Text: Psalm 98: 7-9, Luke 15:3-6, 8-9, 11-13, 20, 24, 28, 31 Every year, our congregation has a charge conference. It is our annual meeting to elect leadership, set goals for the future, care for those called into ministry, and more. And it’s happening in just one week! Next Sunday, November 1, we will have…
Kenotic Words
worship, sermons, lectionary
Symphony of Creation
Text: Psalm 98:4-6, Genesis 1-2, selected verses Make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth; Break forth into joyous song and sing praises. Can you hear the earth, the planet, the creation beneath and around us is bursting forth in song? Do you hear the praise in the rustle of the wind in…
Singing in the Valley
Text: Psalm 23 and Psalm 98:1-3 In May of this year, my family gathered in northwest Iowa to bury my grandpa. I stood in front of those loved ones and recited those familiar words of the twenty-third Psalm. The Lord is my shepherd… You know, we imagined that this was a temporary act of closure……
Who Is At the Table
Text: Philemon 1:1-17 On Monday night, our Administrative Council gathered to talk about how we are doing as a church and what we wanted to focus on next year. One of the questions before us was: How has Covid-19 impacted your ministry? Of course there were the obvious things… we’re worshipping online, we’ve adapted to…
The Real Housewives
Text: Romans 16:1-16 Last week we explored the nuts and bolts of what a house church was, how it functioned, and who was part of it. One of the things I lifted up is that while occasionally they would have had traveling preachers and apostles come visit, for the most part, these communities spent time…
Nuts and Bolts
Text: 1 Corinthians 16:15-21 The first thing I want to say is a thank you to Maggie who read our scripture this morning. She had a really boring passage of scripture with a lot of hard names that we almost NEVER read. And she did an awesome job. You know, we almost never read the…
Day by Day
Text: Acts 2:42-47 Friday night is game night at my house. For years it has been an event where friends and family gather, surrounded by food and laughter and love. Everyone brings something to the table… even if it is just a story or a giggle or themselves. One of the things that usually happens,…
Laboring for God
Well, friends, we made it. We made it to the final stop on our Summer Road Trip through the national parks and monuments. And today, we actually aren’t too far from home in St. Louis, Missouri at the Gateway Arch National Park. Today on Labor Day Sunday, I chose this location because Gateway Arch National…