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.

Special Music - Precious Jesus 08/31/2025

Sermon - 8/31/25 08/31/2025

Sermon - 8/31/25 Year C – 12th Sunday after Pentecost; Lectionary 22 – August 31, 2025 Pastor Megan Floyd Proverbs 25:6-7a Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16 Luke 14:1, 7-14 Grace and peace to you from God, our Creator, and from Jesus, our Savior, who invites us to share in the gift of a meal, for which we can never repay. Amen. *** It is remarkable to me how often the Holy Spirit swirls around us with opportunities to practice the radical love that Jesus invites us into… And there are a couple of exciting ones that I’ll tell you about in a bit…. These opportunities were awesome when I first heard about them, but even more so after thinking about how they fit with our scripture today. The Spirit is feisty like that… I love it… but before I tell you about them… we need to talk about Jesus… and his lesson on table manners. Drawing from the old wisdom found in Proverbs, Jesus tells these Pharisees and leaders not to claim the most prestigious spot at the table, where you might have to lower yourself if someone higher in the social hierarchy arrives. But instead… choose the lowest spot, so that you might be honored when asked to move higher. “For all who exalt themselves will be humbled… and all who humble themselves will be exalted.” What Jesus leaves hanging in the air… is that if they intentionally choose the lowest spot… so that the host will honor them… choosing to humble themselves so that they may be exalted among others… then they have missed the point. …they have missed the point. The game of honor and shame… of social hierarchy and status… of being humbled or exalted before others… is not how the kingdom of God works. Jesus tells us to forego the shuffling around for status altogether and instead, invite those who cannot return the favor… to give to those who cannot give anything in return. Do not invite the elite of society to your dinner party. Instead, invite those whom our society pushes to the edges… the ones whom society would like to forget exist. Jesus’ word for us today… is to step away from the cultural expectation of social climbing and quid pro quo… to stop jockeying for status and prestige… Share a meal with those with whom no one else would dare share a meal … those who have no food to offer you in return. This is what Jesus himself did… time and time again… revealing to us the values of God’s kingdom. When you look upon those who have nothing to offer you… and recognize that in the eyes of God, you are equal… and you are both loved beyond measure… That is where God’s blessing is revealed… that is how we glimpse the face of God in our neighbor. Not by lording our status or privilege over them… but by recognizing that we are siblings through Christ. And just as I am reminded today of the radical hospitality that Jesus calls us to extend… I also remember that we are the ones who have nothing to offer… and yet, Jesus invites us to such a meal… We are the ones… whom Jesus has invited to come and share the meal of bread and wine… a meal that comes with the promised presence of our God, and the full and great cloud of witnesses from all time. We are the ones whom Jesus has invited to receive this incredible gift… for which we cannot ever repay, and for which we are only worthy to receive because Jesus has declared us to be worthy. We dine on such a meal almost every time we gather for worship… …and so, our Savior, Jesus Christ, is calling us to do for others, as he did for us… as Jesus continues to do for us. Jesus is inviting us to live in a completely different world within our culture… inviting us to embrace the values and ideals of God’s kingdom… inviting us to claim the blessing that is found by extending grace and hospitality to those whom others would just as soon forget. And to not only see ourselves as equal to them under God’s eyes… But to connect with them in such a way that their suffering becomes our suffering, their hunger becomes our hunger… their pain becomes our pain… so that together, we might break the causes of oppression, poverty, and harm. Because when our neighbor is suffering… it’s personal. It was counter-cultural then, and it is counter-cultural now… Jesus has been inviting us into something new, and something better… this whole time. Our text from Hebrews tells us to remember those in prison as if you were in prison… remember those being tortured as if you were being tortured. That’s a level of connection that most of us would rather avoid… Yet, we are urged not to keep those in need at arm’s length. They are our siblings in Christ, and God loves them as much as God loves us. This idea… completely topples the social hierarchy… and shreds the practice of jostling for the seat at the table that will earn you the most prestige. Invite those who cannot invite you in return… give to those who cannot repay your kindness. This kind of generosity… is the true source of God’s blessing. Still, I confess… that it’s easy to say… harder to do. However… we know that God’s Holy Spirit is with us on our faith journey, and this week was no exception. So, this is what I wanted to share with you… These opportunities seem Spirit-inspired. The first is something that our pantry team has been working on… they have been blessed with an abundance… and have been looking for ways to bless others beyond the visitors to our pantries… with that abundance. After much due diligence, they have connected with a group called Homeless Angels in Lansing. Every Sunday night, all year long, they serve a dinner in a park in Lansing where anyone can come and eat. The meals are sponsored by various organizations, and volunteers help serve the food. Along with the meal, they often have donated hygiene products and bags with non-perishable foods that folks can take with them. This is where our pantry team comes in. Out of their abundance, they will provide food items for our high schoolers to pack into easy-to-carry bags on September 21st, which is our first high school youth group night. Then, on Sunday, Sept. 28th, Gretchen and I will deliver the bags and stay to help serve the meal. We want to start building a relationship with this group and the neighbors they serve. …and by the way, this is an open invitation. If you’d like to join us, please do! Our hope is that our new High School Youth Group will be able to come and serve with this group at some point in the future. The other opportunity came from a conversation I had with Randy… he and Jamie volunteer at the Mission in Lansing on the fourth Thursday of every month. I know some of you have joined them from time to time… but Randy was telling me that they have moved into their new location… and now have the capacity to serve 300 at mealtimes. …and together, we lamented that there was a need to serve 300 at mealtimes. But the increased capacity means an increase in the need for volunteers to help serve those meals. And so here again… is another opportunity to serve and share a meal with those who cannot repay… These are both opportunities to share life with those whom Jesus would have given preference to… to share in their humanity. Jesus consistently gravitated toward those who were on the edges… toward those who are so pushed down that they couldn’t see the light. Jesus meets them in that space… and loves them… reminds them that they are beloved children of God… reminds them that they bear the image of God and they are worthy of God’s love. Jesus meets them… just as Jesus meets all of us wherever we are… and loves us… and calls us all to share God’s love… to share God’s invitation. And…. to give preference to those who cannot return the favor. For in doing so… in letting our guard down and allowing ourselves to share in the full humanity of our neighbor, whom God loves… Jesus knows that we will be blessed. Not because we have a higher place than them or a better seat at the table… or because we can congratulate ourselves on being so generous… that’s missing the point. We are blessed because when we look into their eyes, we glimpse the face of God. And the best news… The Holy Spirit will not stop showing up with opportunities for us to join in the work of bringing close God’s Kingdom. It’s an open invitation… so come to the party. Amen. /episode/index/show/faithlutheran/id/38039445

