Everyday Lutherans

We don’t know the day or the hour.  Oh, how different we would live our lives if we did know the day and the hour of the end.  The rhetoric that we hear on the even news stirs within us a reminder that we are mortal. That even here in the United States of America, we are not free the power of death.  The tragedies of fatal shootings, stabbings, and other violence comes over the news and we are stricken with fear. For many of us, we begin to look back at the good old days.  It was not like this years ago. Remember the days when the children would play down at the park, that people would get together and really care about their neighbors and those days when everyone went to church.   Why is the nation so bad right now and what it we can do to take it back there? Then comes the finger pointing of where are we to point the blame. Who or what is the problem in our nation. Yet, none of this truly solves the problem.  None of this truly brings about a change for the better in our community, n...

Today throughout the church, people around the world are stopping to honor the Saints who have gone before us.  It is on this Sunday that the church has set apart to be reminded that the church is made up of the people throughout time.  It is a reminder that each and every one of our journey’s of life and faith has an impact on others not only in our lives but for generations to come.  However, at that same moment, if we do not learn and grow into that faith, it can only take one generation to fall away from the church. For each and every one of you that are here today had someone in your life tell you that faith was important.  Perhaps that person sat down with you over the course of years to remind you over and over again, the meaning of God in your life, the depth of God’s love, and the unending grace that comes from God.  Or perhaps you merely had someone who gave you the line, “You are going!” Whatever the situation you have had, I want you to think of that person. Think about it ...

A recent article really got me thinking. ( NPR - Boot Camp for Mormon Missionaries )  How is the Lutheran church sharing their faith with others? I began to think about what would the classes that we could teach our missionaries before they went out. Law & Gospel Grace Scripture Baptism & Communion Care for our Neighbor Culture of the nation you are going to.... Language Classes How will this experience impact your faith? And Resources to help you during this time. What else would be important for a missionary to know? Just think of the experiences that our youth could be a part of.  How they could be shaped and even shape the future of the church.  We do some of this work with Young Adults in Global Missions.  Yet what if we were able to expand that and help all our members become disciples and missionaries within their own homes.  (Please understand, I am not advocating we also dress in white shirts, black pants with a black tie or other modest dress t...

  This is a great activity for confirmation and others to think of what church is like and how it relates to so many other things within a person's life. It helps you understand some of the traditions that have taken place within the church, and then becomes part of other aspects in your life. Church is like Football. Football has a variety of positions within the team. When each of the players is playing their best to work as a team with their duties being fulfilled, the team can succeed and play a good game. Whether each person is on the defensive line or offensive line, all must work together. It is the same within the church, when all the members, committees and leaders are working together as a team; then they can care for the community and work towards helping God's people learn, grow and work together even better. Just as there are different teams within the team; offense, defense, and special teams, there are also different teams or committees within the church. Eac...

The Hebrew people were living in a life in which things were decided for them, their work, home, food and much was all dictated to them. The Ten Commandments were given to the people to help them with order within their life, how they should be an individual within a community and understand good and healthy relationships. Good relationships between God and you along with you and those around you. The people would need these in order to function and operate, make good decisions and ensure that God was important within their life. 
These Ten Commandments are something that can with stand the test of time. They are lessons can impact our daily life. Here is my attempt: First Commandment Honor God and what God has done for you Why is this important? God is the one who created you and sustains you. God has helped you become the person that you are today, getting through the struggles, giving you the good things, and reminding you that tomorrow is secure and taken care of. We fear God bec...

In recent years, I have noticed a growing number of larger congregations. Congregations where there are more programs, more people and more focus on keeping more people caring for the institution that is the building and not really the Gospel.  (Please note, I am not saying that all large congregations fit this but there seems to be a growing trend.)  You may notice the features: Young pastor - cause young pastors can relate to the youth and our church does not have any. Band - cause the old songs do not speak to the people that you are trying to get into your building. Focus on Life - most of the messages, classes and general direction of the congregation is helping people in their physical journey.  Right living and morals are the dominate messages being given.  Less emphasis on Jesus and more emphasis on 'What Scripture teaches us' becomes the language in which we hear more and more with the messages. Now you may be saying but our congregation has some of these th...

