Claimed, gathered and sent

Ephesians 5:15-20 15   Be careful then how you live, not as unwise people but as wise, 16   making the most of the time, because the days are evil. 17   So do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. 18   Do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but be filled with the Spirit, 19   as you sing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs among yourselves, singing and making melody to the Lord in your hearts, 20   giving thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ. How do we get "filled with the Spirit?" We received the Holy Spirit in baptism, but doesn't it seem that some people seem more in tune with God and God's people than others? Here's one way to be filled with the Spirit: In the reading from Ephesians we are encouraged to give “ thanks to God the Father at all times and for everything in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ ” (Eph. 5:20). Orthodox Christians teach a tradi...

You know the saying, "You can't go home again"? Well last week we had the privilege of returning to Petersburg, WV, which was our home for a year while I was on internship. We even had the opportunity to stay in the parsonage like we did that year.  Once a year, at a little country church outside of Petersburg, there is a service called Homecoming, which is followed by a pot luck. At the right you see the cover of the bulletin from that service. Each year, a former intern of Pastor Larry Cantu, is the guest preacher for that service. This year I had the privilege. Larry is the pastor of Grace Lutheran Church , which was my internship site. Below is the message I preached based on Ephesians 4:25-5:2 .           How many of us growing up have experienced teasing or even what today would be considered bullying? Inevitably, there would be a parent or some other authority figure like a teacher, when they hear our tale of woe, would r...