Special Music - Kum Ba Ya 08/24/2025

Sermon - 8/24/25 08/23/2025

Sermon - 8/24/25 Year C – 11th Sunday after Pentecost; Lectionary 21 – August 24, 2025 Pastor Megan Floyd Isaiah 58:9b-14 Luke 13:10-17 Grace and peace to you from God, our Creator, who commands us to honor a liberating Sabbath. Amen. *** One of my colleagues shared a frustrating story this week… she has two small children who sit on the floor near the front of their sanctuary, and they quietly color while she leads worship. They aren’t making any noise or hurting anyone. And the kids are actually paying attention… just like someone who knits a scarf during a meeting… they’re just not paying attention in the same way that some of the adults think is appropriate. So those adults are giving her a hard time about it… and they’ve even suggested that maybe she should tell her kids to go color in the narthex or the nursery. These adults would rather there be no kids in worship… than to tolerate what they consider to be… the disrespectful behavior of coloring while hearing about God. …it’s almost as if the leaders from the synagogue where Jesus was teaching are now members of my colleague’s church… and they still don’t get it. Now… I don’t mean to throw shade over her people… because none of us are without fault. That’s why we all need God’s grace and mercy. But what I hear in these texts today… from both Isaiah and the gospel, and from my colleague about her experience this past week… is that God’s people have been struggling to follow God’s commandments… for thousands of years. It’s not a new problem… but that’s not an excuse… because we are only hurting ourselves. How often have we given preference to rituals and traditions over radical hospitality and true welcome? How often have we opted for the appearance of righteousness instead of doing the work of true reflection, repentance, and change? …or opted for the appearance of clean and orderly city streets, sweeping away the problem… instead of addressing the system that created the problem? How often do we smooth over a wound or treat only the symptoms… instead of addressing the root cause of the illness? It’s not a new problem… this failure to follow God’s commandments… but we’re only hurting ourselves because, as Isaiah tells us, our joy and delight in the Lord… our joy and delight in this life… is connected to following these commandments… and to truly follow… we need each other. And we know this… we know this deep in our core… that this is true. God knows who we are… and knows what we need for a full and flourishing life. It’s already been given to us. But we’re stubborn. I want to give you some context for our text from Isaiah… it takes place after those who had been exiled to Babylon were allowed to return home and begin rebuilding Jerusalem and the temple. …so roughly 500 BCE If we had begun reading Isaiah 58 at verse 1, we would have heard that the people are frustrated because they have been fasting and crying out to God, but they feel God is ignoring them… Isaiah tells them that God is not ignoring them, but has, in fact, been paying very close attention… and is… not pleased. You see, they fast… while also committing injustice and abusing their workers, committing violence and causing harm to the poor and the oppressed. They give the appearance of humble worship on the sabbath… while looking only to their own interests. God… is not pleased… and declares… this is NOT the kind of fast I want! This is NOT how you honor the Sabbath! So… starting at Isaiah 58:6 [NET version], God declares… 6 This is the kind of fast I want: I want you to remove the sinful chains, to tear away the ropes of the burdensome yoke, to set free the oppressed, and then to break every burdensome yoke. 7 I want you to share your food with the hungry and to provide homes for the homeless, oppressed people. When you see someone naked, clothe them! 8 Then your light will shine like the sunrise, your restoration will quickly arrive; your godly behavior will go before you, and the Lord’s splendor will be your rear guard. 9 Then you will call out, and the Lord will respond; you will cry out, and the Lord will reply, ‘Here I am.’ That… that is the kind of fast our Lord desires… that is how we honor the Sabbath… not only today, but on all days… Not by worshiping our rituals and traditions… or by declaring that our sanctuaries are no place for creativity and color… We honor the Sabbath by doing our best to love others as God loves them… by loving them and working for their liberation in precisely the way that God and Jesus and the Spirit have been telling us since the time of Moses. We don’t honor the sabbath by rounding up the homeless and shipping them out to another place… we honor the sabbath by feeding and housing them… and freeing them from the burdensome yoke of poverty and oppression. That is Sabbath liberation! We don’t honor the Sabbath by locking away everyone who breaks the law, no matter how minor the infraction. We honor the Sabbath by addressing the systems that drive someone to be desperate enough to commit crimes. That is Sabbath liberation! In Deuteronomy, we hear that we are to keep and honor the Sabbath… to keep it holy… for you once were slaves in Egypt, and the Lord God freed you. The Sabbath is made for liberation… from toil, from bondage, from hunger… not only for us… but for all. But how easily we forget… in our gospel, Jesus freed that poor woman from her infirmity that kept her bent over for 18 long years. Jesus freed her from the infirmity that Satan used to keep her bound up and isolated from her community… alone and ashamed. And the religious leaders have the audacity to be indignant… they don’t get it… They cannot honor Sabbath liberation for themselves… while this woman, their neighbor, is still suffering under bondage. Our liberation… our true Sabbath liberation… is communal. And once we understand this… once we understand that, as Dr. Lilla Watson once said, “…your liberation is bound up with mine.” …only then does our true light shine… When we understand that our true Sabbath liberation is bound up with the liberation of the whole community… then … the Lord will guide us continually… Then… the Lord will provide for us even in parched places, and make our bones strong, and like a spring of water that never fails… When we understand that our true Sabbath liberation is communal… then we become repairers of broken walls… and restorers of livable streets. When we understand that our true Sabbath liberation is communal… Then our senses are awakened, and we recognize the work of the Holy Spirit in and through all the ways that neighbors are working together to put the needs of the full community ahead of their own selfish desires. Communities will be rebuilt, and areas that have been impoverished and deserted will flourish. Neighbors will know and care for each other for generations. Many in our culture today would call this some kind of woke, socialist agenda… but this way of living is much bigger than that… this way of living was God’s design for us from the beginning. When we do this… when we decide to trust the Lord, our God and really lean into what God desires for us… Then… our Sabbath liberation becomes a delight… and a joy. This is how God asks us to honor the Sabbath… by breaking the chains of oppression… and by not tolerating injustice. The results are the reward. But hear this, friends… the work of breaking the bonds of sin and injustice to bring about full and true Sabbath liberation… is ongoing work. God knows this… and we know it, too. And so, you must also observe Sabbath rest… a holy pause… a time to stop and reflect on all God has done, and dwell in the JOY of the Lord! You do not honor God by making your productivity an idol… or by forgetting that this work against injustice can only be accomplished together. You do not honor God by trying to do it all by yourself. The Lord, your God, commands you to take a holy pause… and notice that you, and those around you, are part of a community. So, as you rest from your labors, encourage others to rest, too. Make it possible for them to do so. Worship the Lord, your God, and give thanks for all God has done for you. And if it would help you to feel more relaxed and connected… you are more than welcome to sit up front here and color. Amen. _______________________________________________________________________ Dr. Lilla Watson (b. 1940) is a Murri (Indigenous Australian) artist, activist, and educator from Queensland, Australia. Her full quote is, “If you have come here to help me, you are wasting your time, but if you have come because your liberation is bound up with mine, then let us work together.” /episode/index/show/faithlutheran/id/37932715

