Your Faith Journey

All of us are on a journey of faith in our lives. At Faith Lutheran in Okemos, Michigan we bring people one a journey of faith each week and share that journey with the world.

Sermon - 1-5-25 01/05/2025

Sermon - 1-5-25 We have begun another new year, 2025. It usually takes a little while to remember this when writing the date. Some people set resolutions or goals for the year. This may help us to decide where our focus will be. Our country will be looking and run differently. There are many different views on whether it will be good or bad, healthy or unhealthy. I’m not sure how much control we have over it one way or the other. For me the bottom line is where will our focus be and whom will we trust. Today we begin a new season, Epiphany. Epiphany means manifestation. Where we place our focus and whom we trust has everything to do with how we represent or manifest Jesus in our world. God has a plan of how God wants to be represented. In our lessons today, we see contrasts and descriptions of this. Folklore has us thinking that there were three kings. In reality they were Magi or also called Wise Men, and it doesn’t really say that there were three. The Magi or Wise Men originated in Persia. They were followers of Zoroastrianism, a system of belief that was a precursor to Islam. There were most likely women in this group also. But Matthew sticks with the patriarchal context. We could easily question God how people not of the Jewish faith could be used in God’s plan. But that would be our way of thinking and not God’s. This is one thing to remember for the new year that God doesn’t follow our plans. In the Zoroastrianism religion, the primary prophet was conceived by a 15 year old Persian virgin. He predicted that other virgins would conceive additional divinely appointed prophets. They were waiting for the birth of a true Savior also, just as the Jews were. The Magi had heard of the birth of Jesus and went to Jerusalem to find out where this baby was. King Herod became frightened that this baby would be the Messiah that the Jews had been talking about and he did not want to lose the power and control that he had. He called together all of the chief priests and scribes and basically asked them, where do you think this baby that could be the Messiah, was born. They went back to the prophecy that said the baby would be born in Bethlehem of Judea. Herod called the Wise Men and learned from them the exact time when the star had appeared. He sent them to Bethlehem to find the baby and then let him know so that he could go and visit the baby. A frightened leader is not to be trusted. The wise men followed the star and found Jesus in Bethlehem. They arrived and were overwhelmed with joy. Upon entering the stable they knelt down to give Jesus the gifts that they had brought. Consider this, leaders in their religion kneeling in reverence before a baby and acknowledging Jesus as the king of the Jews. This title was not used again until the passion story. God was using unexpected Gentiles to identify who Jesus was. I can remember other times in Jesus’ time on earth where he was identified for who he really was, such as the demons. Again, not what we would expect. God in Jesus Christ has plans that often do not match up with ours. This is where trust enters in. Whose plan are we going to follow, ours or God’s? The Wise Men heard in a dream not to return to Herod, and they left for their country by another road. They weighed out whether they needed to in a sense collude with Herod or bypass him. They may have sensed that he was a frightened man and not to be trusted. This also contrasts the two kingdoms, Herod’s and Jesus’. Herod’s was one of power and control over others creating an atmosphere of hostility created by his insecurity. He used whatever method he could think of to keep himself in power. But what might have he sensed in a baby that would threaten him and his power and control? Jesus’ kingdom represented one of peace and love. A kingdom that was called to love neighbor. Neighbor meaning all people. The fact that God used people from Persia who were not even of the Jewish faith helps us realize that neighbor includes all. In our Old Testament lesson from Isaiah, we hear about nations coming to God’s light. When Isaiah talks about nations coming, he is talking about building a community that includes all people, foreigners and sexual minorities, at this time meaning eunuchs. At one point explicitly includes sons of foreigners. I believe it is very revealing that God has been trying to build an inclusive, diverse kingdom from the beginning. Human beings are threatened by this. God’s community is built on love and acceptance not power and control. If we know all of this, what is our role in the kingdom. How will we represent or manifest Christ in 2025? Paul in our second lesson gives us some clue. First of all, Paul says, according to The Message, This is my life work: helping people understand and respond to this Message, the good news. It came as a sheer gift to me, a real surprise, God handling all the details. This is our life work as followers of Jesus as part of God’s kingdom: helping people understand and respond to the good news of Jesus Christ. Paul is trying to tell us that he didn’t always know how he was going to do this and relied on God for the details. This is where trust comes in. This good news of God’s grace shown through Jesus is a gift to us and the invitation to help people understand and respond is a gift. As the Wise Men humbled themselves and literally knelt before Jesus is a way of representing Jesus. They acknowledged who Jesus was. We acknowledge who Jesus is when we don’t try and think we have the plan by ourselves. It is when we trust God for the details. The idea of the Magi being part of God’s plan is a surprise. Even thinking that God would use people who would be a precursor to Islam can be difficult for some people to get their head around. This is how God works. Going through this new year we are challenged to be surprised by God and trust God for the details. In the end it is about humbling ourselves before God and trusting God’s plan as we know it and not ours. I believe as we strive to do this we will manifest or represent Christ to our neighbor. Let us pray, All knowing God, we have been reminded again today that you can use all people to carry out your plan. Unfortunately, we often get in the way and try and impose our plan. In this new year, we come before you, God in Jesus Christ humbly realizing that it is not about our plan, but yours. You have the details that you reveal to us as we are able to see them. During this Epiphany season continually remind us that it is not our light that shines, but your light shining through us. You have invited us to help people hear and understand the good news. We humbly pray for the details in how to do this. In Jesus name, Amen /episode/index/show/faithlutheran/id/34726960

Special Music - Away In A Manger 12/25/2024

Special Music: Jesus, What a Wonderful Child 12/25/2024

Sermon-12-24-24 12/25/2024

Sermon-12-24-24 Christmas Eve 2024 Tonight, I would like to focus on angels. The first time that we hear about angels is back in Genesis. The angel announced to Hagar, after she ran away from Sarai, that she would bear many children. Her first child was Ishmael, Abram’s first son. Ishmael played a foundational role in the Islamic religion. Here we have an angel announcing the birth of someone who turned out to be an important prophet in the Islamic religion. It is important to remember that this was God’s messenger. Since Sarai didn’t know what to do with the fact that Abram and Hagar were going to have a child, Hagar had run away. The angel came with good news for Hagar, that she would bear a son that would produce many nations. As we gather here tonight, we can remember that the angels assisted in setting up our Christmas story. The angel Gabriel visited Mary and announced that she would be the mother of Jesus who would be the Messiah, the Savior of the world. Another angel came to visit Joseph to secure his place as the earthly father of Jesus. God used these beings as messengers to carry out the work that needed to be done in order to come to earth. So many of us have asked the question, are angels real? It seems that there are elusive. The angel Gabriel came to Mary in a sense out of thin air. The angel who spoke to Joseph came to him in a dream. What do we make of this? Then we hear of the angels coming to the shepherds to announce the good news of Jesus birth. In the case of Hagar, Mary, Joseph and the shepherds, the angels came to encourage and tell them not to be afraid and to give them good news. This message was from God and in a sense confirming their role in God’s work. Hagar became the mother of Ishmael, who was an important leader. Mary’s role was to be the mother of Jesus and raise him. Joseph became Jesus’s early father to raise him. Each angel or angels came to encourage and give good news to each person in order to fulfill God’s work. As we grow in our faith, we learn that we will not understand all of the ways that God works. I believe that what we can learn is that God will work in unexpected ways. God uses many different ways to communicate to us. What is important for me is the role of the angels. In all of these cases whether one or many, the message was one that each person needed to hear at that specific time and place. Have we not experienced that in some way? God communicates a message to us through a person, a group or a situation, how different pieces line up and then it is revealed to us. Many of us are on edge going into the new year. Are we able to hear the message of the angels tonight, Don’t be afraid? Think about the fact that none of these people knew what was ahead, but the message of the angels resonated in their hearts, and they sensed that God was speaking to them and that God would be with them. In Joseph’s dream this was part of the message that the angel reminded Joseph of the prophecy that a virgin shall conceive and bear a son. His name shall be called Emmanuel, God with us. Again, the angel is preparing Joseph for what is to come. God prepares God’s people, if we are paying attention and listening. The good news that we are hearing again tonight is relevant. There is something about this story that draws us back here. This tells me it is relevant for us in years past and yet again tonight. Angels have come again tonight to each one of us to tell us not be afraid that God is with us. We may not know what is ahead, but the good news is that we are not alone that God in Jesus Christ walks with us. Can you hear the angel’s message for you? Let us pray, God of the unexpected, we are drawn here again tonight to hear the good news that you came to earth in human form for each one of us. Even though Jesus is not physically here, you have never left us. May your Holy Spirit continue to open our ears to hear the good news that you have for us. May your Holy Spirit help us to hear the message that we do not have to be afraid. As you have sent your angels throughout all of history, we hear them again announce the good news to us. Help us to share that good news with our neighbors. In Jesus name, Amen /episode/index/show/faithlutheran/id/34612195

