(This is the sermon I preached yesterday, Sunday, December 13, 2020. You can see the entire service from our website – www.ststephenlc.org.) What’s the purpose of the church?  Have you ever considered that question?  Maybe that doesn’t seem like a 3rd week of Advent type of question.  I mean, we’re all focused on...

Prayer for December 11, 2020: Please pray with me. God of vision, you are amazing. You gift us with opportunities to go all in on your vision. We get scared of that Lord. Although it is puzzling as to why. We claim you are all in all, yet we...

I’m a part of a few clergy groups on social networking sites. They exist as a much needed resource and a place for clergy to speak plainly with each other. Some folks offer humor. Some tell stories of awesome things that happen in their congregations and how they saw...

Prayer for December 10, 2020: Please pray with me. God of light, you overcome the darkness. Your light lets us see clearly what and who is around us. Your light opens our eyes to see actions and how people are treated. You shed light on systems and beliefs and...

We recently got Hulu. My wife and I like The Handmaid’s Tale, which is on Hulu and we’re waiting for the new season to come out. In the mean time, I scanned what was offered and found that Hulu has the James Bond collection. That was an exciting find...

Music from Bensound.com...

Prayer for December 8, 2020: Please pray with me. God whose image we bear, what an awesome privilege that is. We are your creation. We are broken. And yet, you bless us as your image bearers. We don’t live up to that very well though. Often we have distorted...

Advent offers us a different way to see the world and each other. Advent isn’t so much about preparing for Christmas, as it is preparing for Jesus. That might sound nuanced, but it’s not really. Yes, Christmas is technically about the birth of Jesus, but in our culture, Jesus...

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Prayer for December 7, 2020: Please pray with me. God who journeys, God who travels, be our guide in life. You prepare a way in the wilderness. The way is not for us, but for you. We are in the wilderness in many ways Lord. And we think that...