Special Music – Shout To The Lord 08/18/2025

Sermon - 8/17/25 08/17/2025

Sermon - 8/17/25 Year C – 10th Sunday after Pentecost; Lectionary 20 – August 17, 2025 Pastor Megan Floyd Jeremiah 23:23-29 Luke 12:49-56 Grace and peace to you from God, our Creator, and from Jesus Christ, who guides our feet in the way of true and costly peace. Amen. *** So… this is a comforting gospel passage. The word of the Lord, everyone… Thanks be to God. These words from Jesus we have read today seem so contrary to Zechariah’s proclamation in the beginning of Luke, that Jesus will be the one “…to guide our feet in the way of peace.” (Luke 1:79)… They seem contrary to the words of comfort he offers his disciples… “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you…” (John 14:27) Why then… why… does he say here that he does not come to bring peace… but rather, he comes to bring division and fire to the earth? Why? …what happened to Jesus as our good and loving shepherd? …our strong vine… our bread of life? I love that Jesus… but I suppose… Jesus also said he is the way… and the truth… and the life. But following The Way… does not guarantee prosperity or health… following The Way of Christ does not ever guarantee that the path will be safe from outside harm. But if you value truth… and life… then the Way of Jesus is worth the earthly cost… it is worth the pain that can come when those you love… choose not to join you in your discipleship… …when they choose, rather, to cling to the systems of sin and oppression... to cling to hatred and bigotry… prejudice and violence… When they choose to cling to the very systems that Jesus came to destroy. Then yes… Jesus’ words will cause division. Just as the prophet Jeremiah proclaimed… “Is not my word like fire, says the Lord, and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?” (Jeremiah 23:29) Do you trust the Lord, your God, to break what needs to be broken? Do you trust the Lord, your God… to guide your feet in the way of costly peace? Do you trust the Lord, your God… to break open your heart… and set your heart ablaze with the fire of the Holy Spirit? Do you trust your Creator? “I have come to cast fire upon the earth, and how I wish it were already ablaze!” (Luke 12:49) These… are challenging words… but the Good News of Jesus Christ should challenge us… The Good News of Jesus Christ should provoke us to break down the walls of sin and shame that we cling to… The Good News of Jesus Christ must break us open so that the dawn from on high will shine upon us… and love… true love… God’s true life-giving love… can grow. Jesus knew… that this Good News… was worth dying for… surely for us, it is worth the discomfort of being re-cast… re-molded… re-formed by God’s love. Have you ever watched an artist blow glass? …whenever I have had the opportunity to witness this art, I am captivated. It requires training, skill, and strength… an artist’s eye for color, shape, and detail… and a willingness to work with materials that could destroy them… molten glass… and raging fire. And yet, the artist knows that by pulling together all the broken pieces and subjecting them to the fire… and then by using the very breath from their own lungs… something new and beautiful will be made. Still… nearly every time I have watched glass blowing, I have seen them also break the glass. Sometimes on purpose because it wasn’t working out like the artist intended… and sometimes it just happens. Sometimes, after hours of sweat and toil and love and care… the creation falls away and breaks. And the artist, too, is shattered… but broken glass… is part of the art that is glass blowing. Broken pieces… are part of the process of creating. Broken pieces are not the goal in glass blowing… they are a byproduct… Just as division… is not Jesus’s goal or purpose… but division will happen because of his mission. Jesus’ mission is to let the fires of God’s justice burn… a refining fire that turns over our systems of sin and oppression… turns over our world, and upsets hierarchies we’d rather keep intact… And for those who cling to and benefit from sinful systems… who cling to and benefit from inequality and exploitation… Jesus brings a hammer to break them into pieces. But for those who are oppressed… hungry… exploited… victims of violence, discrimination, and abuse… Jesus brings a word of liberation and …peace. The peace that Jesus brings… is a life-changing peace… a truth-telling peace… It is a peace that breaks us open, so that we might be made new… refined by the fire of God’s justice… and redeemed by God’s love. And… we are ALL called into this saving peace through our savior, Jesus. But make no mistake… this is not a passive or gentle peace. It is not, in the words of Martin Luther King, Jr., “…a negative peace, which is the absence of tension…” What Jesus calls us into is “…a positive peace, which is the presence of justice.” It’s the kind of peace that comes when every mouth is fed… the kind of peace that comes when children are safe at school… the kind of peace that comes when tyrants are torn from their throne… the kind of peace that comes when all of God’s children, no matter their color or gender or identity, can live and grow and thrive, free from persecution. Lord, “…let the fires of your justice burn… wipe away all tears, for the dawn draws near…” And he said… “I have come to cast fire upon the earth, and how I wish it were already ablaze!” (Luke 12:49) I said at the outset that these words seem contrary to Zechariah’s proclamation in the beginning of Luke, that Jesus will be the one “…to guide our feet in the way of peace.” (Luke 1:79)… But …we often forget to include the line before it… verse 78… “By the tender mercy of our God… the dawn from on high will break upon us, to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death …to guide our feet in the way of peace.” (Luke 1:78-79) The dawn will break upon us to give light to those who sit in darkness and in the shadow of death. Perhaps Jesus’ words for us today… are not so contrary after all. For God’s word and God’s promises come to us all… and it is joyfully good news to those who are oppressed… And for those who prefer a negative peace… who prefer the mere appearance of peace while others suffer… then God’s word is a refining fire… But a refining fire can purify and make new… so indeed… Jesus’ words are good news… if… if we are willing to be challenged. Jesus’ words are good news… if we are willing to be provoked… if we are willing to sit in the discomfort of knowing that we have contributed to systems built on sin. But God’s word can make us new… God’s word can make ALL of us… new. So trust the Lord, your God, to break what needs to be broken… Trust the Lord, your God… to guide your feet in the way of costly peace… Trust the Lord, your God… to break you open and set your heart ablaze with the fire of the Holy Spirit… Trust your Creator… and know that real peace… the real peace that Jesus died for… is, for you… and it’s worth living for. So let our prayers, both spoken and in song, be honest and true… Receive our prayers, O God, as we call out to you to break open our hearts… and bring us face to face with the fire of your justice. And we give you thanks, O Creator God, for your promise to pick up the pieces of our broken selves… and re-mold us into something beautiful… something crafted to shine your love upon others. We trust you, O God, we trust you with our lives. Amen. _______________________________________________________________________ Written with gratitude for the theology and commentary of Debie Thomas. (2019) MLK quote taken from “Letter from Birmingham Jail.” (1963) /episode/index/show/faithlutheran/id/37856445

