Everyday Lutherans

This is a good children sermon for Veterans Day, Independence Day or Memorial Day.  Or really if you are willing to talk about Today, we gather to remember that we are human, we are creatures part of God's creation.  In this creation, we are part of the country the United States of America.  Within the church, we have this flag.  (Take the kids over to the flag) What do the red and white strips represent?  The thirteen colonies that stood against the King of Britain, and those people who fought for our freedom and independence. What do the stars represent?  The fifty states that we are currently apart of.  The country that we have been given but also the country that we continue to help one another in. (Go over to the Christian flag that is also in the church.)  What flag is this?  This is the Christian flag, we have this flag to remind us that we are part of a large community of believers that gather in the name of Jesus Christ.  We gat...

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...

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...

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

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...

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.