Last week (Thursday, Friday and Saturday) I was in Mesa, AZ for our annual synod assembly. Community Lutheran Church is connected to a larger church body known as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Within the ELCA, we are located within a synod (think area or district) in which we are connected to other…
Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Philippians 2:3-4 Some of us are really good at making snap judgments about other people. In the blink of an…
For since the creation of the world God’s invisible qualities—God’s eternal power and divine nature—have been clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that people are without excuse (to believe). Romans 1:20 Saint Paul is making a simple argument: look at the world around you and you should come the inevitable conclusion…
This past weekend I began a sermon series on Joseph. If you didn’t hear the message, you can listen to it here: Joseph Sermon . Joseph’s life was filled with lots of downs. More downs that ups. It was as if he lived in the proverbial “valley of the shadow of death” for most of…
Last week, I was at the church council meeting for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Community Lutheran Church is a congregation of the ELCA. In 2023, I was nominated to serve on the church council of the ELCA. The national (ELCA) church council operates a lot like our own church council here at…
Hi everyone, I am in my hotel room in Chicago, Illinois just hours away from my second church council meeting at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). Just like last time (and possibly every time) the agenda is packed with lots of items. All of it important as we try to live out our…
Last Sunday we heard the story of Jesus coming to Jerusalem. Jesus didn’t live in Jerusalem, but he spent the final week of his life in the capital city of Israel. It was customary to make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover during the time of Jesus. Passover is the primary covenant between…
Long before Jesus, the nation of Israel was more of a loose confederation of tribes. There was no national government, only the 12 tribes that descended from Jacob’s sons and grandsons. The Israelites endured slavery in Egypt until God rescued them and gave them the ten commandments and the law. But they still struggled, like…
The other day, a longtime member of our church family passed along a handful of articles written by our founding pastor. Although written 22 years ago, they speak to the truth of human nature and God’s plan for our lives. I am so very blessed that I was able to learn from Pr. Ray as…
I am in the middle of a book about Abraham. Abraham is the ancestral father of all Israel. Indeed, he is our adopted father as well! (See Romans 11:17-18) Three major faith traditions find their roots in Abraham. Judaism and Christianity through Isaac the son of Abraham. Of course as a Christian, we are adopted…