Special Music - How Can I Keep From Singing 08/10/2025

Sermon - 8/10/25 08/10/2025

Sermon - 8/10/25 Year C – 9th Sunday after Pentecost; Lectionary 19 – August 10, 2025 Pastor Megan Floyd Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16 Luke 12:32-40 Grace and peace to you from our Lord, Jesus Christ, and from God, our Creator, in whose faithfulness we trust. Amen. *** “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1) Faith… is our trust that God is faithful… our trust that God is good for what God promises… it is our trust that Jesus really meant it when he said, “it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” (Luke 12:32) Faith… is not certainty… it’s an act of holy listening to what the Holy Spirit is whispering to you… and then responding accordingly… it’s an act of holy acknowledgment of the nudges felt deep in your gut… and then going where you feel the Spirit guiding you. Even when we don’t know the outcome… when we can’t see the final destination of the journey… we go anyway… Faith is not certainty… it’s trusting that God’s got you… that God loves you… and that God delights in providing for you. This past week, I met an amazing woman named Mona… and after talking with her for a long time, I learned that she knows many of you, too. Mona exudes joy …and hope for all that her life has been and what it will be… and gratitude to God for it all. Her energy just… sparkled! She came to the United States as an immigrant from Namibia when she was only a teenager. I’m not the best at guessing ages, but she might be around my age now. While I didn’t catch the specifics of why she needed to immigrate, I heard in her story the struggle her family faced when it became plain that sending her to the US… far away from everything she’d known… was the best solution. They trusted that God would be with her through it all… that no matter what, she was cradled by the Spirit. I gathered that she was sponsored by Samaritas, and she said that her father told her… whenever you find yourself in trouble, go to the Lutherans… the Lutherans will help you. …I love that part, obviously… But sure enough… that’s what she’s done, and that’s how she has come to know so many of you here! Mona told me that Ceclia helped her with her green card paperwork, and she checked in with Pr. Ellen many times. She was excited to share that she’s graduated summa cum laude from LCC and is going to start at Cooley Law School this winter. She’s also just started a job at a hotel that she loves and will be able to work around her class schedule. She is in a really good place and she’s excited for life… but more than anything, she gives glory and praise to God for it all… Her joy comes from trusting God’s presence in her life, for guiding her when she didn’t know if her needs would be met… and living every day according to God’s will. Her witness was a beautiful testament to her faith in God’s promise for us all… And… she makes it look easy! The honest truth is, that when you live as close to daily struggle and hardship as it sounded like she does, there is little confusion as to the source of all good things… the source of our daily bread. God really does show up in profound ways when we’re paying attention! But for those who live with a fair amount of comfort… it is much easier to confuse God’s provision with our own resourcefulness… It’s easier to ignore the nudging of the Spirit to follow God’s way of caring for others, and instead, go our own way that cares only for ourselves. Like the parable from last week, we are tempted to stockpile our resources… our abundance… to ensure that no matter what, OUR needs will be met… but the only way to create such a stockpile… is to ignore the needs of all those around us. And yet… Jesus shows up and brings good news… Have no fear, he says… release your anxiety! For it is God’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom. Do not be afraid! The one who created you… delights in caring for you. Now hear this… a flock is not an individual… the “you” in this assurance from Jesus is plural. It is God’s good pleasure to give you, as a people… as a community… to give you and all your neighbors… the full body of Christ… to give you all the kingdom. And Jesus also tells us how this will be achieved… but we tend to skip over that part. Don’t get me wrong, though… this isn’t about receiving salvation… we are not responsible for earning our own salvation or redemption… for that is what Jesus has already done for us. But we do, however, have a responsibility… our lives need to be ready to receive the good gifts that God offers, and the sooner the better! …because the gifts are so good! The kingdom of God is not an afterlife eventuality… it is something God is building here and now, with us, inviting us in as co-creators for God’s glory! So then… Have no fear, for it is God’s good pleasure to give us the kingdom, and Jesus then tells us how we are to receive this gift… …Sell your possessions and give alms to the poor… build up your treasure by building up those in need! Build up your treasure… by building up those whom Jesus consistently favors… Build up your treasure… by building up those who are cast out… by building up those who are sick… by building up those who are alone… those who are hungry… those who are strangers in a foreign land. Build up your treasure… by directing your heart toward those whom Jesus favors… time and time again throughout scriptures… Build up your treasure… by building a full and diverse community where all have their needs met, including you! …where all are valued and where all are loved. THAT is the kingdom of God… and where your treasure is… there your heart will be. Your heart. It’s not really about your treasure… although for your neighbor in need, it kind of is… but your treasure is both a means to an end… and something that can get in between you and God… Giving of your treasure is how you train yourself to pay attention… it’s how you train your heart to care… it’s how you actively engage with the fullness of the community around you. So it’s not as much about your treasure… as it is about your heart… your love… Jesus wants your heart. Giving of your treasure… is how we train our hearts to go where our human nature wouldn’t normally go. Our human nature is to look at our resources and see scarcity, and to feed our anxiety by storing up our treasure in earthly containers. But in God’s kingdom… we look out at our resources and see an abundance, enough to feed all who are hungry, and in our sharing, we are richly blessed. So have no fear! Trust in God, your Creator, for it is God’s good pleasure to give us the kingdom… and here is how we are to receive such a splendid gift… …by letting go of our fear… by becoming more like Mona… By trusting that God will continue to provide, and God will continue to guide us each day to those we can share our life with and build our community with… so we can delight in the ways that we bless each other, each according to their gifts… …in the promised and ever-unfolding kingdom of God. Our God delights in you… delights in providing for you… and God is delighted when we figure out how to receive God’s blessing for us. For it is God’s good pleasure to give us the kingdom. So trust in the promises and provision of the Lord, your God… and have no fear. Amen. /episode/index/show/faithlutheran/id/37750925

