Should we accept limitations on our rights? Should there be limitations on some rights and not on others? What is the extent of such limitations? These are the fundamental questions that haven’t been specifically voiced, but are the actual questions. These are the questions that rise up every time...

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(I preached this sermon on Easter Sunday in response to Mark 16:1-8. You can find the full sermon and service at www.ststephenlc.org.) I want you to think of a movie or a TV series that you have seen.  One where the ending just kind of leaves you unsatisfied.  A movie or...

Prayer for April 2, 2021: Please pray with me. God who brings goodness out of evil, on this day, we remember the violence that Jesus suffered – mocking, shame, taunts, beatings, abandonment, the ripping of his skin, exhaustion, nakedness, crucifixion. All those present throughout this day thought they were...

It’s Good Friday. It’s the day Christians remember Jesus’ sham trial, beating, abuse, crucifixion, and death. Violence is on full display on this day. Violence looks like it has won on this day. Jesus suffers a violent death. He suffered violence in the form of words and physical acts....

Prayer for April 1, 2021: Please pray with me. Servant God, you flip the script. We have this sense that the one at the top needs to be served. Yet, you show over and over that you self-empty yourself and serve in a loving manner. You give us the...

Want to know why the church is in decline in the US? There isn’t a nice single reason. The decline has been going on for decades though. A changing culture? The fact that the church doesn’t have its privileged place in the culture anymore and it has had difficulty...

Prayer for March 30, 2021: Please pray with me. God of deep reflection, during this Holy Week, you invite us to walk with Jesus and reflect on so much. Each day, he takes us somewhere new. We observe the events of the week. We see what happens. We hear...

Holy Week is my favorite week of the church year. It’s a week that engages us in deep ways – if we respond to the invitation. It’s also a week that is easy for many people to just skip over and treat like any other week. That’s their loss...

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