Sermon - 12-22-24 12/22/2024

Sermon - 12-22-24 In our gospel lesson today, we have Mary’s song of praise and gratitude, which has been given the title, The Magnificat. My soul proclaims your greatness O God, and my spirit rejoices in you my Savior. The Message, a paraphrase of the Bible, puts it this way, Mary says “I’m bursting with good news; I’m dancing the song of my Savior, God took one look at me, and look what happened- I’m the most fortunate woman on earth!” Now really, she is not even technically a woman. She’s a pregnant teenager and unmarried. She has run off out into the country to her cousin Elizabeth’s. Elizabeth is much older and also pregnant. Where is the good news? Mary must have had some fear. An angel, Gabriel had come to visit her to tell her that she would be the mother of the Savior of the world, which as a Jewish woman, would mean the messiah. Who would believe her? What were people going to say when they saw her, a pregnant, unmarried teenager carrying a baby? That must have been the reason that she ran off into the country to her cousin’s to stay at least three months. She would be a disgrace to her family, even though she had done nothing to get pregnant. Mary probably didn’t know what Joseph would do, as any other man who would be engaged and his fiancé became pregnant would normally want to disown her. Even going back after three months with Elizabeth, she had no idea how or who would receive her. Yet, despite all the shame, hardship and possibly death that she may encounter, here she is praising God. Mary can’t contain herself and it causes her to burst forth in song, singing the good news. She is looking at this as a gift from God. God has set her apart, yet no church leader would have done this. Culture would not tolerate this. Is it God that doesn’t get it, or is it human beings that really don’t understand God. God seems to enjoy role reversals and surprising us with the unexpected. It doesn’t always make us feel comfortable. It shifts where power and control are placed by God, and we want to fight it. First of all, here is a woman basically elevated above men. She is being given a role in our Christian faith that no man can hold. God has given her the mission to be the mother of God’s son, our Savior, the Messiah, as Christians understand him. We could easily say that of course she is carrying the baby as God didn’t create men to do this. Although, God could have picked a woman of nobility, but God did not. Mary was probably seen as the least of all people by society, yet for God this was the person chosen to carry out this mission. In this song of gratitude, we also find prophecy of what kind of Messiah and Savior her son, Jesus would be. Did you hear when I read it that on one hand God has already done these things and yet I believe it is giving us hope that God will continue to do these things. Mary is describing that Jesus will continue to do the work and model what God wants. God has been bringing down the powerful from their thrones, and lifting up the lowly; God has filled the hungry with good things, and sending the rich away empty. God has come to the aid of Israel, God’s servant, remembering that God is merciful as God had promised Abraham and to his descendants forever. God’s kingdom is forever in reform of bringing all people back in line. We are all made differently, and this is to be celebrated. Although not all people celebrate this, and it makes them feel uncomfortable and out of control. What God continues to do in God’s way is to bring everyone back to how God views people and that is, all people are gifted by God and important for life in the community. I don’t believe that God sets up a hierarchy in a few people. No one has all the answers, but collectively a community can produce the best options and then make choices. I don’t believe that God puts certain people in power to control others. Yet some people have less money than others, but that doesn’t mean that they should be treated differently than others who have more money. We are reminded by Mary and Elizabeth today that it doesn’t make any difference to God about age or gender who is called to do God’s work. Even in our Old Testament lesson from Micah, we are reminded that God did not choose a major city and palace for Jesus to be born in. Bethlehem was as The Message puts it, the runt of the litter. Jesus was born in a stable in the hay. The Message goes on to say, from Bethlehem will come the leader who will shepherd-rule Israel. He’ll be no upstart, no pretender. His family tree is ancient and distinguished. David was a shepherd who was born in Bethlehem. If God doesn’t see what God wants to see in our country today, these things prophesied by Mary will continue to happen. God can work through anyone to bring these things into action. But history tells us that God does not always work through those in high places. In order for human beings to see something different, God shakes it up and works through those who culture does not like to recognize as capable people. As people of God, we are called to listen and watch when people are being oppressed, when people are hungry and need care. We will be called to address these issues and thankfully we are doing some of that already. But there may be more coming where we will be called to take a stand. This is how we will continue to do God’s work modeled by Jesus. Today our model for faith is Mary who is able to embrace her mission to be the mother of Jesus amidst all of the unknowns. She is willing to put her trust in God. We have some idea of what she encountered in this role given to her by God to be the Messiah’s mother. God kept her safe as well as having the support of Joseph. This is the good news that God is always with God’s people. Are we able to sing with our whole heart in gratitude for God calling us to be followers of Jesus? We can be called by God to any role, and we can resist or with faith embrace whatever God is calling us to do. Remember the good news is that God continues to be with us. Jesus walks beside us through all of the unknowns in our life. May we sing this good news in our life shown by the way in which we connect with our neighbor! Let us pray, God who brings good news to us in so many ways, May your Holy Spirit help us to respond to your call in faith as Mary did. Mary was the least of all people who others thought would be called to this role. We know that you are calling each one of us to serve you. Help us to serve you in joy that others may hear and see the good news in us. In Jesus’ name, Amen /episode/index/show/faithlutheran/id/34570710

Special Music: People, Look East 12/22/2024

12 Symbols of Christmas - A Christmas Pageant 12/15/2024

Special Music: Angels Advent Carol 12/15/2024

Special Music – Will We Know Him 12/08/2024

Sermon - 12-8-24 12/08/2024

Sermon - 12-8-24 Sermon for Faith Lutheran Church-Okemos December 8, 2024; Advent 2 – Year C Megan Floyd Grace and peace to you from God, our Creator, and from the Lord, Jesus Christ, our Savior… the one for whom we prepare. Amen. I think we all know… babies tend to arrive without regard for whether the parents are fully ready for them… or not. In fact, I don’t know anyone who claims they were fully prepared and ready in every way for the arrival of their children. …and if they said they were, I wouldn’t have believed them. When my husband and I were awaiting the birth of our first child, we did all we believed we were supposed to do to prepare the way. We… made the soft colors bright… and the sharp edges round… we filled baskets with diapers and baby stuff… and we made the rough ways in our home smooth. And yet… we were not fully prepared. We were not prepared for how much the arrival of our child would change us… We were not prepared for the shift in our relationship and… the love! Who knew you could love someone so much? There was so much to do, and yet, an enormous amount of the preparations happened, not in our home, but in our hearts… and in our minds. Preparing for God’s arrival is much the same… it is mostly an internal, ongoing work that we must do to be ready to receive our God and Savior, who chooses to come to us as a lowly, innocent child. In our Gospel today, we hear the prophet John, crying out from the wilderness… prepare the way! This child is coming… no ordinary human child… but a savior! Prepare! This word from God does not come to us from the rulers of the day, or even the temple leaders… no. The word of God bypasses all that earthly power and authority to rest on John… ruler of no one and governor of nowhere… just… John, son of Zechariah. God’s word comes to us from out of the wild… a place unbound by time and unbidden to society… from out of the desert wilderness… we hear… Prepare the way! …for none other than the light of the world is about to break over us like the dawn… prepare! Driven by love and tender compassion, our Creator, God the Almighty… has chosen to meet us exactly where we are. Our heavenly parent has come down to meet us in the ordinary, the humble and lowly… to shine a holy light into our dark places… and guide our feet into the way of peace. But we must prepare to receive that light… we must make ready our hearts and minds… to open ourselves up to the ongoing transformation that follows when you give your life over to the way of Christ. Because God comes to us through Jesus to purify us as with the refiner’s fire… God comes to us through Jesus to wash us clean as with the fuller’s soap… to redeem us… and claim us as God’s own beloved. God comes to us through Jesus, the Christ child, to forgive our sins and offer us salvation… not only for our eternal life with God but also salvation in the here and now… salvation for this life here on earth. Prepare the way of the Lord! …for all flesh shall see the salvation of God. Prepare! …we must ready ourselves to receive our Redeemer… and know this… the work of preparation will change you… it will mold you… and shape you and draw you toward God’s justice and mercy. We are not passively waiting for Jesus to arrive – we are actively engaged in reshaping our senses to receive God in new ways. The work of preparing for God involves repentance… metanoia… a change of heart… a turning back. We turn back to Christ to be released from the captivity of our sins… so that we can recognize God with us, Emmanuel in our wilderness… Christ in the stranger… We repent and turn back to Christ… so we can be liberated from the bonds of sin and joyfully engage in the work of preparing for the arrival of our Lord. …Of making the crooked paths straight… of filling in every valley… bringing low every mountain… and making the rough ways smooth. …It really sounds like impossible landscaping. But it’s not… it’s about letting God’s love wash over you and turn you over like a stone in a river… buffing away your rough edges so you can better receive and reflect that love from God into the world around you. But we resist change… don’t we. Especially something as life-altering as the full transformation that comes from a relationship with God. We fall back into old habits… close our eyes to the needs around us …and in us… because changing the status quo is challenging work! And yet, resisting the transformational change that comes through a dynamic relationship with God is to ignore the work that God calls us into… Resisting that transformative change is to resist the work of Christ. Preparing the way for the Lord means opening our eyes to injustice and inhumanity… and then working to change those systems… so that all people will see God’s salvation. But we resist being changed, and we remain captive to our sin. It is true that through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus Christ, your sins are forgiven… you belong to Christ… and yet, we remain in bondage to our sin. And so, we must die daily to that sin through our repentance and receive the grace that comes only from Christ. We must repent… turn back to Jesus… and prepare the way for the Lord… Prepare for the Lord and participate in the in-breaking of God’s kingdom here on earth. For John proclaims, a new era of God’s peace is dawning! And we get to take part in that luminous work! This is amazing… this co-creating work with our God… it is incredible and beautiful work. But here is the best news… Christ will arrive… even if you are not prepared. Just like our ordinary human babies arrive, whether the nursery is freshly painted or not… The Christ child will arrive. Yes, God invites us to join in the incredible work of smoothing our rough edges, leveling the terrain, and shaping our world around love, justice, and mercy… But the completion of this work is not dependent on us. God calls us to prepare and participate because God loves us and desires a vibrant relationship with us… But we are not ultimately responsible for our salvation, let alone the salvation and redemption of the whole world and the bringing forth of God’s new Creation! This is God’s promise to us… that God’s got it covered. And we, faithful followers, we get to help by preparing the way for the Lord… preparing our hearts and minds, and our communities, to receive our Savior… …so we can recognize our God with us. I don’t know about you… but I hear that as good news. Out of pure and holy love, Jesus, the light of the world, will break like the dawn and shine over us, even if we are not ready. Christ will shine into the darkness and into the shadow of our death… and guide our feet into the way of peace. I want to be ready for that, and I’m certain you do, too. So… let’s prepare the way. *** Will you pray with me… Gracious and loving God, we praise you and thank you for claiming us as your own, and for not giving up on us. You are continually forming us with your mercy and guiding our feet into your way of peace. Help us, Lord, to prepare for your arrival so we might recognize you in our presence and receive you into our lives… and so we can celebrate as your light shines into the darkest valleys, so that all may see your salvation. In your holy name we pray, Amen. /episode/index/show/faithlutheran/id/34335330