Special Music - Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel 08/03/2025

Sermon - 8-3-25 08/03/2025

Sermon - 8-3-25 Eighth Sunday after Pentecost August 3, 2025 Faith, Okemos Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14, 2:18-23, Psalm 49:1-12, Colossians 3:1-11, Luke 12:13-21 Living Under the Sun, Living from Above Grace to you and peace… [Please take a few deep breaths. This will be a difficult sermon to hear, but I ask you to wait with me for the precious good news at the end…] Vanity of vanities, says the Teacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity… it is an unhappy business that God has given to human beings to be busy with. I saw all the deeds that are done under the sun; and see, all is vanity and a chasing after the wind… What do mortals get from all the toil and strain with which we toil under the sun? For all their days are full of pain, and their work is a vexation; even at night their minds do not rest. This also is vanity. [There is nothing better for mortals than to eat and drink, and find enjoyment in their toil. This also, I saw is from the hand of God…] Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14, 2:22-24 In an email sent from Kalea on Wednesday, I invited you to read the entire book of Ecclesiastes. It is a sobering, largely dark assessment of the human story “under the sun.” If you had time to read it, I like to take a couple of minutes now to hear a sampling of your reactions… I think of the tens of thousands in our country whose jobs have been either completely eliminated or made more burdensome. I think of those trying to support themselves and/or their families but are paid far from sufficiently for their work, whose days, in the words of the Teacher, “are full of pain, and their work is a vexation.” Maybe you, like me, remember projects in which you passionately spent countless hours and perhaps a fair amount of money, all to see them either immediately or eventually go up in smoke. And don’t we see in our own day the erosion of hard-fought protections for the poorest among us or for the people in Gaza or for the well-being of Earth itself? I remember Dr. Leupold, an Old Testament professor at our seminary in Columbus, who reminded us of the importance of the phrase “under the sun.” For him that was key to understanding the darkness and seemingly endless repetition, generation after generation, of the quest for power and the presence of insatiable greed. [Historians don’t have to look far to see the parallels of the rich getting richer and poor getting poorer throughout our 250 years as a nation and throughout the thousands of years of the lives and deaths of countless empires, nations, and kingdoms.] So the perspective and wisdom of the Teacher in Ecclesiastes. Which perspective is then enriched by Jesus’ story of the rich man in our gospel for today. Jesus said: Take care! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; for one’s life does not consist in the abundance of possessions. For the rich man, life under the sun was going great. And yet. as Jesus told them this story [here in the Message translation often read in our Tuesday Bible Studies]: The farm of a certain rich man produced a terrific crop. He talked to himself: ‘What can I do? My barn isn’t big enough for this harvest.’ Then he said, ’Here’s what I’ll do: I’ll tear down my barns and build bigger ones. Then I’ll gather in all my grain and goods, and I’ll say to myself. “Self, you’ve done well! You’ve got it made and can now retire. Take it easy and have the time of your life!” Just then God showed up and said, ‘Fool! Tonight you die. And your barnful of goods – who gets it?’ That’s what happens when you fill your barn with Self and not with God.” Or this last thought in the words in the NRSV translation (in our bulletin): So it is with those who store up treasures for themselves but are not rich toward God. Next Sunday you will hear these further precious words of Jesus: 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. Make purses for yourselves that do not wear out, an unfailing treasure in heaven… All of which is to say, in Jesus all is not vanity, all is not a chasing after the wind! Which then takes us to our Second Reading from Colossians 3, words which call us to a live this vexing life above the sun. These words in Colossians don’t deny how hard and painful and empty and lonely and, yes, how finite is our life on Earth, our life under the sun. The Teacher in Ecclesiastes counsels a little relief in seizing the moment [Carpe Diem] doing your best to find a measure of enjoyment in your work, in drink… in your eating… But hear again these words: Set your minds on things that are above, not on things that are on earth, for you have died, and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ who is your life is revealed, the you also will be revealed with him in glory. What does that mean, “you have died”? For me that means that in Jesus who died for me, my life is much more than my possessions, whether small or great, cheap or very expensive. My life is not about fulfilling my bucket list before I die. I have already died. My eternal life with God and with all his children has already begun, made sure for us in the gift of holy baptism. That’s how powerful is his death on cross for me and for you and for all of creation. So, the Teacher in writing the book of Ecclesiastes was only partly right. Life is filled with vanity, [we might say ‘so full of s_t’]. But it is so much more than that. Hidden in the midst of our trials and tribulations, in our sorrows and in our fleeting happy moments with a drink and a little food to eat, is this gracious, wonderful gift of life from above. Together with our siblings in Christ and with others of goodwill who do not yet recognize him as their Lord, we get to live an amazing life given to us from above. For me that life is experienced in daily gratitude for the beauty of the Earth and for all who dwell therein. I’m enriched these days by the sight of countless fields of corn and soybeans, of the gladiolas in our backyard, of the swaying trees, taking in tons of excess CO2 and giving back an abundance of O2. And I think of countless very real people, including you all, who enrich my life and lift me up when I get down or hyper-critical or self-centered, when I’m like the rich man who thought only about himself. But when our old under-the-sun-self seeks to smother our gratitude for this life from above, when that self tries to make us forget the grace-filled eternal life that Jesus won for us, the Holy Spirit, who may be especially present in the moments we need to take for quiet reflection, will prompt us to put to death that old self filled with greed and lies and malice and abusive language. Martin Luther called it “daily dying” a needful daily discipline putting to death our old self and receiving the precious gift of a new, risen life from above, putting on the clothing of compassion, kindness, humility, quiet strength, and patience. I invite you to repeat after me: In Jesus’ name I put to death my old self And, in Jesus’ name, with a grateful heart, I receive today a new, risen life. Amen. /episode/index/show/faithlutheran/id/37655050

