Claimed, gathered and sent

We are now safely at our hotel in RI where we'll be for the next 6 days. The time in Rochester was such a blessing with Sarah and Grace. Sunday was a day of revisiting the past with its memories. We drove around to most of the places I had lived as a child and adult and where Sarah had lived as a child. I'm now working on the sermon I'll be preaching at our home church on Sunday. The verse that sticks with me the most from the gospel reading is the last one, " No one has ever seen God. It is God the only Son, who is close to the Father's heart, who has made him known. " If we're close to someone's heart, don't we make them known? When my daughter, Sarah and our granddaughter, Gracie visited us this year at seminary, we introduced them to everyone! We could not help ourselves! We wanted to make them known because they are close to our hearts. Speaking of which, Gracie lost her first tooth while we were visiting. She's in the picture on the left....

Please take a look at this link. I could not help but think about today's Bethlehem as we sang "O Little Town of Bethlehem."

CHRISTIAN PRAYERS lyrics The first time I heard this hymn was when the children's choir sang it many years ago at The Lutheran Church of the Incarnate Word in Rochester, NY. In the last few years it has become especially meaningful especially as I have learned more about this type of musical chant in the last year. All of the wonderful blessings we enjoy as in the Christmas season are "Of the Father's love begotten," because of all that God has done for us by sending our savior, Jesus Christ into the world. I've been pondering several of them the last few days, especially now that we're on vacation and there is time to take a breath. Here are some of those wonderful things for which I'm so thankful: 1. Getting out of Gettysburg before the storm hit. 2. Arriving safely at my daughter's house. 3. Being able to have time with Grace, our granddaughter. 4. Christmas shopping with my daughter, Sarah. 5. Even better...Sarah was so excited about time to shop ...

My semester is done! I finished this morning at 3 AM. Once my Confessions paper was done, all my work was complete. I had 2 classes today and that was it. All exams and papers are done! Yeah! That being said, I can now do some blogging and catch up with other bloggers. Fri. morning we'll leave PA to spend Christmas with my daughter and granddaughter. We'll see friends as well. I've really been looking forward to this trip. That part of the country is home for me and I've been a bit homesick this semester, especially missing my kids. After our time in NY, we'll go to New England to spend time with friends and family there. I'm looking forward to that as well. I'll have a chance to preach at my home church Jan. 3. After the break, there'll be a couple of days before I go for my J-term cultural immersion experience in Appalachia. Four of us will be going to different places, shadowing pastors. We'll be there for 2 weeks/3 Sundays. After that time it wil...

The semester is nearly done. I have two finals, then we're off to be with family for Christmas in Rochester, NY and New Years in RI. When we return in Jan., then I will be spending 2 1/2 weeks (3 Sundays) in Western MD/WV for my Jan. term. Today I supplied at Bender's Lutheran Church in Biglerville, PA, where I have spent the fall semester. The text was Luke 3:7-18 http://bible.oremus.org/?ql=127729731. Most of you know Amity, my husband, Ray’s Seeing Eye dog. She is half-black lab and half-golden retriever. Some of her physical and emotional traits are those of a lab, while others are those of a golden. Now we know she is a cross of only these two breeds, but she often acts as though she has a third breed in her, a pointer. The reason for this is, no matter what Amity is doing, when she’s outside she’s very curious. If she hears a car, sees another dog, or someone she knows, she freezes and stops and looks in the direction of whatever...

It's been a while since I've posted anything. This semester has been a hectic one. Below are some thoughts on baptism from Martin Luther's Large Catechism. The citations refer to the page and paragraph numbers in the Book of Concord. Baptism’s necessity is an issue I have had to struggle with. In Palestine , while working with Muslims who wanted to follow Jesus , the question arose whether one could follow Christ without being baptized. We (who were not Lutheran at that time) concluded that it was not, yet today, I bump up against Luther ’s teaching in the Large Catechism that the corollary to the Great Commission is “whoever rejects baptism rejects God’s Word, faith, and Christ …” (460.31). These adults were not rejecting it, but had not yet understood the need. It was not something we made an issue of. For one’s salvation it may not be essential, but to know the fullness of God in one’s life, to have the daily reassurance of God’s presence, to grow into all God has ...

This past Sunday I preached the following message at Bender's Lutheran Church, the rural church that I've been working in a few hours a week. The holy gospel according to Mark. 38 As he taught, he said, "Beware of the scribes, who like to walk around in long robes, and to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces, 39 and to have the best seats in the synagogues and places of honor at banquets! 40 They devour widows' houses and for the sake of appearance say long prayers. They will receive the greater condemnation." 41 He sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many rich people put in large sums. 42 A poor widow came and put in two small copper coins, which are worth a penny. 43 Then he called his disciples and said to them, "Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. 44 For all of them have contributed out of their ...