Special Music - Listen Here, Listen Here 12/01/2024

Sermon - 12-1-24 12/01/2024

Sermon - 12-1-24 Advent is a season that is counter cultural. We can get busier and busier as we approach Christmas. Yet when we gather together for worship we talk and sing about slowing down and waiting. We sing those Advent hymns in minor keys, that some people don’t like. We don’t even sing a Hymn of Praise and instead we sing only a Kyrie. The ceremony of the candle lighting is added in every Sunday service as well in our Christmas Eve services. This year we are using something new that I suggested. It is entitled – “God is Near”. This may be the message that we need to hear this Advent season. In order to hear that God is near, we may have to stop and wait, to be alert and pray. No matter whether you think something good will come out of the craziness in our country or not, it can become loud. Hearing God may become more difficult. The people that Luke was writing to were probably becoming confused as to what he was talking about also. Jesus said there will be signs in the sun, the moon, and the stars and on the earth distress among nations confused by the roaring of the seas and waves. The Son of Man will be coming in a cloud. Now when these things take place, stand up and raise your heads, because your redemption is drawing near. I’m sure if we saw this we would raise our heads, and our mouths would be open. Whether Jesus comes this way or not, the point is he will return. This is our future hope. He also said that heaven and earth may pass away, but his words will not pass away. Another word of hope. Jesus talks about the fig tree and the growing cycle. Things come and go. Sometimes things will be crazy and not make sense to us, but God in Jesus Christ isn’t going anywhere. God always promises to be near. Thankfully this is one part of history that does repeat itself. Thus, we know that this will not change and so we are challenged to be in the moment. Even for the people that Luke was writing to, Jesus had told them to be alert and pray for the strength to make it through their craziness. It is no different for us. Advent is about paying attention so as not to get caught up in the craziness. Be alert, wait and pray for the strength to stay focused on Jesus. Our culture for the most part does not observe Advent. I believe at least if not before Halloween, we can begin to start finding Christmas things in stores. Advent pulls in the reigns and reminds us that Jesus will return. Too often there are Christians who like to use the second coming to scare people to be a Christian their way. This is not what advent, and the second coming are about. It is to remind us that Jesus has come and on one hand is still here and also will return physically again. Jesus may have confronted people when he was here, but his goal was never to scare them. He tried to teach what God expected, but people always had a choice. Just as we do. Jesus was always teaching about how to live in community. During advent we might reflect on how we interact in the community with our neighbors. There are many scared and anxious people in our world today. What message do we hear and have that we can share with them? How do we get ready to do this? While we wait our Psalmist today prays show me your ways, O God; teach me your paths! I wrote about this in my Pastor’s Corner. Do we trust God enough to hear the answer and act on it? We will not know what God wants us to do until we ask. In my experience, God loves each one of us as individuals, but then asks us to share that love in community, in different ways. I would dare say that the answer to our petition will have something to do with how we treat our neighbor. Even the ones we don’t agree with. After the Psalmist has asked God to show them the way and teach God’s path, they ask God to remember how merciful God is and God’s steadfast love is for all people. They ask God not to remember their prior sins, but to remember them according to God’s goodness. Could it be that Psalmist is thinking even though they are asking to know God’s will, that they will probably have trouble with the answer? Thus, they are asking God to remember that they are not perfect, and that God has promised to love them and have mercy on them. Maybe we can relate? Here is the key, I believe, the Psalmist prays, you lead the humble in what is right. It is only when our I bends enough that we are able to hear God’s answer in our waiting. This is when we are ready to be taught. The Psalmist finally comes to the conclusion that all of God’s paths are steadfast love and faithfulness. We are able to see this as we keep our baptismal promise with God in Jesus Christ. In our waiting, it is only when we are able to release ourselves to God that we are able to hear and be taught how to love our neighbor. Advent may be a penitential kind of season, but it doesn’t lack hope for today and tomorrow. Hope for tomorrow is that even though things continue to turn and turn around, Jesus will return. Our hope for today is that God’s word will never pass away which means God is near. As we experience the craziness in life we are challenged not to get caught up in it, but to remain focused on Jesus. Be alert, wait and pray for wisdom with the Psalmist. This is what we are called to practice during this Advent season. This is counter cultural. Even though we are challenged to be alert, to wait and pray to hear God’s word, we are assured that we can wait in hope and that God is near. Waiting is not so bad when we know that we are not waiting in vain. We can have hope that God is near. Let us pray, God of hope, we long for your word of hope in our lives. The craziness of our world and season get in the way of being able to hear your word of hope. We ask that your Spirit help us to be alert, to wait and pray that we may be able to hear your word of hope, that you are near. In Jesus name, Amen /episode/index/show/faithlutheran/id/34217655

