And then, the 50th day happened, and suddenly, this little, inconsequential group was a mighty force, a rapidly growing movement that would, within a few years, be spreading in every direction, into every known place. Thousands and thousands of people would be converting to this new faith, thousands and thousands of people from all walks…
Happy Easter!!!! The Lord is risen!!! He is risen indeed!!!!!! What? You think that just because Easter was April 1st, that now Easter is over? Not so fast! Easter continues on well past Easter Sunday. The season of Easter continues for 50 days, all the way until the Festival of Pentecost. 50 days of continuing…
I always used to give up something for Lent. Some favorite type of food, usually, though one year, when I was managing a record store outside of Chicago, I gave up acquiring CD’s. Every day, almost, I either purchased a CD or received a free promotional CD from a label. I had hundreds and hundreds…
But before that, in 2018, Ash Wednesday is also Valentine’s Day. Yep, Ash Wednesday is February 14th. Now that is an odd combination, isn’t it? Ash Wednesday is one of the two most somber days in the church year, along with Good Friday. It is the day we are reminded, in a stark, powerful, and,…
Happy New Year! My sincere prayer for each and every one of you is that 2018 is a year filled with much joy, much grace, much beauty, much blessing, and much love. May this new year bring you all manner of good things, and may this new year be a time of healing, growth, renewal,…
So this is December, and what have you done? As you look back on 2017, what have you done this past year? Hopefully, a lot of immensely enjoyable things. Hopefully, you laughed a lot, loved a lot, and lived a lot. Hopefully, you created so many wonderful memories you’ll have trouble remembering them all. Maybe,…
In November we look back and remember, and we look forward with hope. We look back and remember the year that is slowly moving towards its close, and we look forward with hope to the new year that is creeping ever closer. In the church, we do the same thing. On All Saints Sunday, we…
October 31, 1517. The eve of All Saint’s Day. An Augustinian monk and university professor named Martin Luther walks to the door of the castle church in Wittenberg, Germany, and posts a list of debate points, or theses, on the door. 95 theses, in all, on the use, the merits, of indulgences, and the way…
How about a few words from Martin Luther: “And yet the love of the Son of God for us is of such magnitude that the greater the filth and stench of our sins, the more he befriends us, the more he cleanses us, relieving us of all our misery and of the burden of all…
A couple months ago, at the Praise Service, one of the songs Messenger led us in spoke of making God smile, and later I asked the congregation what might we do to make God smile. Suggestions included obey the 10 Commandments (a very good idea), attend worship (also very good), and comfort others (likewise very…