Claimed, gathered and sent

This past Sunday, I led worship and preached at Zion Lutheran Church, Baker, WV. The text I used is 1 Corinthians 1:18-31.             Earlier this week, I was at a synod continuing education conference at Deep Creek. It was good to see everyone and to make new acquaintances and the educational presentations were great. Then we had our closing service with holy communion Tues. afternoon. This is something I always enjoy. The service we used was different. It was from the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity that had been used by the churches in Jerusalem. That has a very meaningful connection for me. I served as a missionary in nearby Bethlehem for 6 ½ years in the 1980s. I worshipped at the Lutheran Church of the Redeemer in Jerusalem. I know how meaningful the fellowship is between the churches. Before I knew it, the tears were flowing. I am still connected as part of the body of Christ to those people and that place. It is a tim...

On Sat., Jan 22, I had the privilege of preaching at one of the services we had for the Week of Prayer for Christian Unity. This followed right on the heels of returning from the conference in Atlanta. We met at the Memorial Church of the Brethren in Petersburg. The text was Romans 6:3-11. This is the message I shared:             Some of you may not know me. I’m the vicar or intern at Grace Lutheran Church with Pr. Larry Cantu. I am Lutheran, but am a bit of a denominational mutt. I was raised Roman Catholic, became a Catholic charismatic, and then became a non-denominational charismatic, then a Southern Baptist charismatic, and finally, a Lutheran. I’ve lived in New York, Palestine, Rhode Island, and Pennsylvania, seen Christians of different persuasions work well together and not so well.             This year, it has been a privilege to be involved in the community of ...

There have been so many throughout my life and I am grateful. A Place for Prayer: A Blessing for Friends

I spent last week at a conference in Atlanta entitled, Summit for Leadership and Evangelical Justice. I just got back home to Petersburg late Thursday night. And I'm still processing all the information and thoughts and feelings I encountered at the Summit for Leadership and Evangelical Justice.  Sunday afternoon, we worshiped together with members of the Southeastern Synod in a gorgeous church in downtown Atlanta, GA, Lutheran Church of the Redeemer . The worship and remembrance of Martin Luther King, Jr. was tremendous. Following that was a meeting with Rep. John Lewis , the congressman from the 5th district, which includes downtown Atlanta. Rep. Lewis told us his story, taking us back to his involvement with the Civil Rights Movement and Dr. King. The session concluded with questions. One little boy went up to Rep. Lewis and asked him if it hurt when he was beaten during various encounters with authorities during the era of the Jim Crow laws. As Rep. Lewis spoke to the boy...

Who am I? What is my purpose in life? Why was I born? These are age-old questions that most of us have entertained at one time or another. Identity is something many of us may have struggled with. We may look for it in our work, in our position in our family, in how well we’ve done financially, how well others accept us. Who am I? Identity is an issue that comes out in today’s gospel reading as well.             John knew who Jesus was, didn’t he? Earlier in this chapter of Matthew’s gospel, John proclaimed the difference between his baptism and the one which was to come, which the messiah would bring. Then Jesus arrives on the scene to be baptized. In baptism, normally it was the greater who baptized the lesser. This is why John tried to prevent Jesus from being baptized by him stating that rather Jesus should baptize him! John knew who he was and thought he knew who Jesus was, so why should John baptize Jesus?   ...

Well, I thought I had just the direction I needed for this Sunday's sermon for the Baptism of Our Lord...it even include alliteration, which I love, but not the above alliteration. It would have been titled, "Vision, Voice, Vocation." I had it all worked out. At Jesus' baptism, there was the vision of the Holy Spirit coming down like a dove, Jesus' heard the Father's voice , and Jesus was thereby commissioned for his vocation. Then I looked at the passage some more and tried to write this sermon and it just wouldn't work. Apparently God had something else in mind. So, now it's time for a new direction. As I've studied and prayed, I keep thinking of the theme to CSI (which I don't watch), the Who's song, "Who Are You?"   The other song I think of is Diana Ross' "Do You Know?" For Jesus and for us, it all comes down to baptismal identity--who we are and whose we are. Because of who we are through baptism, children...

This is today's passage from the ELCA Daily Bible Reading.   1/7/2011 Ephesians 3:14-21 (NRSV) Knowing the love of Christ For this reason I bow my knees before the Father, from whom every family in heaven and on earth takes its name. I pray that, according to the riches of his glory, he may grant that you may be strengthened in your inner being with power through his Spirit, and that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith, as you are being rooted and grounded in love. I pray that you may have the power to comprehend, with all the saints, what is the breadth and length and height and depth, and to know the love of Christ that surpasses knowledge, so that you may be filled with all the fullness of God. Now to him who by the power at work within us is able to accomplish abundantly far more than all we can ask or imagine, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus to all generations, forever and ever. Amen.