Sermon - 11-25-24 11/25/2024

Sermon - 11-25-24 Today is Christ the King Sunday or Reign of Christ Sunday. Pope Pius XI in 1925 began this festival which was around the time of World War I. He felt that the followers of Christ were being lured away by secularism. They were choosing to live in the kingdom of the world and focus on themselves and not the kingdom where God reigned where the focus is on others. Christ the King Sunday was declared to counter nationalism. People at that particular time were getting the 2 kingdoms blurred. Could this be what we are experiencing today? The worldly kingdom, nationalism, is about gaining power and control to benefit only a certain group of people. It is about making one race, gender and sexual orientation superior. Jesus’ kingdom is about making sure everyone is taken care of. It is about recognizing that every person is part of God’s creation, and are equal. Each person has gifts and abilities that the kingdom needs in order to function. Jesus’ kingdom is about loving our neighbor, which is the person living next door to us, across the parking lot, all over our country. Exclusion begins when we become jealous of what others have. It is when we decide someone is not worthy. This is not what Jesus’ kingdom looks like. Jesus’ kingdom is about realizing that no one is really worthy of anything. This means that everything we have is a gift from God and we are called to care for them. So, this then ties in with Stewardship Sunday which is also today. This Reign of Christ and Stewardship Sunday have appeared at a time in our country and the life of our church to remind us of what Jesus’ kingdom looks like. I believe that Jesus is looking for grateful followers who are willing to let him reign. But his kind of reigning is not about just saying yes Jesus, but actually doing what Jesus commands us to do. Jesus reminds us that we are commanded to love God with all of our hearts, souls and minds and our neighbor as ourself. We know this, so why do we have to keep being reminded. Because just as in the time of Pope Pious we are being lured by secularism. Our country is taking a direction that could be destructive, and I know not everyone sees it that way. It seems that our country is headed away from Christ reigning. Our lessons for today instruct us about the difference in the 2 kingdoms. They describe for us what power and control look like. What we learn challenges us to look at where our allegiance lies and how to be followers in this time of the blurred kingdoms. In our Gospel lesson we have Jesus being interrogated by Pilate. This is the trial narrative where Pilate confronts Jesus about being the king of the Jews. The Jewish leaders had accused Jesus of treason. Thus, they handed Jesus over to the Roman authorities. Pilate represented the Roman authorities and not the Jewish people. He was kind of in the middle of it. He was being asked by the Jewish leaders to declare Jesus guilty of saying he was the messiah, and they didn’t believe it. The church and the state were working together. They like to keep each other happy. Jesus is no different here than any other time that he was confronted. He did not answer anything directly or sometimes not at all. Pilate’s first question to Jesus was “Are you the king of the Jews?” Jesus turned it back on Pilate, “Are you asking this on your own account or did others tell you this?” Pilate responds. “Well, Do I look like a Jew? Your people have handed you over to me. Tell me, what have you done?” Jesus responds, “I’m not really from here. My kingdom doesn’t exist of what you see around you. If it did, my followers would fight so that I wouldn’t be handed over to the Jews. But I’m not that kind of king, not the world’s kind of king.” Then Pilate said, “So, are you a king or not?” Jesus answered, “You tell me. Because I am King, I was born and entered the world so that I could witness to the truth. Everyone who cares for truth, who has any feeling for the truth, recognizes my voice.” In the gospel of John, the truth is not just a piece of information, it is the person, Jesus Christ. Jesus is asking us to listen for his voice, which is the truth. The more the kingdoms may seem blurred, the keener our hearing needs to be. Then once we believe we hear the truth, Jesus, what will be called to do with it? First of all, let’s talk about ways to hear the truth. I believe we are called to listen and observe how power and control are carried out. Is it used to control people or empower all people? Nationalism is about singling out one group to be in power and control. Christians are involved with this also. We are given the ability to see that this is not what Jesus’ kingdom is about. So, when we see this going on in our country, we will be called to stand up for the truth, Jesus. Nationalism is about putting people in their places, defining for them what their place is in our country. Christians are saying that this is spelled out in the Bible, and this has been written into Project 2025. A number of the authors will be on staff in our new government. We have come here today to offer our allegiance to Jesus, to remember that everything that we have is a gift from God, and be part of Jesus’ kingdom. On this reign of Christ Sunday, we are being reminded that there are two very different kingdoms. I have said earlier that the kingdoms may be blurred, but I wonder if when we work on hearing and observing the truth, Jesus, that the difference will become clearer and clearer. Faith Lutheran Church has taken a stand on who we believe to be part of Jesus’ kingdom, Jesus accepts all and we are all equal. We will all be challenged to listen and observe as things change, whether it looks like Jesus’ kingdom or not. If it doesn’t is when we will be challenged to clarify as to how we see and hear the truth of what Jesus’ kingdom is to look like. What will Faith Lutheran Church do if what is being done does not reflect what Jesus’ kingdom is to be like? Let us pray, We gather on this day to recognize you, Jesus, as our king and remember our role as grateful stewards. We often find that difficult to live out in our lives. Give us ears to hear and eyes to see you, the truth. Give is your wisdom to know how to stand up for you when your kingdom and the worldly kingdom get blurred, or when we see stark differences. In Jesus Name, Amen /episode/index/show/faithlutheran/id/34139831

Special Music - Will Give You Thanks 11/24/2024

Special Music - Leaning on the Everlasting Arms 11/24/2024

Special Music - God Will Make a Way 11/24/2024

Sermon - 11-17-24 11/17/2024

Sermon - 11-17-24 Jesus has called each one of here this morning and we have answered that call. He wants to speak to us today and give us a message of trust and hope. Through word, sacrament, and each other we are reminded of Jesus’ love for each one of us and then he calls us to share that love with others and then encourage them to share it. Through times of happiness and joy as well as times of disappointment, anxiety and anger we can come here to experience Jesus though word, sacrament and each other. Many of us are still trying to process the election. Each of us are at a different place. Wherever we are emotionally, we can bring it to Jesus. Here at Faith, even if we don’t always understand each other’s views, all our welcome. Our welcoming statement reads: We welcome you as God’s beloved child, “for in Christ Jesus… [we] are all children of God through faith.” (Galatians 3:26). No matter your age, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, marital status, neurodivergent status, faith background, political leanings, or mental, intellectual or physical ability – you are welcomed here just as you are. In this church, we commit to pursue gender and racial equity in all that we do, and to support one another as chosen family, being parents and siblings for each other regardless of who we have as biological family (Mark 3:31-35). For we are all one in Christ Jesus and rely on the unconditional nature of God’s love and grace to be our help and guide as we strive to serve our world. Our second lesson from Hebrews addresses the importance of drawing near to Jesus to receive his acceptance and love, and the author reminds followers of Jesus that we can have the confidence to this. It is only through Jesus’ work on the cross that we are able to do this. The author of Hebrews encourages us to meet together and experience Jesus and then encourage each other to love and do good deeds. But who is the author of Hebrews and who is the audience, to whom was this letter written? Scholars have not agreed upon who actually wrote this letter. The letter was written to second generation Christians, thus an established church. At some time, this church had suffered persecution. It was a church that was marked with generosity and liberality. Scholars believe that it was written by a great teacher, one who had a great knowledge of the Hebrew scriptures, to a small group or college of Christians in Rome. The author wrote this letter as they were separated from them, and it seemed they were drifting away from the faith. The teacher reminds this small group of the new covenant or agreement that Jesus had now made with all people. The author reminded them of what Jesus had accomplished through his death and resurrection and fulfilling what had been promised in the Hebrew scriptures. Jesus represented a new way of living in freedom and love. A new way that was not about power and control. It was a new way that Jesus welcomed all people. This is what we have attempted to define to the best of our ability who “all” means in our welcoming statement. Not all people including some Christians agree with this and that is their opinion. We want to be a safe place for all people here at Faith. We are entering into unchartered territory in our country with all new leaders. Some people are excited, others very fearful. I believe Jesus is telling us today that our focus needs to be on him as he is the only one who offers us freedom from sin, death and power of the devil. Jesus is the one that we can trust and have hope in. Jesus and his followers are then called to provoke one another to love and good works. We are very thankful for everyone at worship today and especially those who chose to visit us today. As I have been saying we welcome all people into a safe place to experience Jesus and his love through word, sacrament and each other. I firmly believe that Jesus has called all of us here today to hear his message of trust and hope. He stands ready to receive us at any time and in any place. Even as followers of Jesus, we often look for him in the wrong places. We have and will continue to hear things that are God’s will. People who are vying for power and control will have skewed versions of God’s will. This is when we need to take these things and our feelings to Jesus. We are in a safe place, but hopefully all of us have other safe places too. In our Gospel lesson today, Jesus tells his disciples that they will hear many people saying that they are acting in his name. These people will use fears, such as wars and rumors of wars. Jesus told them not be alarmed. Jesus tells his disciples not to fear, just he tells us not to fear. Remember these things have been going on for many years. We see this through all of the Hebrew Scriptures. This is still going on today. Wars, people vying for power and control. Low self-esteem causing people to show disrespect for others. It is happening now and unfortunately will continue and we may wonder where God is. It may become more difficult to follow Jesus’ teachings. Just as the author of Hebrews encouraged his students, we are encouraged. The Message puts it this way: 19-21 So, friends, we can now—without hesitation—walk right up to God in Jesus Christ, into “the Holy Place, the safe place.” Jesus has cleared the way by the blood of his sacrifice on the cross, acting as our priest before God. The “curtain” into God’s presence is his body which was broken for you and me. 22-25 So let’s do it—full of belief, confident that we’re presentable inside and out because of Jesus’ work on the cross. Let’s keep a firm grip on the promises that keep us going. In Hebrews we are reminded that Jesus will never walk off and leave us. Jesus always keeps his word. With this kind of support, let’s see how inventive we can be in encouraging love and helping out, not avoiding worshiping together as some do but spurring each other on to love, not hate and to do good works as long as we are on this earth. The message of trust is stated in Hebrews that Jesus is the same yesterday, today and forever. Also, that Jesus never fails. I believe our hope is in our working together to love our neighbor, encouraging each other. Faith Lutheran Church is a safe place to do this. Let us pray, Jesus, thank you for calling us here today to experience you through word, sacrament and each other. We have answered your call and have come to hear a word of trust and hope. Thank you for your work on the cross that we may approach God in your name. May your Spirit spur us on to share your love and to do good works and encourage each other to do the same. In Jesus’ name. /episode/index/show/faithlutheran/id/33961967

