By Graham Glover –
It’s about one thing. And only one thing.
Think that’s too limiting? Too simplistic? Hogwash.
To make it about something more is the problem. To suggest it’s about multiple things or more than one thing is the error that creates all other errors.
By Joel A. Hess –
I saw an old man, wrinkled and worn, tired of dialysis and the smell of urine and medicine.
Jesus sees a saint, brand spanking new, and the sun casting a shadow behind him.
By Ross Engel –
“But now, this is what the Lord says— He who created you, Jacob, He who formed you, Israel: “Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have summoned you by name; you are mine.”
In one of his hit songs, the late artist, actor, poet, and musician Tupac Shakur (whose work is certainly not appropriate for young ears) asked the question, “Is it a crime to fight for what is mine?”
By Cindy Koch –
I’m guilty of it lately. A quick snapshot of the crusty dishes from last night, towering dangerously in the sink. An angry post about the reign of laundry that seeks to conquer the entire house. Tears caught on camera—my children’s or my own—when nothing has happened as it should. This is real. This is life. This is not perfect.
By Joel A. Hess –
Today we celebrate the Declaration of Independence and the establishment of a country free from foreign rule. Many of us would say we simply celebrate freedom. For sure, people are freer in this country than most others. Praise God, I suppose. However, we also laugh at our brave founding fathers who simultaneously fought for freedom and held slaves. Sure, many a stubborn conservative will throw out a million excuses for the hypocrisy, but no excuse covers the disgusting blemish of slavery. How could someone speak eloquently about freedom and also enslave their neighbor!?
By Paul Koch –
What an incredible week it was here at Grace Lutheran Church! A week of great stories, and games, and food, and songs, and fun. It was, of course, Vacation Bible School this past week and the theme was outstanding. This year we are celebrating the 500th anniversary of the great Reformation of the church. Martin Luther is the center figure in that work, as we think of him standing before the Holy Roman Emperor confessing that he would not be moved from the Word of God. Luther’s most famous hymn was “A Mighty Fortress is our God,” in which we sing, “Let this world’s tyrant rage; in battle we’ll engage. His might is doomed to fail; God’s judgement must prevail! One little word subdues him.” It was just that, that trust in God’s work that defined our VBS theme: A Mighty Fortress.
By Joel A. Hess –
The Church is dying. We need to save the Church. Why are people leaving? If we don’t get more young families in here, we won’t be here anymore. Christians need to have more kids. Ugh! Have you heard people desperately exclaim these concerns and questions? Probably. Barna Research regularly releases stats to frighten Western church bodies. We see numbers thrown out about diminishing worship attendance. We are given statistics upon statistics about the general perception of Christianity and religion. We have been told that Church needs to do something, anything, to keep afloat.
By Joel A. Hess –
A couple of weeks ago, our president took the U.S. out of the Paris climate agreement. No matter your opinion on the matter, it does say something on which Christians, atheists, and everyone else can agree. The earth is beautiful, and we should take care of it. Of course, there are many different ways one can accomplish this. When it comes to witnessing, all creation is quite a witness, as Psalm 19 agrees. Even the most extreme atheist usually agrees with the wonder of creation. It’s sad how often Christians so quickly dismiss their liberal environmentalist friends. What a great talking point this is! After all, we know the creator: the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit!
By Jonathan Holmes –
I’ve been a fan of superheroes for as long as I can remember. There is just something about them that screams, “STRENGTH! CONFIDENCE!” They deal with adversities unlike anyone else, terrestrial or extraterrestrial. Without ceasing, it always seems that they conquer their foe, even if they first have to fall to do it. Most fight out of a selfish love and affection for the weak and infirm. While these mythological creations can at times go beyond explanation, this isn’t a bad thing.
By Cindy Koch –
I’m ashamed for her. I mean, there she is, acting like a fool again. She had every chance to turn her life around. Since her new life, she now knows what God really wants for her. She was almost over the mountain of her painful past. She was on her way out of the suffering. But once again, she passed up the good decisions and chose the ones that would lead her down the harder path.
