5Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, 6who, though he was in the form of God,   did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited,  7but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness.  And being found in human form, 8he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross. [Philippians 2: 5-8] People have asked me on occasion about my favorite Bible passages. One of the is Matthew 6: 33- seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness. In this […]

28We know that all things work together for good for those who love God, who are called according to his purpose. [Romans 8:28] In an article in Living Lutheran called “Shaping the Church for the COVID-19 Generation”, Pastor Lee Ann Pomrenke starts with some questions: What happens in childhood doesn’t stay in childhood. I’ve been thinking about this a lot lately, as my husband and I improvise a school routine for our children at home, host church services online and answer every question with “not until the coronavirus time is over.” I have questions too. Will our children be shaped […]

The Other Side What if you thought of it as the Jews consider the Sabbath— the most sacred of times? Cease from travel. Cease from buying and selling. Give up, just for now, trying to make the world different than it is. Sing. Pray. Center down.   Know that we are all connected in ways that are terrifying and beautiful. (You can’t deny it now.) Know that our lives are in one another’s hands. (Surely, that’s become clear.) All over the world people are slowing down and reflecting. All over the world people are looking at their neighbors in a […]

Popular culture has repurposed the term “blessing” to suggest a reward for faithfulness or an income of good things. But in Scripture, blessings can be inconvenient, risky and wild moments that reveal another way to be. These blessings have textures that transform our hearts, change our views, move our feet to a new location or prompt us to honor that space we’re meant to hold. 1Now the LORD said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred and your father’s house to the land that I will show you. 2I will make of you a great nation, and I […]

24For in hope we were saved. Now hope that is seen is not hope. For who hopes for what is seen? 25But if we hope for what we do not see, we wait for it with patience.                                                                                                Romans 8: 24,25 To follow up a bit on yesterday’s ponderings, Paul addresses our uncertainties – the fact that we can’t see the road ahead clearly – by assuring us that God is present even – or perhaps especially – when we can’t see the next steps. When he says that we wait with patience, it isn’t about sitting back and doing nothing. […]

“Seeing has fooled me into thinking I have a clear view of where the road leads. “ This quote is from a book by Barbara Brown Taylor called Learning to Walk in the Dark.” She goes on to quote what she calls “an old prayer” from the Book of Common Prayer: Look down, O Lord, from your heavenly throne, and illumine this night with your celestial brightness; that by night as by day your people may glorify your holy Name; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. God’s presence illuminates both night and day for us as we learn over and […]

Luther wrote the letter “Whether One May Flee from a Deadly Plague” as disease passed through his hometown of Wittenberg. As coronavirus threatens our neighbors and loved ones, we invite you to reflect on how we can best protect each other.                                 From: spirit: The newsletter of the Florida-Bahamas Synod Some of you may know about the Myers-Briggs Personality Index. It’s a tool for “sussing out” a person’s preferred way of interacting with others amd responding to situations. In seminary, it’s a required part of jumping through hoops- and rightly so. One of the parameters on the index is introvert/extrovert. […]

The gospel lesson for this morning is the entire 9th chapter of the Gospel of St. John, much to long for a short daily message. In summary, then, it is the story of “The Man Born Blind.” Jesus sees him, has compassion, and heals him. The immediate result of the “sign” is mass confusion, disbelief and anger. Friends and neighbors are confused and who could blame them – restoring sight to someone who has been blind since birth is unprecedented. The religious leaders feel threatened; they question everything about what happened and about Jesus. I think it’s easy to wonder […]

13Jesus said to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will be thirsty again, 14but those who drink of the water that I will give them will never be thirsty. The water that I will give will become in them a spring of water gushing up to eternal life.” 15The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water, so that I may never be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.”                               John 4: 13-15 The conversation between Jesus and the Samaritan woman at the well has many of the characteristics of Jesus’ conversations with other […]

1Since we are justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2through whom we have obtained access to this grace in which we stand; and we boast in our hope of sharing the glory of God. 3And not only that, but we also boast in our sufferings, knowing that suffering produces endurance, 4and endurance produces character, and character produces hope, 5and hope does not disappoint us, because God’s love has been poured into our hearts through the Holy Spirit that has been given to us.  Romans 5: 1-5 These are the verses that turned Martin […]