Sermon - 7/20/25 07/20/2025

Sermon - 7/20/25 Year C – 6th Sunday after Pentecost; Lectionary 16 – July 20, 2025 Pastor Megan Floyd Luke 10:38-42 Colossians 1:15-28 Grace and peace to you from our Lord, Jesus Christ, who is our center and our focus. Amen. *** Martha… Martha… Martha… Poor Martha gets a bad rap from this story… but I understand her, and I bet you do too… especially if you’re an older sister or sibling. The text doesn’t explicitly say who is the older sister… but I think anyone who knows sisters knows… that she’s the older one. She has welcomed the traveling Jesus into her home and is bustling away at all the many tasks of hosting, while her sister sits at his feet, not lifting a finger… just listening… ugh!! Oh Martha… You know the stories that make us cringe… this is one of them for me… which tells me there is something in here that I need to pay attention to. Before we get into it, though, there are some interesting things I’d like to point out… The first is that we tend to harmonize our four gospels… and what I mean… is that in our remembering, we tend to blend the information between them, rather than remember the specifics between each of the gospel authors. There’s nothing wrong with that… after all, that’s how we tell the full story of Jesus’ birth! But it also means that when we hear a story about Martha and Mary, we might immediately remember that Lazarus, whom Jesus raised from the dead, had two sisters… Martha and Mary… and they lived in Bethany. Except that Luke never mentions Lazarus… nor does Luke write that Jesus is passing through Bethany. What he writes is… “Now as they went on their way, he entered a certain village, where a woman named Martha welcomed him into her home. If they were sisters to Lazarus, or any other male, it would have been his home… but no… this is Martha’s house. And that right there is something to notice… Jesus could have chosen nearly any other home in this certain village, where the host of the home would have been a man. That would have been expected and proper… but Jesus chooses to honor the home of two single women. And then… we hear that sister Mary is sitting at Jesus’ feet, listening to what he was saying and learning from him. She is wholly focused on Jesus. But women weren’t usually given this preferred place of discipleship… and yet, Jesus chose her… he teaches her. And Martha… poor Martha… Martha was doing what anyone at that time would have expected of her… she was busy in the kitchen and distracted by all the tasks of entertaining company. We’ve talked about hospitality in the ancient world before… Martha was offering hospitality to these travelers who had come to her home. So even with these seemingly small details, we can take note… Jesus is, once again, turning things upside down and breaking down barriers. So given the entirety of this situation… when I read his rebuke of Martha… I hear him speaking to her in a loving and warm tone. He may be telling her that Mary has made the better choice, but I hear him speaking in a loving way… inviting her to consider that he’s not your typical guest. He tells her… she is worried and distracted by many things, but right in that moment… with Jesus in her home… there is need of only one thing… Him. I so… resonate with this story. I find it so easy to get caught up in details and plans that I can forget what the goal was at the start. And I know faith communities are not immune to this… we gather here in the name of Christ, but how often do congregations get wrapped up in unnecessary details? We’ve only just begun our time together… you and me… but I know at some point, this will come up because it’s a completely human thing to have happen… We’ll get sidetracked and distracted by details, and we will need to remember that Jesus is why we gather for worship and study, Jesus is why we give of our time and our treasure, and Jesus is why we serve. The focus of our mission here… is simple… it’s Jesus. So… as you all know, we just concluded a very fun week of VBS. We had a small group of kids… and a wonderfully large group of older youth and adults who showed up to volunteer. They busied themselves in the kitchen, preparing our dinner and cleaning up afterward, and they planned bible lessons, crafts, and games. All so that our small group of little kids would feel surrounded by love and support as they learned about Jesus! …Jesus was our mission. By those counts, it was a very successful week! These folks all showed up ready to serve… just like Martha served… except their focus was on Jesus… just like Mary. You see… I don’t think Jesus was telling Martha that her tasks were bad… I think he was telling her that her focus was off. She was focused on her tasks instead of being focused on him. Jesus doesn’t say that serving others is bad… keep in mind that immediately before he comes to Martha and Mary’s home, he has just told a lawyer that serving your neighbor in love is how we serve and honor God. Serving is good… and learning is good… So it’s not what you are doing… It’s why you are doing it. Why do you serve… study… sing… worship? What is your motivation? I do these things… and I think you do too… because we follow Jesus, and we know that giving time and space in our lives for Jesus changes the way we interact with the world. Love… changes how we interact. When we remember that Jesus is the image of the invisible God, and through him, all things on heaven and earth were created… and that in him, all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, and that through him, God was pleased to reconcile all things back to God. When we remember all this… and that the great mystery of it all… is that Jesus Christ dwells in each of us… because of love… we are changed… transformed! Jesus is calling us to himself, and Jesus is the better part of anything we can do… because Jesus knows that if we allow the love of Christ to be central in our lives… then the world will never be the same. And so, we rejoice! We rejoice with Martha and Mary… with Peter, James, and John… With Pheobe and Lydia… with Paul and Barnabas… We rejoice with all those who have come before us in the faith, and all who will come to Christ after… We rejoice that Jesus Christ is our focus… no matter the shape of our ministry in this world… be it cooking, nursing, driving, feeding, cleaning, studying, praying, singing silly songs with kids… or any number of other ways we can show love in this world… We rejoice that Christ is at the center of it all… the truest source of love, and our reason for being. Amen. /episode/index/show/faithlutheran/id/37473740

