April 22ndwas Earth Day. I didn’t have the chance to talk about it on Sunday because we are right in the middle of a sermon series on our core values. (These sermons are available on this website.) Although Earth Day is not on the church calendar, it is an important day because it reminds us…
As most of you know, the evangelist and pastor Billy Graham died earlier this year. Some saw him as a saint and others saw him as a sinner. As a Lutheran, I see him as both saint and sinner. He was a child of God and he had the same struggles with sin and being…
Let us go back in time. All the way back to 900BC. Life was different back then… very different. At that moment in Israel’s history, they had a king you probably never heard of. His name was King Asa. Over the course of 400 years Israel had both good kings and bad kings. King Asa…
Here we are. It is near the end of Holy Week. It is arguably the most important week in Christian history. For many the final days of Jesus’ life has no meaning. For some Christians this week has very little impact in their daily lives. All people are looking for freedom and empowerment but most…
We are about to enter Holy Week. The setting for the entire week is Jerusalem and Bethany. There is so much going on that we can’t possibly cover it all in worship. However, I wanted to give you an overview of the most important week in Christianity. Here is a possible timeline of the events…
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…
