If you were to ask Jesus about the relationship with his family at the beginning of his ministry he might have said, “It is complicated.” When Jesus began his ministry it wasn’t clear what his family thought of his career choice. Jesus’ step-father (Joseph) was either a carpenter or a stone worker depending upon the…
Once a year I participate in something called a Chrism Mass. It is a worship service that blesses and consecrates oil for anointing. We use anointing oil for baptisms but it can be used for other purposes as well. I did not go to this worship service for the oil. I went because it is…
On Wednesday night worship during the season of Lent we have been exploring the 23rd Psalm. Last night I spent some with the words “God guides me in paths of righteousness for His name’s sake.” Psalm 23:3b. A number of Bethelonians (or is it Bethelites) heard me speak on this passage but I feel led…
Do you know the legend of Saint Peter’s death? There are several versions but nothing recorded in the scriptures. The best known appears in the Acts of Peter, a third-century work that records Jesus closest disciple’s death. When the Neronian persecution began, Peter leaves Rome rather than face crucifixion with other Christians in the Hippodrome….
He who loses money, loses much; He who loses a friend, loses much more; He who loses faith, loses all. – Eleanor Roosevelt Doing nothing for others is the undoing of ourselves.” ― Horace Mann In a society governed passively by free markets and free elections, organized greed always defeats disorganized democracy. ― Matt Taibbi For the love…
If you go to Bethel Lutheran Church (I assume most people reading this are from Bethel) you are going to hear about Jonah’s response to God for not destroying Nineveh this Sunday. (If you need to catch up, you can listen to the first 3 sermons of this series on this website.) BUT… it is…
This might seem a little odd but let’s talk about evil. There are many within the Christian community who would deny the existence of Satan, the devil and demons. They often claim that references to such things in the Bible are myth and not to be taken literally. I was curious about how many times…
Therefore love is the fulfillment of the law. Romans 13:10 These are profound words. Yet, they are often glossed over. Believe it or not, this gets to the heart of what we believe. This is the center of our theology. The ever-persistent Saint Paul wrote a letter to the church in Rome so that they…
I came across an interesting news story out of Great Britain. Here is the headline, “Britain Appoints First-Ever ‘Minister of Loneliness’ to Tackle Social Isolation.” Loneliness is such a pervasive but silent problem that the English government is doing something about it. Will they be successful? Only time will tell. This news story reminds me…
I came across a true but odd story about pardons…. In 1829 two men, George Wilson and James Porter, robbed a United States mail carrier. Both were subsequently captured and tried in a court of law. In May 1830 both men were found guilty of six charges, including robbery of the mail “and putting the…