Special Music - Confidence 07/20/2025

Sermon - 7-13-25 07/16/2025

Sermon - 7-13-25 If I were a betting person....I would wager a large amount of money that the sermons considered at the end of this past week, are not the sermons considered at the beginning of this past week. Nine preachers out of ten, I’d wager, would have preached this week’s parable of the Good Samaritan as a morality tale. And, frankly, I think that’s just fine. It does, after all, reflect a profound example of how we are to treat each other, regarding a “neighbor” not merely as someone who is close to us or looks like us or believes like us, but rather anyone who is in need. Given the political and cultural tone of society, and human inclination to perceive anyone different as something of a threat, even at the beginning of the week, it would have been a good message to preach and to hear... But this is not the sermon I was working on earlier in the week...because I am called to preach the good news of Jesus Christ...and speak truth to the reality of the world in which we live… which frankly, the best, most generous description I can come up with for the world these days is troubled. This sermon may be uncomfortable to hear...it's uncomfortable to preach...but Jesus did not die so that we might be comfortable...Jesus died so that we might have abundant life, that we might learn to love the Lord our God and our neighbor, that we might know what it truly means to show mercy to another child of God...that we might be willing to get down and dirty in the ditch, like the Samaritan, and share that abundant life... The end of the gospel reading is key... 'Go and do likewise' the good Samaritan sees the person in the ditch, draws near to him and has compassion for that person... We could all stand to do the same... and a note here....when I say we, I am not meaning only the people right here in this room, but society in general...so please know that I am not trying to single anyone out, and I am also trying to convict myself as much as anyone else. We need to see our neighbors much more clearly than ever before...and by neighbor, I mean every single person on this planet...We don't get to pick and chose who our neighbors are, because everyone is... and especially the people you, I, we, are leery of or question if they deserve to be noticed, or the ones you know will cause you a headache if you take the time to acknowledge their presence... Too many men and women in the ditch have died... too many people we have ignored have had their lives tragically cut short...too many people have to worry about what will happen to them because of the color of their skin, or the gender of the people they love...too many police officers, and other emergency personnel have to wonder if they are going to make it home because of their job. As much as I would like to imagine myself as the good Samaritan or a few times I feel like even the person in the ditch, far, far, far too easily I comfortably take on the roll of the priest or the Levite. I wonder how many times I have looked into that ditch, saw a person lying there, and chose to keep right on going...far too many times to count if I am honest...and I would wager the same for all of you. For you see, that is part of our privilege...we can ignore whatever is lying in the ditch because like the priest and the Levite, if we help, we will not be able to do what we planned...or we will be late for our job, or we don't have the skills to help or we think someone else will be along soon to help...or it's simply not our problem, and we shouldn't get involved. All of that may be true, but it is my supposition that when we ignore that person in the ditch, we are ignoring our brother or sister...when we ignore that person in the ditch, we are saying whatever happened to them is tragic, and perhaps even wrong, but there is nothing we can do about it. When we ignore that person in the ditch we avoid being vulnerable to being hurt ourselves...because often times that pain and anguish is simply overwhelming...and perhaps that's the key...the priest and the Levite, ignored the man in the ditch because ultimately, they didn't want to deal with the turmoil of emotions and life going on within themselves... and look where that has gotten us...It seems more and more the news is filled with tragic, horrific events...Ones that make me heartsick...and ones that will all too soon be forgotten by most of us, until the next tragic event.... How many people do we have to see, and ignore, and keep walking by until we are stuck by so much mercy and justice and compassion that we truly fill the role we have imagined ourselves in all this time... How much longer will we spend trying to point fingers, trying to blame others, until we catch a glimpse in the water in the ditch and see ourselves reflected in the tears and pain of our neighbor, and decide enough is enough. If this perpetual cycle of violence, racism and hatred is to ever end, we must begin to be the ones who show mercy, who show love, who live in to the title of Christian we all claim...it's time to roll up our sleeves and get in the ditch. It's time to go and go likewise... I know it's overwhelming....I know it's painful...I know we all think that someone else will do a better job...I know none of us want to put ourselves out there in a way that opens us up to being hurt...but what is happening in this country and this world simply can't continue... Jesus chose an outcast in society, a Samaritan, to make his point and teach the lawyer... Surely Jesus can do something good Samaritan like through you and me.... and so if you have made it this far, and are still trying to listen with an open heart, perhaps you are thinking What Now? How do I make a difference? Where do even begin? It can begin with trying to see things a different way...since part of this story is all about race…a Samaritan, a Levite, and a priest, all of whom did not mix for fear of many things…perhaps acknowledging BlackLivesMatter has a point... Yes, I know, ALL lives matter...and we ALL are children of Gods..., but our black/brown siblings have had and continue to have a much rougher path in a whole host of ways than our white siblings... and racism and privilege are still very much alive and well today, as much as we wish they weren't. We are not that many generations removed from a whole host of brothers and sisters being considered 3/5 of a person...The Klan is still operating under the guise of being a Christian organization...because of my white skin, my parents never had to have a conversation with me about the extra specifics of how I should act if I am pulled over by police. These ditches need to be acknowledged, to be talked about, and not ignored. and on the flip side of the same hand, we need to acknowledge that the vast majority of police officers go to work each day solely to serve and protect the communities in which they are assigned. They want to help people, bring justice to the oppressed, protect the vulnerable, promote peace, keep us all safe and generally make life more livable. Police are not out to get us or anyone, and simply want to return to their families safe and sound after their shift. Beyond seeing things a different way, it's the simple interactions we have with people that make all the difference. Say thank you to the police, even if they are writing you a ticket for something. Treat them with respect, notice and acknowledge they are children of god, our brothers and sisters. When I went on a ride along with the Detroit Police Department while in seminary....an officer had been shot the night before in same area I had the ride along...beyond several high speed chases and one arrest, the most memorable part of that night was the number of people that flagged down the car and inquired about the officer, offering thoughts and prayers and reminding the officers I was with to be safe as well... God often shows up where we least expect God to be. No one would have ever predicted God's glory to be shown in a man on a cross or an outcast walking down a road. No one imagines the power of God being revealed through vulnerability, and craziness... But that is exactly what happened... And so God through Jesus is revealed in the actions of a Samaritan in a ditch with a person others saw and walked by. And so too, God, through Jesus and the Holy Spirit, can be revealed in the actions of ordinary, overwhelmed, tired of the world, you and me... We simply have to take a step toward that ditch, to show a glimpse of love, kindness and mercy towards our brothers and sisters in the midst of hate, destruction and fear... It is risky, and scary, and a lot of hard work, no doubt, but God is right here with us, practically begging us to not only notice, but not ignore our neighbor... This was the case 2000 years ago with a lawyer and a story about a man in a ditch, a priest, a Levite, and a Samaritan. Seems to me it is the case today as well...with you and me...God can and will do great things with our inadequate words and actions...with our acknowledgement of broken systems, with our unwillingness to let violence be our legacy and with each and every step, no matter how small, we take toward the ditch of our broken neighbors. Do this and we will live. Sin, brokenness, and hatred will not have the final word. God's love, mercy and justice will prevail. Amen /episode/index/show/faithlutheran/id/37426805

