by Liesl Spitz | Nov 18, 2022 | Devotions
On this last Sunday of the church year, we mark the Reign of Christ, in a time when our own country and others around the world roil in power struggles over democracy versus authoritarianism. Questions of power are front and center— who has power in our world, and...
by Liesl Spitz | Nov 10, 2022 | Devotions
Let the rivers clap their hands, and let the hills ring out with joy before the LORD, who comes to judge the earth. Psalm 98 “Let the rivers clap their hands, and let the hills ring out with joy before the LORD, who comes to judge the earth…” Psalm 98What is your...
by Liesl Spitz | Nov 4, 2022 | Devotions
What does Halloween evoke for you? Do you love creepy movies and costumes, or are you in it for the treats? Although I myself am not a big Halloween fan, advertising and storefronts remind me that my generation and younger love Halloween more than any other holiday....
by Hans Jorgensen | Oct 27, 2022 | Devotions
We celebrate Reformation Sunday this week, and so we get to hear the promise that “since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, they are now justified by God’s grace as a gift” (Romans 3). This is a gift that brings me much joy! When I look at my mistakes...
by Hans Jorgensen | Oct 21, 2022 | Devotions
Every time I think I’m “getting it” about Jesus, I hear a parable like the one from Luke 18 that we’ll hear on Sunday. Two men go to pray — one is a righteous person, and the other is a tax collector, someone that others looked down on. Yet Jesus says the righteous...
by Hans Jorgensen | Oct 14, 2022 | Devotions
Prayer changes things. I believe that, and especially that prayer changes me as I pray. When we hear from Genesis 32 this Sunday about Jacob wrestling with “a man” at the river Jabbok, I think about prayer. Praying with God can seem mundane and ordinary, but it can...
by Hans Jorgensen | Oct 6, 2022 | Devotions
This week we’ll hear a scripture passage that just about got Jesus killed. In Luke 4, Jesus told the crowd “there were many lepers in Israel at the time of the prophet Elisha, but none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.” People got mad at Jesus for showing...
by Hans Jorgensen | Sep 30, 2022 | Devotions
In one of our readings for this Sunday from 2 Timothy 1:5, the letter addressed from Paul to Timothy says, “I am reminded of your faith, a faith that first lived in your grandmother Lois and your mother Eunice, and now lives in you.” There are some remarkable bits...
by Hans Jorgensen | Sep 2, 2022 | Devotions
In Luke 14, Jesus talks about the cost of discipleship. Jesus knows that his own life will include opposition from powerful forces and hard decisions. For us to strive to live as disciples of Jesus likewise means that there will be costs. We don’t have to be Christs,...
by Hans Jorgensen | Aug 26, 2022 | Devotions
In Luke 14, Jesus goes to a dinner event where other guests are jockeying for position. Jesus heals a diseased man there, which creates a stir. Jesus notices how people observe a pecking order — some get positions of honor at the table while others are relegated to...
