Radical Welcome
"God does not discriminate and neither do we" Twenty years ago the Holy Spirit gathered dozens of people to charter a new Lutheran congregation in Westfield. 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.” Welcome has always been a... Continue reading→
The Jews in the Gospel of John
*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 was, and who is to... Continue reading→
Dear Band Director & Team Coach: An Open Letter
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, who was and who is... Continue reading→
A New Candle and a New Creed
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 Christ. While every gathering of... Continue reading→
The Hope of Leviticus 25, Part 2
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 here! The year of the... Continue reading→
The Hope of Leviticus 25, Part 1
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 fire and brimstone. That’s a... Continue reading→
Presentation of our Lord
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 festival" appointed for February 2... Continue reading→
Wealth, Justice, and the Kingdom of God
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 texts. This week I was... Continue reading→
Marriage, Divorce, and the Misuse of Scripture
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 text” to blame and shame... Continue reading→
Reverence
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 altar – an act of... Continue reading→