Special Music - Days of Elijah 11/10/2024

Sermon - 11-10-24 11/10/2024

Sermon - 11-10-24 Have No Fear, Little Flock Have no fear, little flock; have no fear little flock, for the Father has chosen to give you the kingdom; have no fear, little flock! ELW 764 For many of us, though not all of us, this has been a very hard week. For many of us, though not all of us, the path ahead looks frightening. For many of us it looks especially frightening for the lives of the poor and marginalized. In Jesus’ day, this included widows, orphans, strangers, lepers, and anyone else considered unclean. In our day for those of us who are worried, it is hard not to believe that many, many people will experience greater suffering, except for those who like the rich man in the text from Luke 12 will do well, at least for a time…though the story is clear about a day of reckoning… Hear again the soliloquy of the rich man: I will say to my soul, ‘Soul, you have ample goods laid up for many years; relax, eat, drink, be merry.’ But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life is being demanded of you. And the things you have prepared, whose will they be?’ So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God.” We may wonder about the fate ahead for those we serve through the food pantry; or about the fate of supplemental government programs meant to help the poor: single parents with children, working married parents living below the poverty line; or about the fate of pregnant women, who for many except for relatively wealthy, face serious health crises. We may wonder about the fate of non-citizens like the six young men living in our parish house; or about up to estimated 20 million undocumented folks who may be deported. We may wonder about the future for the LGBTQ community…All of these people above are, we confess, like us, children of our heavenly Father. If these wonderings, these worries soon do come to pass, then if ever there was a time for us to be supportive of the ministries of the food pantry and the parish house, it is now. If ever there was a time for us to be supportive of the ministry of Faith, this little flock, this Reconciling in Christ congregation, it is now. Jesus says to us, do not be afraid, little flock, for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Sell your possessions, and give alms…For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. We together are that little flock, that little flock cared for, loved, and protected by Jesus, who is the good shepherd. Before we can seriously think about selling our possessions, we need to know, we need to believe and trust that we are loved, that we will be protected, that we will be led beside still waters, that our souls will be restored…our souls and the souls of our children and our grandchildren. “Have no fear, little flock... for the Father has chosen to give you the kingdom….” [Please sing it with me, ELW 764] Jesus is saying to us,” I understand your fear, but do not be afraid. Absolutely nothing can separate you from my love. No matter how awful the future might be, especially for the least of these, my sisters and brothers, I who suffered and died and rose again will be with you and with them. Little flock, Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos Michigan, I will be with you.” Do not be afraid…sell your possessions, and give alms. This word is from the lips of Jesus who elsewhere also said to the worried and the weary, “Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for my yoke is easy and my burden is light.” But his words here in Luke’s gospel about selling possessions and giving alms seem anything but easy or light. This is a hard saying, to be sure. But I wonder if Jesus is not speaking here so much about earthly possessions as about making room for the creation of a very rich heart, about a heart that is not afraid, a heart that knows it is deeply loved, a heart set free from defining our worth by our numerous possessions. That heart is a very rich heart. It is a heart content with simple things. It is a very generous heart. God knows we need food and clothing. God knows we need a shelter for ourselves and for our families…as does every person on earth. And God wills that all should have not only adequate food and clothing and a place to call home, but also a just government, access to health care, and good and trustworthy friends. Our true worth is not how much of those things we have. Our true and lasting treasure is measured by the priceless, unfathomable love God has so richly poured into our hearts, hearts so full of love that we cannot help but give it forward to both friend and stranger. Do not be afraid…sell your possessions and give alms…for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. Hear again these words from Psalm 146 we read responsively this morning: Happy are they who have the God of Jacob for their help…who gives justice to those who are oppressed, and food to those who hunger…The Lord cares for the stranger; the Lord sustains the orphan and widow, but frustrates the way of the wicked. Happy are they who have the God of Jacob for their help. In the next couple of weeks, hopefully we’ll all be thinking and praying and deciding about what portion of our hoped-for income in the coming year we want to give for the ministry of this little flock. Mindful that when our fears are day by day allayed by the good shepherd, and mindful that in the words of scripture God loves a cheerful giver, we will boldly declare our generous, joyful, even radical intentions. We hear in the story of today’s gospel in Mark a way of radical giving: [Jesus] sat down opposite the treasury, and watched the crowd putting money into the treasury. Many people put in large sums. A poor widow came and put in two small coins, which are worth a penny. Then he called his disciples [including us] and said to them [and us], “Truly I tell you, this poor widow has put in more than all those who are contributing to the treasury. For all of them have contributed out of their abundance; but she out her poverty has put in everything she had, all she had to live on.” In a way I am confounded by Jesus’ words. I don’t think Jesus meant these words to be woodenly prescriptive for all of us. I do think they mean that radically loved people who belong to the kingdom of God are not afraid to give away everything they are and everything they have to express this radical love and mercy of God dwelling so abundantly in their hearts, in your heart and in mine. /episode/index/show/faithlutheran/id/33868782

Sermon - 11-3-24 11/04/2024

Sermon - 11-3-24 Jesus Cries with Us, Jesus Cries Out for Us Last Sunday afternoon Jamie, Laurie, Phylis and I sitting at a large round table visited with Anna, Ashley, Alison (from Panama), Fatima (from Venezuela), three little people, and a faithful member of St. Christopher Episcopal Church. St. Christopher is a sanctuary church in El Paso, Texas, a safe place for migrant people to live until they can travel on to a more permanent safe and caring community in which they could live and work and thrive. Many take dangerous and often illegal risks. Many are filled with great anxiety and uncertainty, exacerbated by antiquated immigration laws and processes that can mean months and even many years of waiting. Many are filled with fear both of countries they have fled and of our country because they know we are a deeply divided nation given to fear and even hatred of these aliens, these sojourners, these strangers. But Sunday we all were in this safe and sacred place. Except for the little ones we introduced ourselves, shared little bits of our life stories, either in Spanish or English or both. All of us children of God, all of us on a journey, though for Alison and Fatima, a much more dangerous and harrowing one. We talked together, prayed together, sang a little together, ate a meal together, held babies (the best part!) and hugged one another… A couple thousand years ago, Jesus too was on a dangerous journey. In John 11 we read of his crossing the Jordan River, going to Judea where he knowingly faced threats of stoning, persecution, and death. On the way there he received a message from beloved friends, Mary and Martha, that their brother Lazarus was ill. Jesus, the Son of God, knew that Lazarus’ illness was terminal. In fact, Jesus knew, he had already died. Yet Jesus stayed where he was for two more days… And then came the account from the Gospel of John for this All Saints Sunday. In it we learn what God is like when we suffer, when we die. We know what God, is like, revealed most fully to us in Jesus, when Bob and Joy and Walter and Dale and Chip and David, whom we remember this morning, died during this past year. Jesus, the Son of God, wept with and for their families and friends. Jesus cried with them. Jamie and Laurie and Phylis and I spent five days with Border Servant Corps guides, mostly with Ashley, a young woman about to graduate from college and then after a gap year on to law school. With her we visited border patrol folk, spent time with “guests,” always these migrant people were called guests, in processing centers and shelters on both sides of the Rio Grande River, talked with criminal court Judge Ritter presiding over cases against those crossing the border between legal points of entry. Perhaps most moving for us was our visit with Amanda, a federal public defender. With all of them we could see Jesus. We could see Jesus “greatly disturbed’ and crying with these guests and with those so committed to accompanying them on their journeys toward some semblance of mercy and justice. We saw Jesus in Gracias, a feisty, self-proclaimed activist who is the shepherd of the shelter we visited in Juarez, Mexico. In, I think, more than a coincidence for us sojourners from Faith, Okemos, her call to this ministry came years agowhen she mourned the killing of two LGBT people at the border. At times Gracias has provided a safe haven for as many as 370 guests in a clean but very dilapidated five-story building. Last Monday we prepared and served a meal for 60 men, women, and children currently living there. We saw Jesus in Gracias and in Cesi with us that day, who translated my mini-sermon proclaiming God’s watchful care for these his beloved children. Cesi walks step by step with guests when they are able to fly or take a bus from El Paso to a new home somewhere in our country. We saw Jesus in the guarded but gently smiling faces of these guests, perhaps especially in the faces of the children. But the gospel for today is not only about people for whom and with whom Jesus wept, for Martha and Mary and their friends. It is that, Jesus, the Son of God, the incarnation of God, was also for them the resurrection and the life. Jesus was and is God making of death only a transitory experience. Jesus, the resurrection and the life, cried out, now not with tears, but with a loud voice, to a man dead for four stinky days, “Lazarus, come out!” To Walter and Dale and Bob and Chip and Joy and David, Jesus said, perhaps more gently, “Come, dwell with me now in my Father’s house. There you be forever safe, forever free, forever whole, forever loved and in love with all the children of God from Michigan and Texas and Mexico and Panama and Venezuela, from Sudan and Ghana and Mauritania, from Palestine and Lebanon and Israel, from Ukraine and Russia…” On this All Saints Sunday remember. Remember that Jesus cries with you and Jesus cries out for you. Remember that Jesus cried with the family and friends of Joy, Chip, Dale, Walt, David, and Dale. Remember he wept for the LGBT people killed at the border. Remember he wept for those who bodies were and are still to this day found in the deserts of Mexico, bodies of souls striving in desperate, vain attempts to find a better life in our country. But remember too and above all that Jesus cried out for Lazarus to come out, to rise from death. Remember, as you come at his invitation to dine with him at the communion table this morning, that he suffered and died for you and that he rose again for you and for all whom we remember this day. I think of these beautiful words from Romans 6: Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? Therefore, we have been buried with him by baptism into death so that just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, so we too might walk in newness of life. For if we have united with him in a death like his, we will certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his. Phylis and I, Laurie and Jamie, we did see Jesus at the border. With the eyes of faith, we see him here too, with our congregation in our worries, with us in our pain, with us in our losses. We see him here in the hearts of so many here who care deeply about each other and about strangers, about people on difficult journeys, people God has called us to walk with in love, to “walk in newness of life.” We see Jesus speaking through the work of the call committee, “crying out” to us to come out of any dark tombs of worry, of any paralyzing fears about the future well-being of our congregation. And, especially this week, may all of us see Jesus crying with us and crying out to us, “Come out of your dark tomb!”, no matter the outcome of the election on Tuesday. /episode/index/show/faithlutheran/id/33768742

