Everyday Lutherans

Our readings today all have the common theme of Jesus being the Good Shepherd to God’s People.  Today we hear the texts that people typically cling to especially at the event of a funeral. It is here that we meet the very core for many that form their faith and their understanding of God. Psalm 23 and the image that Jesus is our Shepherd is one that is talked about and this brings great comfort to many. It provides an image in which Jesus will ensure that we get the food that we need, will give us water to drink, care for our injuries as we wander through those rocky parts of our lives and even protect us from the wolves that will try and wound us to devour us. So today, I would like us to stop and consider what it meant for Jesus and those who were listening to Jesus of, “What does a good shepherd look like?”  For most of you do not know what it means to be a shepherd at the time of Jesus. Even those of you who grew up on a farm with sheep had different duties than those of the time o...

In our society, we push ourselves and our loved ones to be the best.  For many of us, we watch the Olympics and we see the athletes stand upon the three level stands of First, Second and Third.  We hear the national anthem of the first place. Everyone can clearly see who is the best and who should have the honor. We look and see who is the fastest runner, the fastest swimmer, and even the best at whatever the competition is about.  We have competitions to bear witness of which person and where the honor should be. However, have you every really stopped to think about the competitions that we have and what really they do for us in life? We have competitions to see who is the fastest?  Fastest swimmer? Why? Why not just get into a car or a boat?  That would make so much more sense right? Or how about other sports, baseball, football, soccer, hockey, or even tennis.  What is the purpose of the sport? Yet there is something about watching and bearing witness to someone working so hard and ...

Today, we hear a rather familiar story that Jesus uses to make a point.  It is typically known as the Good Samaritan. With each of the characters, we learn a lot of what it is we should not and should do.  For the priest, passes by on the other side, now so we understand, if the priest would have stopped and helped man, the Jewish laws would have stated that the priest would be unclean to enter the temple and thus not help or care for the hundreds or thousands of people that would come to the Temple that day.  So for the priest, he would be thinking of the majority and not the indiviudal. The Levite, would be passing by but what reason would he not stop and help the man. Would it be because he was robbed and thus have no wealth and would be of no benefit to the rich man. Would he think of the wealth that he would lose by helping this man and what others in the town would think of him for helping this man.  Now it is the third man, the Samaritan that Jesus lifts up to the People of God ...

As we continue tonight, you may have noticed that we are continuing to go through the letter to the Galatians.  We are already in chapter two, and Paul is getting to the heart of the matter. Getting the people of Galatia to understand what they need, but also helping them and us identifying the constant distraction and path that we can so often feel that we are going down in our journey of faith.  For people sometimes assume that because of their birth, they are saved. Because I am Jewish, I am one of the chosen people of God. Because I was born into a Christian family and baptized, I am going to be saved. Just because you are or have done one of these things in your life, does not mean that you are saved and that salvation is secure.  No, it is not your doing that gives you salvation. It is the work of Jesus Christ. Paul speaks of the other distraction for our faith journey, that it is the law.  The law is so often lifted up as what it is we should do so that we shall be a Christian. ...

Have you seen the new movie entitled "The Son of God".  It is a movie that shows the entire story of Jesus life from birth to his death.  It is coming out on February 28, 2014. Will you be taking your youth group? Will you be having a Bible Study on it?

  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...

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...

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...

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...

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...

I am sure many people wish a burning bush moment within their life.  A time in which things are clear and God is calling you to do something.  However, think about that, what God was calling Moses to do was to stand up against people whom he called family and release the new family that Moses just realized he was a part of.  Moses was able to do wonders within the world but through those wonders thousands of people suffered. Alright so let's try a different way, "Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path." Well then that would you mean that you have to take the time, read the stories, understand them and figure out how they can help you in your current situation. Not only that but make sure it is actually God's Will and not your own that is guiding you. There are many helpful resources to help you as a church figure out what it is God is calling you to do within the community.  It is also important for you as God's people to pray and reflect to unde...