As we approach the observance of two special Sundays of the Church calendar — Pentecost Sunday and Holy Trinity Sunday — our congregation will be hosting a unique interfaith event that puts into practice the themes of Pentecost Sunday and Holy Trinity Sunday. This event is the product of our growing relationship with our neighbors at Al Huda Mosque here on Edgerton in Greenfield. (more…)
Archive for the ‘Devotional’ Category
Pentecost & Holy Trinity & Sharing Faith
Posted in Devotional, Inter-Faith Relations, Lutheran Church, tagged Bible, Christ, Christ our Lord, Christianity, First Peter 3:15, God the Son, Holy Spirit, Holy Trinity, Holy Wisdom, Interfaith, Irini, Islam, Jesus, Lord Jesus, love your neighbor, Messiah, Muhammad, Peace, Peace of God, Pentecost, Quran, Salam, Shalom, Sharing Faith, Son of God, Trinitarian on April 27, 2013 |
Our Safe Harbor In God
Posted in Devotional, Public Sphere, Inter-Faith Relations, Lutheran Church, tagged Politics, Jesus, Reconciliation, Reconciling in Christ, Christ, Universalism, Christian Faith, Spirituality, The Beatitudes, World Religions, Interfaith, Inter-Faith, Matthew 5:1-12, Revelation 7:9, Christianity, Christian Doctrines, Holy Trinity, Building Bridges, Race, Religion, Gender, Sexuality, Culture, Multicultural, Pluralism, non-Christian, Theology, Inclusivity, Equality, Sea of God, Great Water, Ethnicity, One God of all on April 3, 2013 |
In the final session of our mid-week Lenten series on The Beatitudes of Jesus Our Lord (Matthew 5:1-12), we discussed why the true followers of Christ will be persecuted. And, among other things, one of the primary aspects of the Way of Christ was/is befriending all people of all groups and seeking to bring them together. (more…)
A New Creation Is Everything!
Posted in Devotional, Inter-Faith Relations, Lutheran Church, Public Sphere, tagged Abraham, Apostle Paul, Circumcision, Easter, faith made effective through love, Father Abraham, Galatians, Holy Week, Israel of God, Jesus Christ, Jew and Gentile, Lent, New Age of Christ, New Covenant, New Creation, New Joshua, New Promised Land, New World Order of Jesus, Romans, sacrificial love, Spiritual Israel, Universal Israel, Yeshua on March 2, 2013 |
As we continue in the Season of Lent and approach Holy Week with Easter Sunday as our destination on March 31st, I find myself drawn to the following words of the Apostle Paul from the biblical book of Galatians (more…)
The Throne Of God & Our Life In The World
Posted in Devotional, Inter-Faith Relations, Lutheran Church, Public Sphere, tagged Ash Wednesday, Atonement, death to the self, die to self, ego, egoism, egotism, engage the world, eternal now, God's Grace, Good Works, Holy Baptism, Holy Communion, immanence of God, Lent, life in the world, one with God, oneness, Sacramental, Sacraments, those who lose their life, Throne of God, transcendence of God on January 30, 2013 |
Have you ever watched a large bird high in the sky? Have you ever watched how it stretches wide its wings and floats effortlessly in the air?
Likewise, by the grace of God our (more…)
The Fear Of The Lord In 2013
Posted in Devotional, Inter-Faith Relations, Lutheran Church, Public Sphere, tagged 2013, disaster preparedness, e pluribus unum, Ephesians 2, fear, fear of the Lord, Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, God hates no one, Grand Architect of the Universe, Great Spirit, Holy One, hope for the best, Jesus, Malala Yousufzai, New Year, One Humanity, one ring to rule them all, prepare for the worst, preppers, Proverbs 9:10, Psalm 111:10, the fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom, trust in God, unity in diversity, Wisdom on January 2, 2013 |
There are two good kinds of fear and one bad kind of fear.