Special Music - Hine Ma Tov 11/03/2024

Special Music - A Mighty Fortress Is Our God 10/27/2024

Sermon - 10/27/24 10/27/2024

Sermon - 10/27/24 Since I will be on vacation beginning Wednesday, this will be my last sermon before the election. This does not mean that I am going to tell you who to vote for. I will be voting tomorrow. Many of you have voted by mail, others will take advantage of early voting and others will wait until election day. The important thing is to vote. Leading up to this election the political ads have gotten to be very tedious and I mute most of them. I believe it is best not to listen to them as there are so many half-truths in them that it is not good to base your vote on ads. We all desire people to see the same truth that we do, but unfortunately that is not the case. Thus, today on this Reformation Sunday, our texts point us to the truth that has kept the church moving forward since it began. We are pointed today to the person who represents truth and that is Jesus Christ. It is in John that we hear him say that he is the way, the truth, and the life and we can only get to God through him. This is a different kind of truth than what may be considered true or false in regards to our upcoming election. Jesus came to give us freedom from sin, death and the power of the devil. I will not try and decipher truth or fiction from political ads, but I will tell you that I believe in Jesus, the truth who frees us. The truth that we hear about today on this Reformation Sunday, is one of relationship with Jesus, the truth. Every day Jesus invites us into relationship with him. In our Gospel lesson we hear Jesus telling the Jews who had believed, if you continue in my word, if you abide in my word, if you stay connected to me, then you will be my disciples. Then his disciples will know the truth as they will know him and this is what and who frees us from sin, death and the power of the devil. Jesus says today that anyone who commits sin is a slave to sin, and they will not have a permanent place in the household. In the Gospel of John sin is defined as not being connected to Jesus. Jesus invites everyone to be connected to him, to be in relationship with him. Jesus has told us that it is only through him that we can get to God. Thus, it is only Jesus who frees us from sin, death and the power of the devil. Jesus has done the work for us and now he is asking us to be in relationship with him, to be connected to him. Jesus is God’s grace revealed to us. Jesus is truth revealed. Even though there is no way to really verify any of this, we are asked to have faith and believe. We have been given God’s Word to help us know the story of God’s people. We are then invited into that story. Paul lays out for us in our second lesson what we stand on as Lutheran theology, justification by grace through faith. This is what I have already been explaining. God sends Jesus to earth to die on the cross to forgive our sin. We are asked to believe this to be true. Jesus’ death justifies us before God out of love, God’s grace. We are then asked to believe and receive. There is nothing that we can do to justify ourselves before God for our sin. It sounds easy, but often as human beings we want to earn it, we want to do something, and this is where the law comes in. The law can point out to us the need for God’s grace, but it cannot justify us. Instead, the law is what we live out in love as a response to our justification by grace. Paul wrote this letter to the house churches in Rome to prepare them for his visit. He was attempting to address the polarization between the Jews and Gentiles. Paul was trying to reconcile the two groups. Does this polarization sound familiar? I’m sure the Jews were saying the law is what leads to salvation and the Gentiles may have been saying, no there is nothing that we can do, thus we don’t have to keep the law. Paul is trying to say please be quiet and listen because he is saying that they are both wrong. There is a place for law and Gospel. Through the law comes the knowledge of sin, thus law is important but does not save us. We are justified by grace as a gift. This does not leave us off the hook as we are called to believe this, and God in Jesus Christ asks us for a response which we can model through the way that we live out our lives. In the end, Paul is trying to say that, all our welcome, as all are justified by grace through faith. This all does not exclude anyone. The exclusions we see today are decided by human beings. How does this help their polarization, let alone our own? I believe Paul is saying that just by pointing fingers and saying someone is wrong does not change the fact that all are welcome in God’s kingdom. We are all in the same boat, but not all will ever realize that. The only thing that we can do is live out our faith as justified by grace children of God. It seems throughout history we have been trying to learn how to love our neighbor, to welcome our neighbor. It becomes such a fearful thing that instead of welcoming we try to gain control over them. Jesus continually calls us to stick with him as he is the truth revealed. He is the one who justifies us before God because no human being can. We continually repeat history, and I wonder if it is happening faster with media and technology. We pray that our vote will continue democracy and continue to welcome all people. The freedoms we have as citizens of the United States of America are gifts from God are supposed to be for the betterment of the community and not any one group of people. Our vote is the only control that we have over these freedoms. The freedom we have through Jesus work on the cross is an absolute free gift. As justified children of God we are not called to change people’s minds, but we are called to stick with Jesus and continue responding to his call to love God and neighbor. We don’t know what the future holds, but we do know who holds it. This is where are focus needs to be. Let us pray: God of freedom, we thank you for the freedoms in our country, but above all for the freedom paid for by your Son, Jesus Christ. May your Holy Spirit help us to focus on you and living as justified by grace as your children. No matter what happens in the election, you continue to call us to connect with Jesus, the truth and thus to continue to love you and our neighbor. In Jesus’ name, Amen /episode/index/show/faithlutheran/id/33633062

Special Music – I Know The Lord Laid His Hands on Me 10/20/2024

Sermon - 10-20-24 10/20/2024

Sermon - 10-20-24 How many of us have said that we really don’t understand some people’s way of thinking? Our culture today has many conflicts and/or paradoxes. It hasn’t changed since the time of our Gospel lesson today. Only today it seems to be more polarized. History continues to repeat itself and only we can be responsible for ourselves. The last verse of our Gospel lesson last week was “but many who are first will be last, and the last first”. Then in between last week and this week’s Gospel lesson Jesus forewarns of his pending death again. So, when James and John ask Jesus to do for them what they want, you just want to say , “where did that come from?” Did they hear anything that Jesus had said? Following Jesus was about giving all that you had to help others. It wasn’t that long ago that that we heard Jesus say to follow means that disciples need to deny themselves. James and John were attempting to put themselves above others, let alone their friends. Jesus challenged them, Are you able to drink the cup that I drink, or be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with? They said, yes we can do that. Jesus has just once again predicted his death, were they really willing to say that they would be willing to die also? Thus far, it didn’t seem that they liked all of the negative attention from the church leaders. Here they were saying that they were willing to be leaders of the other disciples. Didn’t they realize that leadership puts you in the hot seat more than you usually want to be? Jesus thought, well I don’t think they really understand what this means, but so be it. In the end, as God’s Son, he doesn’t make those decisions. Of course, once the other disciples had heard about their request, they were angry. Maybe because they hadn’t thought of it or why do they think that they are better than us? Jesus reminded them that the people who were not Jewish recognize as their rulers, men who lorded it over them. The greatest being those who were tyrants. We have those rulers in our world today where there is no democracy. Jesus once again defines what God is looking for, which is that the greatest rulers are servants. Jesus says if you want to be on the top, then you must be a slave to all. He gave the ultimate model for this in dying on the cross. This ransom that we hear about in our Gospel lesson is not about any transaction as Jesus does the work for us. It is a liberating action for us. It frees us to be the servant that Jesus has modeled for us and calls us to be. I like how the inclusive Bible states what God is not looking for, someone who is domineering and arrogant, those great ones know how to make themselves important. Often these leaders have low self-esteem. When one feels that they have to dominate someone, it is often because they feel less than others. It’s very tricky because if you have to make yourself important, then you may not realize that you are already important in God’s eyes. Jesus continually brings us back to what God wants leadership to look like. First of all, it is important to realize that we are already important in God’s eyes and that is the most important thing to recognize and accept. When we can recognize that God loves us is when we can begin to love ourselves in a healthy manner. Jesus is describing leaders as a person who can listen and realize that they don’t have all the answers. He is also looking for a leader who can be honest in a respectful way. It is not about telling people what they want to hear. At times in our life, we can be domineering or feel dominated. We are all called to be leaders as we are all called to model what it means to follow Jesus, thus we are called to keep ourselves in check. In the end it is about power and control. Do we feel the need to have authority and exert power and control over others? One of the red flags for us is whenever we feel defensive. If we feel that we have to justify ourselves, then we can easily become domineering. If we feel insecure enough we can also become arrogant. Unfortunately, we have gotten to a place in our country where too many think it has to be one way. There are leaders who will say or do, or justify whatever they have to have it their way. Similar to James and John who felt that if they were in control they may be able to keep things more in their way of thinking. Now of course we can’t really relate to James and John, can we? At some time in our lives, each one of us has felt the need to control people and to have their approval. It is really part of being human, our brokenness. As Christians, Jesus is reminding us today we need to check ourselves in how we relate to people. I believe that we are all leaders in faith and are reminded that in reality we don’t have control over other people. When we try is when we are really telling Jesus that we know better. This is what James and John were doing. Whether everything makes sense to us or not, Jesus tells us that God is in control. We are loved and valued by God and not all others will love and value us, but we do not need their approval. Through Jesus death and resurrection, we have seen modeled how to serve and that new life comes from it. Let us pray: Gracious and loving God, thank you for loving and valuing us as your children. There are times that we do not recognize this and then try to go it on our own. This is when we may put ourselves over others. We are sorry for this. May your Holy Spirit help us to rest in you and give us the ability to see and hear how we relate to people that we may model that all of us are equal in your eyes. Also, to be able to discern future leaders in our country, according to what you are looking for in leaders. In Jesus Name, Amen /episode/index/show/faithlutheran/id/33536507

