The circumference of the city shall be eighteen thousand cubits. and the name of the city from that time on shall be The Lord is There. (Ezekiel 48:33) The verses and chapters preceding this verse are full of all sorts of specific measurements and requirements for the life of the… Continue reading
1st Sunday of Advent: Isaiah 2:1-5 Many people shall come and say, “Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the house of the God of Jacob; that he may teach us his ways and that we may walk in his paths.” For out of Zion… Continue reading
Some verses from Psalm 115 Our God is in the heavens; he does whatever he pleases. Their idols are silver and gold, the work of human hands. Those who make them are like them; so are all who trust in them. (v. 3, 4, 8) The heavens are the Lord’s… Continue reading
23rd Sunday after Pentecost Luke 21:5-19, Malachi 4:1-2a, 2 Thessalonians 3:6-13 What is it about end-of-the-world stories that is so captivating to us? Whether it is the children’s story, Chicken Little, where a chicken runs through the kingdom yelling “the sky is falling, the sky is falling!” or the more… Continue reading
Ephesians 1:17-19 (as part of the Epistle Reading for 11/3/2019) 17 I pray that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give you a spirit of wisdom and revelation as you come to know him, 18 so that, with the eyes of your heart enlightened, you may know… Continue reading
Then turning toward the woman, [Jesus] said to Simon, “Do you see this woman?” (Luke 7:44a) Jesus sees the woman. He sees her desperation. He sees her tears. He sees her effort and heart. He sees her. When he speaks TO Simon, he TURNS to the woman. He sees her… Continue reading
Thus you shall keep the people of Israel separate from their uncleanness, so that they do not die in their uncleanness by defiling my tabernacle that is in their midst. (Lev. 15:31) Six chapters of rules about what to do with different kinds of uncleanness. Six chapters. Of rules. That’s… Continue reading
As I reflect on Christ the King Sunday (this past Sunday), I find myself pondering the words to the hymn we sang in church: “Though some would make their greatness felt and lord it over all, you said the first must be the last and service be our call. O… Continue reading
I recently attended a Christian music concert that left me with some thoughts: There is something super-powerful about a corporate gathering of people singing about a shared set of beliefs and values. I’m not a huge fan of large concerts…my preference would almost always be acoustic music in a much… Continue reading
For a variety of reasons, I’ve been reflecting on those things that compelled me to go into a professional church leadership career. I ran across this reflection on my ‘call story.’ I figured if I wanted to understand how Lutherans understand faith development, I needed to experience camp. After college… Continue reading