For the past several months, the deacons and the church council have been discussing a new Wednesday program to begin this fall. We will be joining forces with our sister church in East Grand Forks, Christ the King Free Lutheran Church. A steering committee between the two churches was set up to develop a plan…. Read More ›
I did not know this hymn before I became a pastor. When it became my responsibility to pick hymns, I read the hymnal and found it. It became an instant favorite. It shares a tune with a “hall of fame” hymn, “Praise to the Lord, the Almighty” (Ambassador Hymnal, #171), which is much more common,… Read More ›
The word “Sabbath” means “rest.” In the Old Testament, it was the last day of the week, on which the Lord commanded the people of Israel to do no work, but to remember that he created all things (Ex. 20:9-11) and he delivered them from Egypt (Deut. 5:12-15). The Sabbath is not just about ceasing… Read More ›
I really enjoy our church’s hymnody. Someone might say, “Well, yeah. You get to pick them.” And I suppose that’s part of it. I rarely pick hymns I don’t like. But I think the bigger part of it is that in order to pick them, I have to read them ahead of time. This gives… Read More ›
Sometimes I say something in a sermon where, on further reflection, I think to myself, I didn’t explain that very well. This happened recently in the sermon about blind Bartimaeus (Mark 10:46-52). Commenting on the simple fact that we know his name, his father’s name, where he was from, and where he used to sit… Read More ›
“Whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him if a great millstone were hung around his neck and he were thrown into the sea. And if your hand causes you to sin, cut it off. It is better for you to enter life crippled… Read More ›
Have you ever noticed that there are two distinct sections of the Lord’s Prayer? Our Father, who art in heaven, Hallowed be Thy name; Thy kingdom come; Thy will be done one earth, as it is in heaven; Give us this day our daily bread; And forgive us our trespasses, as we forgive those who… Read More ›
Sometimes in passages there are little side lessons. They’re not the main point, so in sermons I usually don’t get the chance to mention them. Sometimes I even write them out, but in the end they don’t really fit, so they usually get cut. In the gospels, they often have to do with prayer. We… Read More ›
During this Easter season we’ve been reading from the book of Acts where we would normally have Old Testament readings. I do miss having an Old Testament reading, and we’ll hear them again soon, but the lectionary switches to Acts because we don’t really have another place for Acts. It’s not a gospel, and it’s… Read More ›
It’s tax season. More importantly, it’s also holy week. During Holy Week, as the Jewish leaders were trying to find an excuse to arrest Jesus, they set a trap for him. They asked him if it is lawful to pay taxes to Caesar or not (Mark 12:13-17). If Jesus said, “Yes,” it would anger the… Read More ›