Special Music - Heart of the Nations 10/13/2024

Sermon - 10-13-24 10/13/2024

Sermon - 10-13-24 Jesus has been and continues to be very pointed in what he is trying to teach. He is trying to prepare his disciples for his pending death and resurrection. Everyone seems to have their own idea of what the kingdom of God is supposed to look like. Jesus says it is very hard to enter the kingdom of God. He told them it was easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle. Most of us know what it is like to put a piece of thread through the eye of a needle. The disciples were greatly astounded and said to one another then how do we get in, how can we be saved? Jesus basically said that they can’t that only God can and will do this. For God, all things are possible. The Gospel lesson began with a man running up to Jesus and kneeling before him and asking, “Good Teacher, what must I do to inherit eternal life?” Jesus said to him, why do you call me good? No one is good, but God alone. You know the commandments: You shall not murder; You shall not commit adultery; You shall not steal; You shall not bear false witness; You shall not defraud; Honor your father and mother.’ The man then said, Teacher I have kept all of these since I was a child. Jesus looked at him with love and said. You lack one thing, go and sell what you own, and give the money to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven, then come and follow me. The man was shocked by this response and went away very sad, for he had many possessions. Human beings in the time of the Bible, had been continually getting off track of what God’s kingdom was meant to be. The man’s possessions were standing in the way of focusing on following Jesus. Jesus was on earth to once again define the kingdom of God. Yes God had given the ten commandments, but they were meant as guidelines. As I have said before, the commandments were not given for people to have power and control over people. This man was rich in possessions and Jesus was telling him that they were obstacles for him in following Jesus. Above all, Jesus was working on creating a new community. Anytime the word new comes into play, it does mean change. Something that is old will need to be let go of in order for new to occur. In systems, such as the church, it normally means that something in the system needs to change in order for newness or growth to happen. This will create uncomfortableness because it is not how we have always done it. The first step is allowing ourselves to be open in honestly looking at things, in other words making an assessment. This is what the transition team did last year. They then made recommendations to the congregation council of things that need to be reorganized or addressed. This will mean change. Some things will remain the same, other things will stop or look different. Room needs to be made for growth to happen. As soon as we say something needs to be a certain way, God often has a way of saying, we’ll see. What happens is we allow our fears and uncomfortableness take over and this is when it is difficult to see what God wants. Eventually there will be a new pastor here. I pray that you will be ready to listen and support their leadership. Remember if you catch yourself saying, “We’ve never done it that way before”, it probably needs to change. I know some of our leadership does think this way. God’s kingdom, this new community that Jesus is trying to describe is one that is not about power and control, but mutuality. Last week and again in today’s Gospel lesson we hear that we are to empower the vulnerable. It is what is best for the community of faith, not for individuals. I want to tell you about how I see this new community being modeled here at Faith. Our Micro Food Pantry is a very important ministry. We had been filling the food boxes twice a day for some time, maybe even close to its inception. A crisis that has been building for a while become evident. We didn’t have money to sustain it the way it had been running. Thus, an assessment was done of the food and its cost. A group met and examined the assessment and 1) it was determined that there was still a real need for it in our community, 2) In order to keep it up and running, changes needed to be made. For a week or two we had stopped buying food until we could have this meeting and develop a plan for right now, in order to keep filling the boxes. It was decided that the boxes would be filled once a day instead of twice. Before we met again, people were brainstorming and developing plans to fund this ministry. We met again and we are working on different avenues of funding. In the next couple of months, you will be presented with different ways that you can help support this ministry. I do want to thank you all of you for already supporting this ministry, because in some way everyone here has supported this ministry. It is this kind of work that models the new community that Jesus is talking about. One other sign of this new community that Jesus is talking about is when Raymond joined our Worship and Music committee meeting and presented the idea of Visitors Sunday. The committee listened to this excitement to invite others to worship with us and introduce them to our family. Raymond had ideas for worship that the committee heard, and we are working at implementing them. This is building this new community that Jesus is talking about. Every community of faith needs new life as this is when people want to join and be part of it. This new community that Jesus is talking about is seen here at Faith. The building of this new community will continue to take stepping back and being willing to be honest with what is working and what is not working. This is called assessment. From here it will take openness to new ideas and letting go of some things. Without this openness, this new community that Jesus is asking you to build will not grow. What we have heard today in our Gospel lesson is that we are called to let go of those things that we are holding on to too tightly. Those are things that are holding us back from following Jesus. Jesus wants our attention now! Sometime in the near future, there will be more changes here. Eventually I will move on, and you will have a new pastor. Jesus challenges you and I to stay focused on him and keep our eyes and ears open. Be ready to let go of things in order to follow him. The good news in all of this letting go and struggling with it, is that Jesus loves us through all of it. We are not alone. Jesus walks beside us. Let us pray, Gracious God, we struggle with change. We struggle with being honest about what is working and what is not working. May your Spirit help us to have open hearts and minds. We desire to do your work and grow your community. Help us to identify and let go of those things that are getting in the way of doing your will. Thank you for your grace as we strive to do your will. We humbly acknowledge that this is your kingdom and not ours. In Jesus, name, Amen. /episode/index/show/faithlutheran/id/33437917

Sermon - 10/6/24 10/06/2024

Sermon - 10/6/24 In my study groups this past week, it was a challenge to discuss what some call as the big “D” word, divorce. Jesus chooses to take on the difficult issues that people face. Some of you may have experienced divorce personally or most likely it has been in your family. My grandfather divorced my grandmother in 1952 after finding work out of town and another woman. My grandmother was left to raise 5 kids on her own and that is not easy, let alone in that day. My mother then went to live with a family for her senior high in high school and be their nanny. She did not speak to her father for a number of years. When she got married, she felt it was time to welcome him back into her life. All of us make mistakes. I have said that relationships are the most difficult thing in life. We are dealing with ourselves and then how we interact with another human being and some on an intimate level. Since we are broken people, when you put two broken people together, no matter the level of relationship, there will be unhealthy choices made. In the end it is about navigating changes in our lives and then how that affects our relationships with others. Communication and trust are key in any relationship. We will never be perfect at these, but the more we practice them, the healthier our relationships will be. When these are not working is when we often see divorce occurring. Relationships can be broken as I have already stated as we are already broken people. The minute we say it could never happen to me, is when we need to be concerned. I believe we would all say that divorce should not be the first choice, but there are times that it can be the healthiest choice. Forced relationships do not work. Above all they are not healthy for the couple, let alone the people around them. Unhealthy relationships are not healthy models for children. So, this is what we have learned. But what does Jesus have to say about. First of all, he was not teaching on it at first in our Gospel lesson for today, but was actually being tested by some Pharisees. They were always trying to test Jesus about the law. They had been finding out that Jesus felt the law was important, but it was not to be used as power and control over people. The law was given to help people live together in community. When the law was given, it was in the time of the Old Testament. The law was quite patriarchal. Women and children were seen more as property. Basically, the men were in charge and could do almost anything they wanted. The Pharisees asked Jesus whether it was lawful for a man to divorce his wife. Jesus turned it back on them and asked them what did Moses command you? They said a man could write a certificate of dismissal and divorce her. Jesus told them that Moses wrote this because of their hardness of heart. Jesus reminded them that God made males and females and two of them could become one flesh. And that no one should separate them. Jesus went on quite bluntly and said that whoever divorces their wife and marries another has committed adultery. The same for whoever divorces a man and marries another has committed adultery. Jesus was radical again in saying a woman could divorce her husband. This was not the law the Pharisees knew. Then Jesus uses a child again as an example for his teaching. Children and women were looked at as the least in society and were vulnerable. People were bringing children to Jesus in order that he might touch them. The disciples sternly told them that Jesus did not have time for this and to leave. Jesus said no, bring them here to me. He said the kingdom of God belongs to the children. If you don’t receive the weak and vulnerable then you will not enter the kingdom of God. Jesus took the children in his arms and blessed them. His disciples were corrected, and I wonder if the Pharisees were still around to hear this proclamation. Jesus is saying that all are welcome in the kingdom of God. For people contemplating, going through or have been through a divorce, I can only imagine that it is not easy. It is a vulnerable position to be in. Any broken relationship is emotionally difficult and often takes a physical toll as well. One broken relationship can affect all of your other relationships in some way. Over the years churches have pointed fingers and maybe even shunned people who have experienced divorce. This is not where Jesus is. I do not believe that Jesus likes to see broken relationships, but he knows that they are going to happen. God has given us guidelines to help us be in relationship with human beings and Jesus has tried to say over and over again that even though we don’t always follow them, that we are still welcome in the kingdom of God. This is the message that I believe needs to come from churches. We are called to support those who are experiencing brokenness in relationships and in a vulnerable situation. It is not our place to judge. The rhetoric that I am often hearing today is not supporting the vulnerable. It often only supports those that have more power. As a church and followers of Jesus, we are called to listen to what people are saying and this includes those who are claiming to follow Jesus. This also means that we are called to listen to ourselves and observe what we do and who we hang out with. Jesus is challenging his followers even today to lift up the vulnerable, those who are experiencing brokenness in their relationships. We can use words of love and concern and not judgement. We can model what it means to be people of support by listening and not taking sides. Jesus is asking us today to continue sharing his message of love and grace. I believe that we have some in our country who want to go back to what the Pharisees were looking for. Which is a patriarchal household, where the man is the one in charge. I believe Jesus was trying to teach his disciples as well as us that all people are welcome, especially the vulnerable. Males and female are equal in God’s eyes. In any relationship, it is about working together. In Jesus day it was the women and children. But even the fact that Jesus said a woman could divorce her husband was probably not what the Pharisees or his disciples were expecting to hear. Because of the insecurity of some white men, many in leadership in Christian churches, want to go back to this Old Testament model of the family. This is what is being held up as what God wants. I believe that Jesus in today’s Gospel lesson is saying no that all are welcomed equally into the kingdom of God. He is even saying that men and women are equal. Jesus is calling us to left up the vulnerable. I believe when insecure white men want to have the power, it makes others such as women, children, and today many others vulnerable. We are called to lift them up and go against the old patriarchal system. The D doesn’t have to be big. It happens in our brokenness. The church is called to be a place that will welcome in love all who are broken, you and me. This is how Jesus defines the kingdom of God as welcoming all people equally and especially the vulnerable. What are we going to do and say to lift up the vulnerable? Let us pray, Gracious and loving God, you sent Jesus to clarify what it means to live in your kingdom. Our humanness always seems to get in the way. Jesus reminds us again today that all are welcome in your kingdom and especially the vulnerable. May your Holy Spirit help us to model this welcome through word and deed. Help us to live forward into your kingdom and not go back to the Old testament ways which Jesus has redefined. In Jesus’ name, Amen — 451 — 2025 Presidential Transition Project Goal #3: Promoting Stable and Flourishing Married Families. Families comprised of a married mother, father, and their children are the foundation of a well-ordered nation and healthy society. Unfortunately, family policies and programs under President Biden’s HHS are fraught with agenda items focusing on “LGBTQ+ equity,” subsidizing single-motherhood, disincentivizing work, and penalizing marriage. These policies should be repealed and replaced by policies that support the formation of stable, married, nuclear families. Working fathers are essential to the well-being and development of their children, but the United States is experiencing a crisis of fatherlessness that is ruining our children’s futures. In the overwhelming number of cases, fathers insulate children from physical and sexual abuse, financial difficulty or poverty, incarceration, teen pregnancy, poor educational outcomes, high school failure, and a host of behavioral and psychological problems. By contrast, homes with non-related “boyfriends” present are among the most dangerous place for a child to be. HHS should prioritize married father engagement in its messaging, health, and welfare policies. In the context of current and emerging reproductive technologies, HHS policies should never place the desires of adults over the right of children to be raised by the biological fathers and mothers who conceive them. In cases involving biolog- ical parents who are found by a court to be unfit because of abuse or neglect, the process of adoption should be speedy, certain, and supported generously by HHS. /episode/index/show/faithlutheran/id/33347342

