Christmas Day, 2011

For many people today is just another day.  The stress of celebrating can get to be too much and even depressing.  It’s a reminder of loss and disappointments.  For them it may be good advice to say, “Don’t let Christmas be anything more than any other day.”  For others it’s a day long awaited filled with great joy!  It’s a day for happy family gatherings and meaningful traditions. To them we’d say, “Don’t let Christmas be just like any other day.”

But is there really anything special about today?  In fact, did anything really even happen on this day?

Christmas Eve, 2011

The sweet music of Christmas tells the story of God’s love come to earth better than any spoken words can do.  Tonight our beloved Christmas carols deliver to us the good news of the birth of Christ, our heavenly king.  And not just tonight.  Last Saturday afternoon a group of us went out and took these and other carols on the road to bring the good news to some of our elderly friends. And for weeks we have been listening to this music from a variety of sources – in and outside the church.

It amuses me when Christians get annoyed and even angry or offended when they detect any indication that the secular world is ignoring this observance of Christ’s birth and its true meaning and then demand that our public schools and retail merchants recognize Christmas and not just the holiday or season.  “It’s a war on Christmas!”  Many claim.  Really?  Have you been listening to the music?

Advent 2, December 4, 2011

Sometimes it’s not what you say, but how you say it.  Tone of voice adds meaning to our words and provides a powerful non-verbal dimension to our speech.  We can detect things like anger and frustration and affection and surprise simply by the inflection and pitch and quality in someone’s voice.

Most of us do a lot of communication by email or text – mediums of communication that make it  difficult to add this non-verbal nuance to what we are saying.   Consequently, the recipient may interpret a message quite differently and sometimes just the opposite of what was intended by the sender.  That’s why we need to be so careful in what we communicate electronically.

Christ the King, November 20, 2012

A lot of sporting events for young kids end up with everyone who participates getting a ribbon or medal without really recognizing a “first place” champion.  This “everybody wins” mindset is pretty common.  A new soccer league inEnglandhas taken this to a new level.  In an effort to relieve the pressure of competition and the embarrassment of losing, this league is limiting scoring for all teams with youth under age 16 to 1 point.  So every game ends up 1-0 or a draw.  For kids 11 and under, scoring is being eliminated all together.  Some think this will focus on the “fun” of the game and athletic development without giving so much emphasis to winning and losing.  But here’s the thing that most parents know:  no matter what the rules say, kids know the score.

Pentecost 22, November 13, 2012

What would you be doing right now if you weren’t afraid?

What would you be doing right now in your life if you weren’t afraid?  What would you be doing in your church if you weren’t afraid?  What kind of ability do you have buried in fear that could be useful to others if you weren’t afraid?  What kind word would you speak, what phone call would you make, what offer would you extend, what contribution would you make – if you weren’t afraid?

Reformation Sunday, October 30, 2011

Human history is punctuated by many great moments when someone took a stand. Consider Ghandi and Nelson Mandela – men who took at stand for independence and civil rights and spent time in prison for their convictions. Or Patrick Henry, one of our founding fathers, who said, “Give me liberty or give me death” and, along with many other American patriots, laid his life on the line for the cause of freedom. We remember Abraham Lincoln and those who stood against slavery. Or more recently Ronald Reagan who took a stand in a speech at Berlin and said: “Mr. Gorbachev, tear down this wall.” We think of those who have fought for civil rights in our county. And today might be a good day to mention Rosa Parks, a civil rights activist who refused to move to the back of the bus. I guess we’d have to say she took a seat, not a stand. And we might also be proud to note that Mrs. Parks was a Lutheran.

Pentecost 17, October 9, 2011

The girls in my house have caught a few episodes of a TLC reality show about aNew Yorkbridal shop where brides come looking for the perfect wedding dress.  It’s called, “Say Yes to the Dress.”  I think a better name for this show would be “Say WHAT?  To the Price of the Dress!”  Oh sure, these brides don’t just fork over the money for one of these pricey gowns without some kind of budget – like 10,000 – 20,000 dollars!  You could probably eliminate hunger in small countries with the money this shop takes in for wedding dresses that are worn for one day.                                     

Pentecost 16, October 2, 2011

Minnesotahas a couple dozen vineyards.  Most of them are located in the river valleys of theSt. Croix,MinnesotaandCanonRivers.  AMinnesotavineyard makes for a nice weekend getaway or day trip.  It’s a place where visitors sample the produce, enjoy the scenery in a very leisurely, romantic atmosphere. 

Pentecost 15, September 25, 2011

HARK THE VOICE OF JESUS CALLING

That’s such a great hymn to sing.  The voice of Jesus is calling us to work today!  And this hymn reminds us that there is something for everyone to do!  The hymn mentions teaching, preaching, sharing Jesus’ love, pointing out the path to heaven, leading little children, praying, giving offerings, and supporting others who do these things by lifting up the prophets’ hands.  There’s even “rousing the wicked” if you’re up for that!  So what is Jesus calling you to do?  Can you hear his voice?

Pentecost 13, September 11, 2011

A college professor reports that whenever she asks the students in her religion class what they believe to be the most important part of the Christian message, they almost always respond by speaking about forgiveness. Jesus came to bring a message of forgiveness, they say. Some of the more thoughtful students remember to add that he came to teach us how to forgive one another.

Forgiveness permeates the Christian message.  It is a common theme running through our worship together.