By Joel A. Hess - We like to imagine Jesus as a nice, relaxed hipster spreading love, but an extremely quick read of the red letters in your New Testament Gideon pocket Bible betrays otherwise. Jesus gets real nasty real quick with a certain audience of fellas who think no one can see their toupee. … Continue reading Daddy Issues!
By Karl Strenge - The language we used in the proper preface for the Ascension reminded us that Jesus “was taken up into heaven that He might make us partakers of His divine life.” We partake of his divine life. That is to say we have been joined in a mystical union to the life … Continue reading Partakers of the Divine
By Cindy Koch - Today was the day she decided to live exposed. Years of passive acceptances. Years of dealing with whatever they piled on her. Years of smiles and nods slowly suffocating the fighting spirit left inside. But from now on it would be different. Summoning all her courage to make a stand. Breaking … Continue reading Ba Ba Black Sheep
By Paul Koch - As I read through the Gospel reading from John chapter 10 and began to study it, I was excited to begin crafting this sermon. After all, this is a powerful text. It seems simple from a cursory glance, but it packs quite a punch. It is a small exchange between Jesus … Continue reading My Shepherd
By Joel A. Hess - An old man and his granddaughter were marveling at the stained glass windows that decorated their old church a couple of kilometers north of Wissauke. Many of the windows displayed a particular saint like John, Peter, or Paul. Unfortunately, grandpa noticed some cracks in the windows. As he mourned for … Continue reading Cracked Saints Shine Brighter
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 … Continue reading Hijacking the Mandate
By Joel A. Hess - Who would have thought that such a glorious building would go down in flames? Flames, of all things. Not an atomic bomb or any of our glorious manmade tools of destruction, but something as rudimentary and old as fire. All the hard work of well-intentioned men was destroyed in a … Continue reading Destroy this Temple