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...

I had a conversation with someone the other day and something really stuck out. "People just need to commit to the church and choose to follow Jesus."  The conversation continued and the person was longing for a church that was only within their mind.  Longing for more people to follow the message of Jesus Christ and the life that he has given to them.  This person hoped and longed for more to gather with them. The person had watched movies about what the church should be, important practices, along with studies that were published online by Biblical teachers that had their own TV show.  These teachings, movies and voices, are loud within the society, the people who cling to it are willing to put money, energy and passion behind it.   As a church leader, I have heard a lot of this, it seems that this understanding of God and the church resonates well with the people.  It makes sense, it is clear, and it explains a lot about this world.  Yet I wonder, j...

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...

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 ...

Over the past few weeks, I have had several people ask me about the value of a parsonage for me and other clergy.  People have asked me if I would have preferred not being in a parsonage.  Wouldn't it be better to just have the money instead of living in a parsonage? Doesn't it feel like the church is also your landlord? I have enjoyed living in a parsonage.  I have a house that I could not have afforded to live in.  I can enjoy several rooms that I can make into my own and still have the typical rooms within a house. I have enjoyed the many amenities that are available for me within the parsonage so that I can truly focus on being a pastor.  As in a personal home, there are still small things and big things that need to be addressed within the parsonage. Have no fear, I do clean the parsonage and also maintain a number of things; but when the gutters start to fall off, the drive way needs to be repaired, or windows need looking after, I know that...

Within the Bible, the beginning says that God created the heavens and the earth along with that, God parted light from darkness. In the beginning….Here we are brought to the very beginning to understand how and why God created this universe and even you.  Within recent years, many have declared that the Big Bang Theory is the most probable theory of how the universe came into being.  However, these two theories then are not in opposition with one another but these two understandings of creation. Couldn’t God create this universe through the means of the Big Bang? What if God started the Big Bang and also created the various life forms within the world?  (How much time determines which theory but then again does time really matter in understanding the world compared to ones lifetime.) So what does that creation have to do with us?  EVERYTHING!! The creation is still happening all around us. Each year, we bear witness to the birth, life, death, and even resurrection wi...

This is a great article on Mother's Day that you should also read with the original here . An open letter to pastors {A non-mom speaks about Mother’s Day} May 10, 2012 by Amy 915 Comments Dear Pastor, Tone can be tricky in writing. Picture me popping my head in your office door, smiling and asking if we could talk for five minutes. I’m sipping on my diet coke as I sit down. You know that I’m not one to shy away from speaking my mind , part of the reason you love me (mostly!), so I’m guessing that internally you brace yourself wondering what might be next. I set my can down and this is what I’d say. A few years ago I sat across from a woman who told me she doesn’t go to church on Mother’s Day because it is too hurtful.  I’m not a mother, but I had never seen the day as hurtful. She had been married, had numerous miscarriages, divorced and was beyond child bearing years. It was like salt in mostly healed wounds to go to church on that day. T...

Check out this great article posted by a friend, Pastor Frank Johnson. http://pawntoking4.blogspot.com/2013/04/why-we-rarely-go-to-church-pascals.html?spref=fb

Lutheranism 202 Reading the Augsburg Confession, we delve into the meaning of faith Martin Luther (1483-1546) didn’t intend to start a new church. A priest and a university professor, Luther believed there was only one Christian church. His study of the Bible and his personal faith experience led him to propose changes in the church’s teaching and practice, to re-form the church so it more clearly reflected the good news of salvation through faith in Jesus Christ alone. This “reformation” was rejected by the leaders of the church in Rome, and Luther and his followers were excommunicated. A major part of this reformation movement was an emphasis on the living, life-giving word of God. Luther’s academic training was as a biblical scholar. He translated the Bible from Hebrew and Greek into German, the language of the people. He published sermons and commentaries to help communicate God’s word in ways that people could understand. Most of all, Luther encouraged people to rea...