Blog on Hiatus

The blog will go on hiatus for the holiday.  There will be no devotions posted from December 20, 2009 to January 4, 2010.  Your pastors wish you a very blessed Christmas and New Years.
The schedule for our worship times this season are listed in the page entitled, “Christmas Worship 2009.”  See the tab at the [...]

Relocated

In the story that is assigned for this final Sunday in Advent, December 20, 2009, we hear of a holy meeting between two pregnant women, Elizabeth and Mary.  The artwork above cleverly depicts their bond, which is not just familial, but emotional…and maybe we could also say spiritual.
We will explore these themes more fully on [...]

He Will

The first lesson for Sunday, December 13, 2009 is from a rather obscure prophet:  Zephaniah. 
The images presented in this passage are not your typical prophetic passages of repentance.  In Zephaniah, we read things like, “he will rejoice over you with gladness, he will renew you in his love; he will exult over you with loud [...]

Foresight

Q:  What color is the sky right before dawn? 
A:  Blue.
If you were sitting in church pew 50 years ago at this time of year, Sundays in Advent used purple paraments.  In recent decades, there has been a reorientation of Advent.  Seeing it as less of a mini-Lenten season, more as a gifted season in and [...]

Back and Forth

The Gospel reading for Christ the King Sunday, November 22, 2009 can be viewed here.

Jesus in on trial before Pilate in the 18th chapter of John.  But as you read even these few verses (or if you’re ambitious and check out the entire chapter!) you will grasp the amount of vacillation, in every way.
Physically, Pilate [...]

Advent Conspiracy Added to Blogroll

Advent begins on Sunday, November 29th, 2009. 
This may get you in the holiday spirit.  It’s in the blogroll too, so if you want, you can show it to family & friends.  www.adventconspiracy.org 
Click on the upper right in the website to view the promotional video.
Hoping your season will be filled with the joy of giving.

Large Stones

In 2001 when I traveled to the temple ruins in Jerusalem (often known as the Wailing Wall, sometimes known as the Western Wall), I immediately noticed three things.
1.  The guns pointed at me.  Israeli soldiers take security very seriously.  You just keep moving through security lines and pray you don’t set off any alarms.  (Ironically, I [...]

Life-Giving

A devotion based on 1 Kings 17:8-16 for Sunday, November 8, 2009 
by Spiritual Care Minister Barbara A. Peterson

“Would you bring me a little water … a piece of bread?”
The audacity of Elijah to ask a poor widow, destined to die of starvation, for a little water and a small cake of bread. Asking the poorest [...]

Opposition

As I read headlines about our ELCA and some of the reactions to our churchwide assembly votes, it has caused me to reflect on who we are as communities of faith, and to what degree we need to be in agreement to move forward with the mission of Christ.  Also, I am looking to my [...]

Are We Serious?

This devotion was written with the Gospel reading for this Sunday, October 18, 2009 in mind: Mark 10:35-45, which can be found here.
A couple of weeks ago a group of ELCA Lutherans met in Indiana to discuss their reactions to the church assembly decisions about rostered leaders in same-sex relationships. They call themselves [...]