Category: Pastor’s Blog
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A Revelation New Year
And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “See, the home of God is among mortals. He will dwell with them; they will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them; he will wipe every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; mourning and crying and pain will be no more,…
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Pastor Explains – Why are the Christmas Decorations Still Up?
So as I write this post, I am preparing for Christmas. I have let our maintenance crew, as well as the congregation, know that we will not be taking down Christmas decorations until January 12th. So my hope is, that when this post goes live a few days after Christmas, the decorations are in fact…
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Sing for Joy and for Sadness
O sing to the Lord a new song; sing to the Lord, all the earth. ~Psalm 96:1 One of my favorite things about this season is the music. During the month before Christmas we sing songs that point to the coming of our Lord at Christmas, we hear Christmas and holiday songs on the radio, it…
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Advent 3 – Looking for Joy
Then the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf unstopped; then the lame shall leap like a deer, and the tongue of the speechless sing for joy. ~Isaiah 35:5-6 When I was younger I never thought much about the wreath filled with candles we light each week during Advent.…
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Advent! What’s with all the blue?
This last Sunday was the first Sunday of Advent – the season leading up to the celebration of Christmas. And it’s always funny to me, because as my hair changes with the banners and the stoles, inevitably someone asks me – “Wait, shouldn’t it be purple for Advent?”
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An Opportunity to Share – A Sermon on Luke 21:5-19
Last week Dave Foslien and I attended the first of six retreats for congregations looking towards renewal, these conferences are hosted by our synod, and are aimed at helping congregations work towards growth, diversity, and engaging in God’s work in our communities. Our synod is just beginning this process with 13 congregations, and they are…
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My Thanks-giving
O give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; for his steadfast love endures forever. ~Psalm 107:1 This week we celebrate Thanksgiving, we gather together in families and friend groups to break bread, to laugh, to share a meal, and to give thanks. This year I have so much to be thankful for.
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Do Not Be Weary
Brothers and sisters, do not be weary in doing what is right. ~ 2 Thessalonians 3:13 As I’m writing this post, it is six more days until November 8th. I don’t know what has happened yet, but when reading the text for this Sunday, all I could think about was my own weariness with this…
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Daniel, Lectionary, and Hope
In the first year of King Belshazzar of Babylon, Daniel had a dream and visions of his head as he lay in bed. Then he wrote down the dream ~ Daniel 7:1 Each week, Bethany, like many churches, uses the Revised Common Lectionary in order to choose the readings for Sunday Worship. This calendar of…