Musings about Faith

Jesus went throughout the Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the Good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people. St. Matthew 4:23 “Extra, Extra, Hear all about it!!!” Such was the proclamation of the newsboys back maybe a century ago. Of course their “news” was a mixture of good and bad news from around the community, the state and the world. We too have something to proclaim, but for us Christians it is Good News – the Good News of Jesus Christ, crucified and risen again. Last month I began a series of reflections on the name of our congregation. While we usually refer to our community as “Peace Lutheran Church,” the official name is: “The United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Peace.” Last month I wrote a few words reflecting on “Peace.” (You can read this reflection on my blog if you missed it – see below for the URL). This month I want to take a couple moments and write about the word “Evangelical.” What come...

What follows is my "inaugural sermon" preached this weekend at Peace Lutheran Church during regular services. My installation followed Sunday afternoon Winning The Prize - Mark 10:35-45 - Pentecost 20B Giovanni Francesco di Bernardone grew up in the Italian town of Assisi during the 12th century. His father was a wealthy cloth merchant who had been very successful. Francesco, as his father called him, lived a privileged life as a child and a young man. His youth was given over to drinking and street brawls and the love of pleasure. Always looking for adventure he enlisted in the army of the Count of Brienne and during this experience of war and imprisonment something happened to Francis. When he returned to Assisi discouraged, and ill with fever, he was changed. He began to pray and study, he went on pilgrimage and began to have visions. His father was furious and finally dragged Francis before the bishop where Francis then returned everything to his father – includ...

Mark 10:2-16 Some Pharisees came, and to test him they asked, "Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife?" He answered them, "What did Moses command you?" They said, "Moses allowed a man to write a certificate of dismissal and to divorce her." But Jesus said to them, "Because of your hardness of heart he wrote this commandment for you. But from the beginning of creation, "God made them male and female.' "For this reason a man shall leave his father and mother and be joined to his wife, and the two shall become one flesh.' So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate." Then in the house the disciples asked him again about this matter. He said to them, "Whoever divorces his wife and marries another commits adultery against her; and if she divorces her husband and marries another, she commits adultery." People were bringing little children to him in order that h...

And the Peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:7 The inscription on the cornerstone of this church reads that the church was established in1896, and that the church was built in 1935. And the name of the established church was Evangelisch Lutherische Friedens Kirche – The Evangelical Lutheran Church of Peace. Somewhere along the line the word “United” was added so the congregation we lovingly call “Peace Lutheran Church” has a long official name: The United Evangelical Lutheran Church of Peace. I would like to reflect a bit on this name over the next few newsletter articles and I am going to start with the word “Peace.” In our culture this word peace has the strong connotation of the absence of conflict. I suspect that our forebears who built this church in 1935 may have had this definition in mind at least somewhat considering that one great war had just concluded and in 1935 the world was moving quick...