The first of the two good kinds of fear is (more…)
December 25th, The Nativity Of Christ Our Lord
Posted in Devotional, Inter-Faith Relations, Lutheran Church, tagged Celtic Cross, Christ, Christian, Christmas, Christmastime, December 25th, Evergreens, Grace, Hebrew, Historical Jesus, Holy Communion, Jesus, Love, Mithra, Nativity, Odin, Pagan, Ra-Horus, Santa Claus, Sirius, Sol, Sol Invictus, Son of God, Spirit, Spirituality, St. Nicholas, Star of Bethlehem, Sun Disk, Virgo, Wild Hunt, Winter Solstice, Yule, Yuletide, Zodiac on November 30, 2012 |
With the advent of the per
sonal computer, people today have access to far more information than they ever had before. Consequently, we are hearing more and more people assert the historical fact that December 25th is not the actual birthday of the historical Jesus. Some highlight this fact merely for historical interest, while others try to use this information in an attempt to stump us and somehow undermine our Christian faith. (more…)
It’s the End of the World as We Know It
Posted in Devotional, Lutheran Church, Public Sphere, tagged Kingdom of God, One God, End of the World, New World Order, 2012, Apocalypse, Mayan Calendar, Doomsday, Eschatology, Day of the Lord, Second Coming, Return of Christ, Global Unification, One World, One Humanity, Christ the King, Reign of God, King of Glory, King of Peace, Prince of Peace, Matthew 5:9, Matthew 25:31-46, Ecclesiastes 3:1-8, Human History, Human Civilization, Left Behind, Isaiah 9:10 Judgment, Global Change, Rapid Change, Global Stability on November 2, 2012 |
There is no doubt that we live in a time of great and world-shattering change: socially, religiously, culturally, nationally, globally, etc. It is indeed the end of the world as we know it. (more…)
Reformation and the Word of God
Posted in Devotional, Lutheran Church, Science & Religion, tagged Bible, Big Wheel, Christ, Christian Faith, ELCA, Faith alone, Good Works, Grace alone, Holy Scripture, Inerrant, Infallible, Inspired, Living Word, Lutheran, Martin Luther, Protestant, Reformation, Universal Love, Universalism, Word alone, Word of God on September 29, 2012 |
On Reformation Sunday, October 28th, we will again commemorate the Protestant Reformation of the Sixteenth Century that brought renewal to the Medieval Church. And the essential principles for the Protestant Reformation, especially for us Lutherans, are (more…)
Death’s Door / Life’s Door
Posted in Devotional, Lutheran Church, Science & Religion, tagged All Things, Chaos, Charity, Compassion, Creation, Creative Being, Creator, Death's Door, Destroyer, Destruction, Door County, Drought, Earthquake, Eternal Life, Eternal Light, Eternal Self, Evolution, Ferryboat, Fire, Gills Rock, Glass Blower, Glory of God, God, God's Grace, Green Bay, Hugo, Jesus, Lake Michigan, Natural Disaster, Order, Process of Creation, Redeemer, Revelation, Rough Seas, Service, Treacherous Currents, Universal Doorway, Universal Soul, Washington Island, Wrath of God on July 27, 2012 |
On our summer vacation last month, my family and I visited Door County, WI. It’s a large and beautiful peninsula jutting out into the great inland sea called Lake Michigan (our world’s 4th largest lake by volume and 5th largest by surface area). And I learned that the name “Door” for Door County comes from the name “Death’s Door,” and it refers to the treacherous currents and sudden rough seas that are common in the large channel of water connecting the great Green Bay with the rest of Lake Michigan. In fact, there are lots of old shipwrecks (more…)
To Have the Servant-Mind of Christ
Posted in Devotional, Inter-Faith Relations, Lutheran Church, Public Sphere, tagged 2012 Olympics, Christ Consciousness, Democrats and Republicans, Ecclesiastes 3, Followers of Christ, Independence Day, Jesus Christ, One Nation Under God, Philippians 2, political polarization, Politics, Presidential election, Psychology of the Cross, recall election, Servant Mind, Shared Sacrifice, United States of America, US Constitution, US Flag on May 31, 2012 |
Before arriving in Wisconsin almost ten months ago, I knew that our nation was politically polarized in a way that I have not seen in my adult lifetime. And, before moving here, little did I realize that our beautiful State of Wisconsin was such a hotspot for this polarization. In fact, soon after our arrival, I noticed folks trying to figure out whether I was politically an “us” or a “them.” (more…)
