“Rejoice always,” begins the reading from 1 Thessalonians. Isaiah and the psalmist make clear that God is turning our mourning into laughter and shouts of joy. “All God’s children got a robe,” go the words of a spiritual. It is not so much a stately, formal, pressed outfit as it is a set of party…
On this final Sunday of the church year our gospel is Jesus’ great story of judgment. In the end, the faithful are those who served Christ by ministering to those who are poor, hungry, naked, sick, or estranged. In the first reading God is the shepherd who seeks the lost, weak, and injured and feeds…
Here in November, our hearts turn to the season of Thanksgiving. In spite of the world’s challenges, we do have much to be thankful for! Above all… our amazing God of love who, through our journey with Jesus, takes every next step to grow hope in our hearts and give us a peace the world…
On this weekend of Reformation Sunday, we remember how Martin Luther took bold steps 506 years ago to the cathedral door in Wittenberg, Germany– to post 95 theses that would eventually call the church and world back to the truth of faith that we are saved by God’s grace alone! On Sunday, we witness 6…
Jesus’ parable about two sons who don’t do what they say reveals surprises in the reign of God. In the reading from Ezekiel the people claim the ways of the Lord are unfair, while God offers repentance and new life. Paul urges us to look to Christ as a model of humility, putting the interests…
In today’s second reading Paul questions why we judge one another, since we all stand before the judgment of God. Yet we do sin against one another, and Jesus’ challenge that we forgive seventy-seven times reveals God’s boundless mercy. When we hear the words of forgiveness in worship and sign ourselves with the cross, we…
As we enjoy some beautiful weather to kickoff Labor Day weekend, we hold in prayer all affected by this week’s hurricane, as well as those who continue to recover from Hawaii fires and other disasters. In addition to our prayers, September kicks off our LS Disaster Response. Coins & dollars can be placed in the…
We are all excited about this coming Sunday, with our big Rally Day Faith Formation Kickoff for the whole congregation. So that we can all worship together, we have one Unity Worship Service at 10:30 with our “Journey with Jesus” theme, concluding with our annual congregation photo & big congregation lunch in the fellowship hall.…
On Sunday, we hear how the Lord came to the prophet Elijah in moments of silence, when he was facing a troubled time. In the midst of everything happening in our lives & in the world, may we too find blessing this weekend in moments of calm, with the Lord coming to bring strength &…
In another hot week, we continue to hold in prayer all those affected by the summer weather, and offer special prayers for those traveling and concluding summer excursions. Please also pray for educators and students, with school around the corner. Our youth have been such a summer inspiration, with GraceWorks, Mission Trip, Campfirmation, VBS, and…