The Gospels and their Authority In Sunday’s sermon I said a few provocative things – more than usual, it seems. I don’t think what I said was provocative because it stood outside the teachings of our church, or that I was being insanely controversial. No. But some of what I said clearly provoked questions...
Worshipping with our Bodies Among Western Christians there can be a tendency to disassociate faith from our bodies and from the material world in which we live. Popular Christianity envisions souls shooting up into heaven (or down into hell), and ancient Grecco-Roman pagan beliefs persist in widespread cultural notions that...
From Love to Love: God's Passion for all People Lent, the church’s 40-day season of spiritual discipline and repentance, begins on Ash Wednesday. During this season we will read stories of Jesus’ journey to the cross, the cost of discipleship, and how our Lord was simultaneously embraced and betrayed by...
Job Opening at New Joy Lutheran The New Joy Personnel Team is actively looking for a person to fill the role of Parish Administrator. Please consider sharing this opportunity within your networks, or consider your own call to serve the church in this way. All interested applicants: Please submit a...
SESSION 4 LGBTQ+ Welcome and the Bible. The fourth and final session explores why explicit welcome of LGBTQ+ people is faithful to the Gospel.
SESSION 3 LBGTQ+ and the Bible. Today we are looking at the “clobber verses” – the small handful of Bible passages that are frequently used to reject, shame, and condemn homosexuality and members of the LGBTQ+ community.
SESSION 2 LGBTQ+ and the Bible. The second session of this series looks at hospitality in both the Bible and also in New Joy’s history.
SESSION 1 LBGTQ+ and the Bible. The first session offered an initial overview of Christianity and human sexuality.
New Joy is planning a four-week Bible Study and a few experiences to learn from members of the LGBTQ+ community and from members of LGBTQ+ affirming congregations.
New Joy’s vision was to be a congregation that “welcomes, accepts, values, and nurtures all people wherever they are in their relationship with God.” “God does not discriminate, and neither do we. New Joy happily welcomes all, without regard to race, income, or sexual orientation.”
*Image above: ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton thanking Rabbi Jonah Dov Pesner, Director of the Religious Action Center of Reform Judaism and Senior Vice President of the Union for Reform Judaism. He spoke at the 2019 ELCA Churchwide Assembly. Grace to you and peace, from the One who is, who...
Dear Band Director & Team Coach An Open Letter Dear Sports Coaches, Marching Band Directors, And All The Other Wonderful Adults Who Guide Our Youth In Amazing, High Commitment Experiences That We Cannot Provide For Our Youth At Our Churches: Grace to you and peace, from the one who is,...
A New Candle and a New Creed The Paschal Candle At our Easter Bonfire on Holy Saturday, we will light a tall candle called a Paschal Candle. Set on a large candlestick and placed near the baptismal font, this candle is a traditional symbol of the light of the risen...
The Hope of Leviticus 25, Part 2 As I stated in my previous post, in order for us to understand Jesus’ mission, it really helps if we understand Leviticus 25. When Jesus first preaches publicly in the Gospel of Luke, he claims that the “year of the Lord’s favor” is...
The Hope of Leviticus 25, Part 1 [Photo credit: An Idyll of the Deep South, by Aaron Douglas, 1934] Christians often give short shrift to large swathes of the Old Testament. Baked into much of Christian culture is a latent, misguided notion that the Hebrew Bible is all laws and...
Presentation of our Lord The Sunday after the Epiphany (Jan 6) is always Baptism of our Lord. However, with two Sundays back in Advent focusing on John and his baptism at the river, I decided to take a different text with resonant themes. Presentation of our Lord is a "lesser...
Wealth, Justice, and the Kingdom of God For the second week in a row, I neglected to address in my sermon the elephant stomping around the Sunday Scripture readings. Last week I did not speak about marriage and divorce – which were central themes in both the Genesis and Mark...
Marriage, Divorce, and the Misuse of Scripture This Sunday I did not address the elephant stomping around the appointed Scripture – divorce, and by extension, human sexuality and the tortured interpretation history of Genesis 2 and Mark 10. To be clear, no Scripture should ever be used as a “clobber...
Reverence In many Lutheran congregations it is a common practice to reverence the altar and the cross (usually positioned in the same place), especially for worship leaders such as acolytes, pastors, and assisting ministers. This act of reverence is usually performed with a slight bow toward the cross and the...
When Would I Deny Someone Holy Communion? The US Conference of Catholic Bishops is considering a statement on communion practices that could deny admission to the Lord’s Table to politicians who support pro-choice public policies. The Roman Catholic Church carefully stewards the Eucharist, welcoming to the Table those in communion...