By Paul Koch –
Today’s reading from John 17 is a wonderful, surprising, and even haunting text. It is quite different from the bold doctrinal catechesis of St. Paul or passionate plea by Peter. It isn’t recounting a history or imparting divine wisdom through a parable. No, this unique text is one where you are invited to lean in a little closer and listen to our Lord as He prays to His Father. It is strange to be in such a situation, to eavesdrop on our Lord as He prays. What makes it even more uncomfortable is that He is praying about you.
By Cindy Koch –
If I could only see a word. Beginning as a bubble somewhere deep inside, filling with meaning and pictures and referents as it rises to the mind. Floating gently or thrashing turbulently behind the eyes, waiting to be released. Finally, the mouth opens, the fingers twitch. Blinding rays from the external exposure reach inside for just a second. Drawn to the fresh air of freedom, a word finds her flight.
By Paul Koch –
I love maps. But, I don’t think we often use maps these days. Remember when you used to have an L.A. freeway map in your car so you could navigate the impossible web of intersecting arteries to arrive at your destination? Today you simply use Google Maps or Waze or some other app. But maps, good old difficult to fold maps, are still great resources. In fact, part of the curriculum that we use with our own children has a cartography component; they learn to read and navigate using a map. One of the first things that they learn to make sense of a map, is they must understand the key. Every map has a key that tells you what the symbols on the map mean; from distances, to road types, to values of elevation gain on a topographic map. A map without the key loses its precision and its reliability. The key is crucial.
By Paul Koch –
I love reading John 20:19-31. It is read every single year on the Sunday after Easter in churches around the world, and rightly so. After all, this is the account of our Lord’s appearance to the disciples in the upper room after His resurrection from the dead. This reading contains the tale of doubting Thomas and the longing desire to see and even touch our risen Lord. And most especially, this text answers the question, “now what?” Now that our Lord has suffered and died and risen from the dead, what do we do? Where do we go from here? What is the next step? This is what is presented to us in this incredible text.
By Graham Glover –
Protestants have a problem. It’s a problem that’s not going away. Protestants try to explain it, they try to finesse it into something understandable, at times they even ignore it – wishing it weren’t as big an issue as it is. But it’s still here. It still lingers.
By Joel A. Hess –
Some time ago, it was not unusual for people to take photographs of their dead loved ones. It was as if they were still alive; age made no difference. There are even photos of families together, one of them being stone cold dead.
By Paul Koch –
What a glorious morning! This is what church is all about. This is why we rejoice in the gifts of our faith. Today we celebrate the pinnacle event of the Christian faith. It is the moment that sheds light on everything else. Today we celebrate a new life, a resurrection, a victory over that terrifying enemy we call death. Christ is risen, He is risen indeed, and today is the day that we sing the praises of our God and cling to his promises. Of all the days that you should come to church, this is perhaps the very best day to come. Not that the others are all that bad, but today is Easter! It is the great festival of the resurrection.
By Bob Hiller –
We’d prefer something else tonight. Sure, it’s good for us to come and remember Jesus dying. It makes us feel a bit more holy because we’re the ones being so very good on this Friday night, going to church and contemplating the suffering of our enfleshed God. Oh, we can explain this death, tell you how He did it for us, and feel pretty good about our well-educated confession.
By Ross Engel –
The band of brothers reclined at the table. Their conversation was animated and loud. Laughter and smiles, joy in the midst of this Holy night of celebration. The Passover had come and there was much to rejoice in! So many things had happened recently, so there was much to talk about. Their dead friend had been raised. A blind man healed. Demons had been driven out. A parade of palm branches and Hosannas had just been experienced. Yes, there was much to revel in. Curiously enough though, the night’s feast began with their Master washing all their feet like a humble servant. Yes, there was so much to talk about this night.
By Paul Koch –
Happy Maundy Thursday. This day in church history is rich in the themes of our faith and the proclamation of our hope as the children of God. After all, it is on this night that our Lord was betrayed with a kiss and that Peter cut off Malchus’ ear just for Jesus to simply put it back on again. On this night, he is taken to Caiaphas and is denied three times before the rooster crows. On this night, he gave his great Supper and delivered unmatched gifts to his beloved.
