Claimed, gathered and sent

Jan from RevGalBlogPals wrote this: There is a dramatic and surprising venue for Spiritual Formation/Sunday School classes at my church: Each week a different person teaches about a "word" that expresses his/her passion or interest. The first week someone spoke about "hospitality" with abundant treats on her mother and grandmother's china arrayed on tables. Other words have been "connectivity," "Trinity," "money," and "dreams." No one knows which person will be teaching until the class convenes. I am teaching this Sunday and plan to talk about " stirrings ." For this Friday Five, please list five words that identify your passions, spirituality, and/or life. Describe as much or as little as you wish. 1. faithfulness --When I get discouraged, all I have to do is look back at God's continual faithfulness throughout my life and the lives of so many. This stirs up within me a desire to be a faithful...

This impressed me today as I read it. God is so faithful through all the days of our lives. At the end of his life, this was Luther's declaration: ON THIS DAY... ...in 1546 Luther died in his birth town of Eisleben. In order that his opponents couldn't say he recanted, Luther was asked this final question: 'Doctor Martin, honored father, do you die in the faith in Christ and in the teachings that you have preached in his name?' Luther's answer and final word was 'Yes.' Old Lutheran May the same be true for each of us. Google Image

I had the privilege of preaching at my internship site, Grace Lutheran Church in Petersburg, WV. The text was the gospel reading Matthew 5:21-37.             Relationships. They can be so wonderfully nurturing, so helpful to get us through difficult times in life. Whether they are friends or family. There are people that I’ve had as friends for years. We don’t see each other often, talk often, and yet when we’re together…we pick up right where we left off. They’re the kind of friends you can laugh and cry with.             I have one long time friend like that. Her name is Pat—she laughed with me and cried with me. When my Mom was dying and I was far away overseas, she visited her in the hospital when I couldn’t. Mom died 3 weeks before I returned to the States. Pat mourned with me. When I struggled with readjusting to life in the States, Pat walked with me. And we still p...

We had a service of Holy Communion yesterday at the Grant County Nursing Home. Pr. Cantu asked me to do the homily and this is what I shared with the residents. Have any of you ever experienced a power failure? You scramble around the house to get the candles, lanterns, and flashlights. It can be pretty scary. In the 1980s, I lived in Bethlehem in the Holy Land. Sometimes the electricity would go out. We didn’t always know how long it would be out for—20 minutes, a couple of hours or even days.  When it is pitch dark, even the smallest bit of flickering light from a candle can have an impact. I can think of numerous times when I cooked by candlelight, ate by candlelight, and did dishes by candlelight. We even read or played board games by candlelight. If enough candles are gathered together, you’d be surprised how much light they can give. Jesus said, “You are the light of the world—like a city on a hilltop that cannot be hidden. 15 No one lights a lamp and then puts it under...

Fellow seminarian Annabelle wrote this. How do you identify with these words? Transformative Moments « A Plethora of Ponderings

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 ...