The Noise of It All This passage is noisy. Look at it again; The Sabbath is rarely quiet as we all gather and enter our place of worship. Jesus was teaching, and suddenly a man is crying out (the literal translation is squawking like a loud bird). After that we have rebuking, convulsing, and more…

Baptism of Our Lord Year A January 14, 2018 Hope Lutheran Church   In the beginning was Good The spirit moved over the waters of creation- already doing her work in the world. As the Father crafted and created, she danced and inspired- even as the Holy Spirit does for us today. And the Word…

Some days are hard days. The Holidays and the drama of family and expectations notwithstanding, you know the ones I am speaking of. The ones where you want to put on your most comfortable pajamas and crawl into a warm soft bed to hide. It feels safe there. And the world can be a hard…

Any time of the year is a hard time to be homeless. Any time of year is hard to be a traveler. But doesn’t it seem that the idea of being homeless or a traveler during Christmas is a little harder to swallow? Shouldn’t everyone be home for Christmas? Shouldn’t everyone have a home for…

Luke 1:26-38 Fear Not. Yeah. Famous last words that God’s messengers always seem to start with just before they announce a huge disruption. With these words it seems the world has just been upended for the listener. And here is young Mary who is troubled by the obvious sales pitch coming from the angel Gabriel…

We made it to week three! More than half way through our journey of Advent. The readings and season seem full of shadows and reminders of how difficult everything is. From John calling us all vipers to fewer hours of sunlight, the illumination of hope can sometimes seem dim. And when times are tough we…