by Liesl Spitz | Jul 8, 2023 | Devotions
As we read through the Gospel of Matthew this summer and hear words from Jesus that are often harsh, it’s helpful to remember what’s at stake for Jesus. Jesus is speaking to those in privilege within his own faith community whose hardness of heart makes God’s word...
by Hans Jorgensen | Jun 23, 2023 | Devotions
Paul wrote to the people in Rome about the mystery of baptism in Romans 6. Paul said that in baptism we are joined to Christ in death so we may be raised to walk in newness of life. Each day, Martin Luther counseled, we can be renewed as we wake by remembering our...
by Hans Jorgensen | Jun 15, 2023 | Devotions
In the gospel of Matthew, as we will hear on Sunday, Jesus sees how the crowds were “harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.” So Jesus chooses 12 from among the disciples to be “apostles,” or ones sent out. To bring healing. To bring teaching and...
by Hans Jorgensen | Jun 8, 2023 | Devotions
Jesus had a way of upsetting people, especially those who preferred a secure sense of order. In the gospel reading from Matthew 9 that we will hear on Sunday, Jesus calls a tax collector named Matthew. Why not someone more admirable or moral than that? Jesus brought...
by Hans Jorgensen | Jun 1, 2023 | Devotions
When we look at the heavens, we see stars that are light-years distant from us. When we study the intricacies of leaves, we learn of photosynthesis that sustains life. When we listen to children, we hear life’s movement in real time. Each of these offers a chance to...
by Liesl Spitz | May 25, 2023 | Devotions
Whenever I read the Pentecost story in Acts, I am transported back to 2020 and what it was like to be church in those first months of the pandemic. A number of congregants had graciously said “yes” when we asked you to share in different languages for our Acts reading...
