Prayer for January 4, 2021: Please pray with me. God who pays attention, you watch what goes on. I imagine you do a face palm often as you watch humanity make the same mistakes over and over again, regardless of the time or place. We think we know what...

(Preached this sermon in response to John 1:1-18 and Jeremiah 31:7-14. You can find the full worship service on our church website – www.ststephenlc.org.) Which is more loving?  To acknowledge and deal with difficult and uncomfortable realities in order to arrive at a resolution and have a path forward.  Or to...

Prayer for December 31, 2020: Please pray with me this New Year’s Eve prayer from the Lutheran Book of Prayer – Lord, make me know my end and the measure of my days, that I may know how frail I am. Another year of my pilgrimage has passed. I...

Today is the last day of 2020. You may be cheering for that. Or you may be mourning for all the loss that happened this year. Or maybe both. Be careful though, just because we turn the calendar does not mean that everything stops and something new starts. The...

Prayer for December 30, 2020: Please pray with me. Holy One who offers ways that the world rejects, have mercy on us. We like to claim that we follow you, but I wonder if what we are really doing is voicing an ideal, while rejecting the belief for what...

Why are we so quick as a society to defend the use of violence? To see it as the logical way to resolve issues? To see it as the only way to solve issues? Why do we resort to violence? Whether that is physical or verbal violence. We use...

Prayer for December 29, 2020: Please pray with me. Holy One, we are exposed to many different beliefs. And we are challenged by loyalties that take us in different directions. Give us courage to live into your way – the way that you have taught for centuries. Give us...

There is a stark contrast between what American Civil Religion glorifies and what Christianity glorifies. For those not familiar with what American Civil Religion is, here’s a definition by Britannica.com: “a public profession of faith that aims to inculcate political values and that prescribes dogma, rites, and rituals for citizens of a...

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Christmas has two sides to it. As a pastor, I get to see both of these sides. There is the obvious joy and excitement. There’s the beauty of the lights and decorations. And there are often family and friends to gather with (most years). There’s nostalgia and traditions that...