat.  She was cold, hungry thirsty and a little scared.  I placed her in my spare bathroom, gave her some water but I had no food, no litter, and did not know if she was healthy.  I let my parents know an...

When you think of church, what do you think of? Honestly, write it down.  It all down.  Maybe even draw a picture, to help you capture all that you are thinking of. Now think of the church that you attend.  How are the same? How are they different? Now for the truth:  That ideal church that you first wrote about, can not happen.  For one thing, it is in your mind.  It would only happen if everyone did what you did.  You would be the god of that church. The church that you attend is not perfect.  Why?  The people who attend there are sinners and saints.  Yes even you.  Don't get me wrong you are not a bad person but within our lives, things happen, we make choices that we find out later, hurt someone else or even ourselves.  That's ok, you are human.  Along with that, when you get more than one person in a room, there are different ideas, concepts, and thoughts of what this church should be.  When that happens, there a...

38 John said to Jesus, “Teacher, we saw someone using your name to cast out demons, but we told him to stop because he wasn’t in our group.” 39 “Don’t stop him!” Jesus said. “No one who performs a miracle in my name will soon be able to speak evil of me. 40 Anyone who is not against us is for us. 41 If anyone gives you even a cup of water because you belong to the Messiah, I tell you the truth, that person will surely be rewarded. 42 “But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone hung around your neck. 43 If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one hand than to go into the unquenchable fires of hell i with two hands. j 45 If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one foot than to be thrown into hell with two feet. k 47 And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it ...

38 John said to Jesus, “Teacher, we saw someone using your name to cast out demons, but we told him to stop because he wasn’t in our group.” 39 “Don’t stop him!” Jesus said. “No one who performs a miracle in my name will soon be able to speak evil of me. 40 Anyone who is not against us is for us. 41 If anyone gives you even a cup of water because you belong to the Messiah, I tell you the truth, that person will surely be rewarded. 42 “But if you cause one of these little ones who trusts in me to fall into sin, it would be better for you to be thrown into the sea with a large millstone hung around your neck. 43 If your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one hand than to go into the unquenchable fires of hell i with two hands. j 45 If your foot causes you to sin, cut it off. It’s better to enter eternal life with only one foot than to be thrown into hell with two feet. k 47 And if your eye causes you to sin, gouge it ...

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...

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 gi...

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...

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 ...

  Is there really a loophole when it comes to tithing?  A person should really begin at the beginning of tithing.  "God created the heavens and the Earth and saw that they were good."Now if you are thinking, "Don't you think you went a little far?"  No because here we are reminded of who gave the gift in the first place.  Who gave you life and everything that is within the world around you.  The things that you enjoy, the food you eat, the clothes you wear, even the job you do, the health and the friends and family you enjoy.  All of these things were given to you from the one who created them. Truly all of these things are there for you to enjoy, cherish, and even love those who are within your life.  Yet one must also realize that these things are all a gift, even the life that you live.  The tithe is something that was put in place to remind people of that very thing.  The tithe was given to the church, the church would then use that ...

How often do you pray?  And when you pray, what do you say?  Talking with people they will pray at meals and before they go to bed.  Often giving thanks for the food and the good day that they were able to enjoy.  This is a good habit to have.  However, talking to people they are also interested in praying for more.  They want to pray for others and for things that they do not know about. Sometimes it can be helpful to pray a prayer from someone else. A prayer that someone else has written to God.  By reading this prayer, by entering into this prayer, you are able to enter into some of their understanding and even get you to think about another person's perspective.  There are many devotional books that can be helpful.  I have been reading the prayers of Martin Luther.  It has given a lot of great insight into some of the teachings and understandings that this great theologian had during his life.  Surprisingly enough, they are some...

This is one of those commandments that is easy to see on a paper (or stone tablet) but it is even harder to actually understand and put it into practice.  For this is the beginning of the commandments' portion that is often considered to be relating to Earthly relationships.  The mother and father are the two people with whom a child first encounters.  It is these two individuals who have been brought together, have created a child and now have the responsibility to care for this child until the child is able to care for itself. During the time that the Ten Commandments were given to the Hebrew people (they were not to the promised land and so were known as the Hebrews.)  the dominant system of order and structure was that of the family.  The eldest male would often control the other people who descended from him or from his siblings.  Along with the servants, slaves and wives of any other.  The elder would be considered to have wisdom from all their e...

