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Sunday @ 8:00am & 10:30am
For the next few weeks, until Ash Wednesday, the Church celebrates the season of Epiphany. The season of Epiphany has a lot to do with teaching us that Jesus is God. For this reason the Gospel lessons on Sundays feature many miracles of Jesus. We hear of Jesus turning water into wine, healing the sick, casting out demons, and much more. ...
What are you waiting for? This is a question I’ve been known to exclaim occasionally when I’m behind a car at a stoplight that has turned green without them moving. Sometimes it is at an intersection when I’m waiting for the car in front of me to turn right. What are you waiting for? If you’re a parent, maybe you’ve found yourself shouting this at your kids when you’ve been trying to get them to do something and they’re still just sitting around. What are you waiting for? Usually it is a phrase borne out of frustration. But it doesn’t need to be. Have you ever stopped to ask yourself that question? What are you waiting for?...
Anyone is capable of being thankful. However, Christians are uniquely able to understand the true source of their thankfulness and to give thanks in the fullest way. This is because Christians recognize that God is the true source of all thanksgiving, for it is from the hand of God that we were created and redeemed, and it is from the hand of God that we are today continually preserved and sanctified. ...
As I’m writing this, the news is still unfolding, but hopefully, when you are reading this, more details will be known. I’m talking about the tragic death of Pastor Al Henderson, the Senior Pastor of St. Paul Lutheran Church in Fort Dodge. He was killed on Wednesday night, October 2nd, outside his church in an alleged robbery....
So whose job is it? Whose job is it to teach our children the Christian faith? Parents, it's very easy for you to assume that this is the job of the Sunday School teachers. You send your kids to school to learn how to be good citizens; therefore you send your kids to Sunday school to learn how to be good Christians. Simple enough....
Before I became a pastor, I was a college administrator. Before serving in that role, I had spent around twenty years in school between kindergarten and the end of graduate school. Now that I’m a pastor, all of our new programs and activities kick off in August and September. I tell you this to say that for as long as I can remember I’ve always felt like August seemed like the beginning of a new year more than January did....
This summer my family vacationed at the Rocky Mountains of Colorado. The cabin in which we stayed for several days of the trip was near the top of a mountain. The view of the surrounding mountain tops was stunning. We observed the sun reflecting off the snow covered peaks in the morning, beautiful shades of orange and pink descending on the rocks as the sun set, and clouds forming in the afternoon sky seemingly close enough to reach out and touch. The beauty of the Rocky Mountains evokes a strong emotional response, even among the more emotionally reserved among us such as me....
Summer is upon us! Now we might not always know that by the weather we’ve been experiencing. In fact, I’m not sure exactly what to call the season that we’ve been living in, but according to the calendar, summer officially arrived on June 21st. In reality, I know that summer starts at different times for different people. Some count Memorial Day weekend as the start of summer. Others consider summer to start when school ends and the kids are home for summer break...
Have you ever noticed that the things that are good for us are hard? They take work. Take school, for example, you can slide through school by just doing the bare minimum. You can get passing grades and graduate without really mastering any material. However, if you really want to learn the material it is going to take more work. You need to read the books, complete the exercises, and do the projects. When you finish this, you have to do it all over again. Repetition and experience lead to learning. ...
On Holy Monday just before Easter one of the most beautiful and beloved church buildings on earth, Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris, caught fire and was severely damaged. Spires, woodwork, masonry, and priceless artwork of a nearly nine-hundred year old cathedral are now a pile of ash. That Monday morning groups of Christians gathered all throughout Paris to observe their church being swallowed up by the flames. As they watched they did what was most natural for any gathering of Christians to do. They sang hymns and prayed and praised God for His eternal love and mercy. ...
There is a reason songs like “I’ll Be Home for Christmas” and “There’s No Place Like Home for the Holidays” are Christmas classics. These songs put to music a desire common to us all. Even in our mixed up and individualistic culture, we all know deep down that being a part of a family is a universally good thing. ...
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Perhaps you didn’t know this about your pastor, but I hate winter. I don’t really mind the cold, and I kind of like the snow. It’s the darkness of winter that gets me down. This isn’t uncommon, though. Most people are affected by darkness to one degree or another. Between one and ten percent of Americans become so depressed during the dark winter months that t...
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Wow! What a few months we’ve had in our country huh? It seems like every election cycle is lasting longer and longer. Everywhere we’ve turned for the last yeast has seemed to have something to do with politics and the election. We finally got to Election Day and maybe you were thankful with the way the elections turned out. Or maybe you’re like a number of people...
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Christ, cross, blood, justification, grace, faith. This is the answer to sin and hell. That is, this is God’s answer to sin and hell. You have forgiveness, life, and salvation through faith: by trusting that Jesus died for your sins on the cross and rose again to open eternal life for you. This gospel message became Luther’s greatest joy, as it is the greatest joy of...
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I’m a news junkie. I like watching and reading the news and know what is going on in our town, across our state, the country and the world. It is interesting to know what is going on and to be aware of current events. Last week I saw a clip of an interview that was rather intriguing. This interview was given by Rudy Giuliani, former mayor of New York City, and who...
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Rest is a necessary part of God’s ordered creation. Rest has been written into the rhythm of life since the world first began. We all know rest is necessary in this life because if we get too busy and do not slow down, life eventually catches up with us. You simply cannot rebel against the rhythm of the day. The sun comes up and the sun goes down. We awake to serve ...
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Last week I was thinking about how much information we have access to today that wasn’t accessible 10-20 years ago. When I pull my iPhone out of my pocket there is very little that I can’t find. I have instant access to news, sports scores, and weather forecasts. I can shop and have packages delivered to my house. I can download books, podcasts, and movies. ...
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The month of May is the month of graduations. Graduation day is a big deal. It’s a big deal for the students who worked hard to complete their classwork and pass their tests. It’s a big deal for parents and grandparents who are proud of their child’s accomplishments. Graduation day is a day for celebration, but it can also be a time for personal reflection ...
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A very natural inclination for people is to seek out comfort in this life. We gravitate towards a desire for physical, material, or relational comfort. We are always consciously moving towards making our lives more comfortable. This is why we choose the most comfortable chair to sit in, or the best fitting pair of shoes. This is why we work so hard to save money and...
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It is the greatest week of the year. I know it might not seem like it since we can’t seem to shake winter even though the calendar has turned to spring, but trust me, it is the greatest week of the year. What makes it so great? Well, in the church we call it “Holy Week” and it is the time that Christians around the world remember the culmination of God...
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