Special Music - Send Down The Rain 10/06/2024

Sermon - 9-29-24 09/29/2024

Sermon - 9-29-24 Today we are celebrating Michael and all Angels Sunday. This is a festival dedicated to the archangel Michael that started in the fifth Sunday in Rome. Michael is not a saint, but in Jewish angelology, he is one of the four arch angels who carry out the will of God. The stories about Michael center around war scenes which are battles between good and evil. The second lesson from Revelation today finds Michael and his angels fighting against the dragon, which relates to the serpent in Genesis. The serpent and dragon are seen as the devil or satan, the deceiver of the whole world. He was thrown down to the earth along with his angels. The book of Revelation was written by John from the island of Patmos to Christians who were being persecuted by the Roman Empire. John received visions from an angel to comfort and challenge Christians. Revelation is an apocalypse or unveiling of what soon must take place. Although this is not a book to predict the future. It’s a message of hope for all Christians, for all ages. We find a great deal of symbolism based on the Old Testament. As I have stated earlier, in our text from Revelation today we have a connection to the Old Testament the serpent and the dragon. In Genesis chapter 3 we have the serpent in the Garden of Eden enticing Adam and Eve, that if they eat the fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden, they will be like God. This is after God said do not eat from the tree in the middle of the garden, for if you do, you will die. The serpent appealed to them and twisted God’s words and said God would not kill them as God knows that when one eats fruit from the tree in the middle of the garden that their eyes would be opened, and they will then know the difference between good and evil. The woman ate one of the fruit and offered it to the man and he ate also. Their eyes were opened, and they did not die. They did realize that they were naked. This was the first time that human being on earth had contact with evil, the serpent. The sin here was wanting to be like God and listening to the wrong person. This same issue continues to plague us as human beings. We want power and control. According to our text from Revelation, the dragon, representing the serpent, the devil, satan, wanted to be in control and Michael and his angels said no and kicked him down to earth. Human beings have been dealing with evil, the devil, satan from the beginning of time, Adam and Eve. What is going on here is that evil was defeated in heaven. Now, something we discussed in bible study on Tuesday was the fact that we thought heaven was devoid of evil. I believe the message here is that if evil was defeated in heaven, it has been defeated here on earth in the person of Jesus. Through Jesus’ death and resurrection, sin, death and the power of the devil have been defeated. We may ask, then why are we still dealing with evil in the world? Because we continue to try and do everything on our own and we have not defeated evil. Jesus has. Thus, we need God, Jesus and Holy Spirit to help us deal with evil in the world. So often it seems to be so easy just to point a finger at a person and say they are evil. The person themselves are not evil, but evil may have more control over them. Evil can be in a person’s actions and words. In reality, as human beings, we can allow evil to influence our thoughts, words and actions. When we are tired, frustrated and/or scared, we are vulnerable and often rely more on ourselves. This is when evil can influence us. Our other option is to stay connected to Jesus and this is not easy as it takes work. Staying connected to Jesus, means that we are called to examine what we hear and observe as well as what we think say or do and measure it against what we have learned and understand God’s Word to say. When we are tired, frustrated and/or scared, we often just go with the flow. I would like to define evil at this point as going against God’s will in thoughts words and actions. We can hear and see it in others. But it is not our job to judge them, but we are called to challenge them, if we feel that we can have a healthy discussion. Some things for us to listen to as followers of Jesus in our own and others words and actions: Do we hear and observe love or hate? Do we hear and observe that our world is full of enemies or neighbors to be loved? Do we hear and observe the ability to listen even though we may not agree? Do we hear and observe people taking responsibility for their words and actions and admitting if they are wrong?. When we try and manage our lives on our own, it tells Jesus that we have chosen not to follow him. It means that we are trying to have power and control over our thoughts, words and actions and as a result we try and do the same thing over others. This is when we are vulnerable and will find it easier to listen to the serpent or dragon. The serpent or dragon is alive and active here on earth. They are always trying to tell us that we don’t need God’s help, that we have the power and control within ourselves to know and understand everything. This does not mean that God hasn’t given us abilities to understand many things and to be able to determine the truth. The serpent or dragon continues to spread evil with messages that are not in accordance with God’s will. When we are vulnerable and don’t search for the truth, we are allowing evil to come into our lives. In our country today, many of us would like to point fingers at specific people and say that they are evil. I would challenge us not to do that. Their words and actions may be evil. The truth is becoming more difficult to determine in words and actions. Today we are reminded that first of all our salvation is paid for by Jesus and we can rejoice. Also, that Jesus has defeated sin, death and the power of the devil. Unfortunately, this does not mean that we don’t have any work to do in this arena. It does mean that we are not alone in this battle of good and evil in our own lives and the life of our country. Evil lies in the shadows of our lives and our country. What is in the shadows needs to be revealed. This is where our work comes in, but not without asking the Holy Spirit to give us wisdom in trying to figure out truth from untruth. We have people and countries trying to keep the truth in the shadows. This is evil at work. Michael and the angels defeated the dragon in heaven. We have been given the power through Jesus to do it here. It takes more work to love than hate, it takes more work to look at people as neighbors and not enemies, it takes more work to listen to people that we may not agree with, and it takes more work to take responsibility for our words and actions. When we don’t do the work is when the serpent or dragon spreads evil and we can be colluding with them. With the power of Jesus, we can do the work to love our neighbors and discover the truth as we take responsibility for our words and actions and defeat evil as Michael and angels did. Let us pray, Hi God, when it comes to determining good and evil, we need your help. We know that truth is good, but it becomes more and more difficult to discern it. During this time in our country, we continue to come back to you and admit that we cannot do this on our own. You have given us the tools, your Word and your Son, Jesus has defeated evil. Today we bring our vulnerability to you and seek to hear your voice over the serpent/dragon’s voice that we may do your will. In Jesus’ name, Amen. /episode/index/show/faithlutheran/id/33252692

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