Comics are one those powerful things that often can convey a thought, idea, a full story and even render a complex situation seem simple.  Yet it is also through just a picture that a person can bring in to a story elements that were never even included but have been brought into the understanding of the reader because of the society in which the story or event is taking place.   Here is an example within the first comic.  There is no real truth to each one of us having a devil or evil figure or an angel or good figure attempting to influence within our lives.  By the way, if you do see these, please let me know.  However, this understanding does draw us into the understanding that within the world, we face choices and decisions that are good and bad. They can help us, harm others, or anything in between the two or combination.  This understanding has since been a part of people's reading because it makes logical sense.  They may even follow into the w...

Lately I have been really busy. I had 3 funerals within a week and then the next week was Easter.  Needless to say, I was kind of exhausted after all of that.  Thankfully, I was able to get caught up with most things however, I still working on something within a to do list that just keeps going.  I am utterly amazed at all the times that I do not expect to actually start talking to someone about ministry or something that is church related.  I am often stopped when walking, going to a game or even when the phone rings.  When becoming a pastor, I knew that ministry was something that happened 24/7 but I am also just aware of all the terrible theology that has taken root.  It is like bad weeds that have come into the garden and are growing right next to the Gospel that was planted by God.  While I do not feel that I have all the answers and nor do I stand on the corner in the small town and show people how they are wrong.  I am saddened to hear and...

Ever wonder about those really big questions about life and the Bible.  Well I had another theologian ask the question: " without saying the person is going to hell, "why do I need to do what the Bible says?".  This question really intrigued me so I simply gave answer and a small conversation followed, and here it is.   My Answer: Well this answer may use different words depends on the situation that the person is in and their age: You do not need to do what the Bible says, however, by studying the Word of God, we are able to hear what God has done for us and understand how it is that we are called into this world.   The theologian replied with:  The question on my mind is that Christians ought to live a certain way, and the problem with society is that most believe in Jesus but do not feel compelled to do anything or change the way they live. Thus, the Bible tells us we ought to do these things. As you  put it "how we are called into this world." Being cal...

I am often amazed to talk to a number of people who sit in the pew on a Sunday morning for worship and find out that they have never taken the time to read the Bible.  I have heard the excuse, "Well, it is so big, I don't know where to begin?" "I started to read it but after Exodus, it was just too boring." "It is so hard to understand."   I will admit that many of the above statements are indeed correct.  The Bible is large.  In fact, it is a collect of 66 books and not actually one book. The Bible was not meant for you to sit down and read it cover to cover.  The Bible is indeed hard to understand because it was written over the course years.  And not even just a few years but over thousands of years.  It was not written by one author with a coherent story line or plot twists to follow but changes dramatically from one book to the next. The Bible is one of those books that was gathered together not to share with you the history of the human race. (al...

Once again, another young theologian raised a great question that I just had to answer: Why should I read stories that I have already read within the Bible? The stories within the Bible are rich stories that have within them many layers that can and should be examined. The Bible contains stories of faith in which a person's life along with their relationship with God and others among them is discussed and sometimes analyzed.  Along with that, your own life (the events that are currently happening) help you realize the some of the various layers that are present within the stories.  Perhaps also you have yet to realize that there are sometimes not just one story but the same story told in various forms, from different points of views.  No, I am not simply talking about the gospels (those first four books of the New Testament) but there are actually several creation stories, there are several places in which the Ten Commandments are noted, and this is just the tip of the ic...

How true this is.  I mean we should be ready to go out into the world and spread the good news of Jesus Christ into the world.  However, one thing that did strike me about this is we are already IN the world.  We are already in the world and have relationships with people so instead of getting ready, how about we actually do.  I realize just being in church does not make a good Christian, I have heard that excuse a number of times.  However, dwelling in the very Word of God is something that nourishes your soul and fills that whole that you have been trying to fill within your heart.  Walking with one another in a community is important, it is for you and for the other person.  And yes even that person who is walking with you in faith, well they are not "ready". For they are a sinner just as much as anyone else is, which is why we need God's grace and mercy. Anyone who thinks that they are "ready" or think that they have generally scares me and I think...

For years, I have learned and studied.  Yet now, that I am teaching others, it is now that I am facing some rather difficult and complex questions.  As one enters into relationships with others, it is here that the complexity of God's relationship reveals itself among our own relationships.  A young theologian approached me and asked the question: "How does God judge us? I mean especially after the cross, do we feel the same suffering because we have the Holy Spirit?" I wrestled for a few days over this question and pondered how to answer and this is what I came up with: You ask a very good question and even have a rich understanding of how God is active within your life.  Let's talk about the questions separately and then return to both at the end. Therefore, you asked the question, How does God judge us? God judges us based upon the lives that we lead and how we handle the relationships that we are blessed with. For it is through the gift of the Ten Commandments th...