Everyday Lutherans

Recently I was watching a movie in which a large congregation was gathering together. The pastor within the congregation was speaking about the great work that the people were doing within the church.  Instead of going on and on, the pastor turned the microphone over to the leader of the new group.  The leader began speaking to the congregation about the work they were doing and how simple it was but then turned and said you need to be a part of it too.  God is calling you to do the same thing.  More people needed to join this movement and enjoy the same success and glory that they have enjoyed.  The inspiring speech was great, motivating and yet was so very scripted for the movie it was in. At first, I thought that this movie was great.  The Pastor was encouraging and growing leaders within the congregation gathering everyone to Jesus Christ.  This is what the church should be doing and helping people live out within their life.  The people were ...

For some people, Baptism was something that happened when they were an infant.  They do not remember it.  They do not understand what was happening.  For others, they remember the day and event as it was something that they had a part in. Within Baptism, water is used upon the person's body.  Water is one of the most abundant resources upon the Earth and it is something that is vital to our very life.  With this resource that you use within your daily life, God combines God's own Word.  Then God commands us to share and give this gift. In Baptism, God calls us by name to be God's very own child.  As a beloved child of God, you are given forgiveness of sins, delivered from death and the devil, and everlasting salvation to all who believe in this promise of God.   It is not water that does this but God's promise and work on the cross that delivers all that is promised for you directly to you. You do not need to remember the day that the way was plac...

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...

Ever since the beginning when Adam was given the power to name the creation, we have continued to label, name and define.  Now a name is a powerful thing, it is our identity, it is how people recognize, call us, and remember us. I believe it was Shakespeare who said, "A rose by any other name is just as sweet." Which is true, I mean the name that we have does not really define our characteristics. If I would list the name of a person, you may have someone come to mind because you know a person by that name.  You can think of their hair color, their height, if they are a good friend, good in school or some other characteristic about that person.  Or even an item, if I say a chair, you may think of a flat surface with a back rest with four legs for support. Yet even when we think we know of what something is does not mean that it is always that way or can not be changed.  Let's talk about a chair. A chair does not need four legs. There are times that our definitions ne...

When I have a question about something, one of the first things that I do is go to a search engine to find an answer.  My preferred one as of late has been Google.  Yet I know that there are other places to search for answers.  Within our modern time, Google or other search engines (Bing, Yahoo and really the list could go on) are the gurus that people go to for answers.  Whether it is finding a definition, explaining how to do something or even finding out the latest news.  One of the main reasons that we turn to this is because it is quick and the answers are generally the most sorted through by experts and others who have done what we are searching for.  Most of the time, thousands of results are found in less than one second. Yet when I want an answer about faith or even my relationship with God.  When I pray to God, I do not get an instant answer.  Something that satisifies my longing, calms my spirits or even gives me guidance to what I shou...

When I was a kid, I grew up thinking that God was this old man with a long white beard.  He sat on a big throne and had a lot of people who were singing around him.  But I was always afraid, I thought that God was one who looking out for the things that I was doing wrong.  Yet then Jesus would come and tell me things were going to be ok.  That God had been sitting on the throne for a long time but really he meant well and loved me.  As time went on my understanding of God grew, as it should because my relationship with God grew as well. I began to realize how that understanding of God was so true.  God wanted what was best for me and wanted me to realize the LOVE that He truly shared for me. Yet in my teen years, while your whole body and world seem to be put into this blender of reality and nothing seems to work out right.  You can also begin to wonder, doubt, and be down right frustrated with God.  For these two voices of God looking out for wha...

I have talked to a lot of people who attend church every so often to not really a whole lot. In one of my most recent conversations, a person asked me, "So, what does a pastor do?" I started thinking of all the daily, weekly, monthly and yearly things that I do and I could have listed them all off , but that would take a very long time. Then there are the things that no one can plan for. How do you tell someone that you live a life of chaos and unknown, and help someone make sense of it??? Here is my attempt. A pastor does many, many things; largely depending on the congregation's size and whether or not there is more than one pastor. If the church is large and there are multiple pastors, then they are specialized into separate fields.  In a one pastor congregation, then he/she does most (if not all) of the following. Depending on where the congregation is located will also determine the work that the pastor will have as a focus or time for travel between p...

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 ...

A great article that gives insight into the lives of young people between 18-33.  Although a little scary too to think that God has everything laid out and we are simply going through the motions.  http://www.livinglutheran.com/blog/2013/04/gods-plans-and-gps.html

With the bombings that took place in Boston, I began to remember all the other tragedies that have taken place in the world as of late.  From shootings, bombings, wars, world wars, and even threats of nuclear war. With all the suffering  pain and death still around us, it is kind of a challenge to hear that Jesus Christ was raised from the dead and through that resurrection, defeats the Devil, Sin, and victory over death. We hear this word but then bear witness to this reality.  Are the words simply a hope?  Are they meant for some future time in which Jesus will come again and place within the Earth: peace, justice, and love? If the words are an account of what actually happened, why is there still sin?  Why is there still death? I am not going to lie, I do not have the answers.  I will join with the people who are lamenting and cry to the one who will ultimately answer these questions and so many others that people raise.  I will use t...

It is very important for a church to have a website, something simple and basic for guests and visitors who are new to the area and are not familiar with how the church functions. In order to do this, you don't need to spend a lot of money, in fact, you really don't need to spend any but you do need to spend some time on it.  Before you do anything, you will need to decide what you want on the webiste.  Do you want times of service? Contact information?  Directions to the building?  Perhaps some of the things that are going on that the person could get involved in.  Now that you have an idea of what you want to have on your website, you will need to figure out what is going to be the best means of being able to update the information.  There is nothing worse than a website that has out of date information.  With these two factors in mind, you can then figure out what is going to be your best way of creating the website. Weebly - This is a great option...

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...

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...

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 wondered what the purpose a sermon is suppose to be? I mean this man or woman is standing up there, talking to a crowd of people.  What gives them the authority?  Why do they talk and talk about things that don't necessarily make sense or interest me?  What's the point? I have a confession to make, when I was growing up, I was that kid who did not always pay attention during the sermon.  It would not hold my attention.  I would either look at the stained glass windows, draw on the bulletin or there were some Sundays that I would actually do the head bang. (You know that time when you are trying to stay awake but are fighting falling back to sleep and your head falls down and whips back up. If you don't know what I am talking about, go to your next service and sit in the back and look around more than likely there will be one.)  Sadly this is still the case, although not when I am preaching.  For even when I hear some preachers, I still be...

  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 ...