Special Music - Seek Ye First 07/14/2025

Sermon - 7/6/25 07/05/2025

Sermon - 7/6/25 Year C – 4th Sunday after Pentecost; Lectionary 14 – July 6, 2025 Pastor Megan Floyd Luke 10:1-11, 16-20 Galatians 6:1-16 Grace and peace to you from our Lord, Jesus Christ, who includes us in the mission of bringing forth the kingdom of God. Amen. *** Hospitality is a big deal. My mother took hospitality very seriously and impressed the importance of it upon me from an early age. I can remember going over to other people’s homes and being instructed ahead of time to be polite, say please and thank you… and, no matter what, do not complain about what is served for dinner. You eat it… and you say thank you. If we wandered out of line, all it took was a look… you know… the look… I came to understand that both extending and receiving hospitality are how we honor each other. Even if we don’t typically use that language for it, it remains an unspoken truth in our culture. Hospitality is still a big deal today, but in ancient times… hospitality was a matter of life and death. There weren’t many places we would equate to a modern hotel or restaurant, so travelers had to rely on the hospitality of extended family… or even strangers for food, shelter, and protection. And those travelers who had no money or bag, no extra food, no clothing, or shoes… well, they were especially vulnerable… especially in need. And yet, this is exactly how Jesus sends out his messengers. Vulnerable and in need… Like lambs into the midst of wolves… go, he says,… and take nothing except the good news that the kingdom of God is near. Go into a place, and extend your peace… if it is received, you will know that the soil of their hearts is good soil, ready to receive the good news of Jesus… If you show up with nothing but your need and your hunger, and you are still welcomed… then they are ready to be transformed by the inbreaking of God’s kingdom. …and if not… if you are rejected… then just move on. You’ve lost nothing, so shake off the dust and continue on your journey. God will deal with them later, but you, o messenger of Jesus… you keep going. Jesus sends them out like lambs among wolves… to go into a strange land and show up on a stranger’s doorstep with nothing but their thirst and their hunger… with nothing but their need for care. Jesus is tilling the soil for the seed of his message… but it’s also a test of hospitality. Will they be received, or will they be turned away? Will these strangers who show up in need be welcomed and offered food, or will they be detained in cages and subjected to threats and abuse? The lectionary skips some verses in today’s passage… some pretty harsh verses… skipping them makes it more palatable, especially for the preacher. But I think we need to go there… Verse 12 says… “I tell you, on that day it will be more tolerable for Sodom than for that town.” The story of Sodom has become twisted around bias and prejudice, so let me remind you of the basics of that story… The story of Sodom is a story of angels who show up at night as strangers in a strange place, planning to spend the night in the town square. Lot meets them at the city gate, and urges them to stay in his home, under his protection. Later, the men of the town surround the house… with a plan for gang violence and the worst kinds of abuse. The inhospitality of Sodom when strangers come into town… layered with cruelty and violence… the utter dehumanization of these strangers… this… this is what brings forth God’s wrath. And this… this is the potential danger the disciples might face, and the seriousness of their mission… but the message must go out. The kingdom of God is near! …and the world will never be the same. Jesus sends his disciples out, intentionally vulnerable… intentionally in need… intentionally relying on the hospitality of strangers… He sends them out to find the good soil… to find those who are ready to be transformed by Jesus. But for those who reject them… for those who cannot see past the disciples’ need… their hunger… for those who see these strangers as a burden too great for their communities to bear… It will be more tolerable for Sodom than for them. Hospitality is a big deal, and no one takes it more seriously than God. But my friends… despair is not an option. We are to shake off the dust, and continue in the mission of sharing the good news of Jesus Christ… We are to continue in the mission of participating in the inbreaking of God’s kingdom, for the kingdom of God IS NEAR! Despair is not an option, because the kingdom of God is near and it is beautiful and full of love… and because I know your hearts are indeed the kind of good soil that welcomes strangers… I know you are helping to bring that beautiful kingdom closer. This community is very clearly the kind of community that welcomes strangers… the poor, the hungry, the immigrant… you welcome them as siblings in Christ… and you honor them by extending hospitality… And in this way, you further Jesus’ mission on earth, and share God’s love here… as it is in heaven. But there’s more to the mission… Jesus urges us to continue in this way… but he also urges us to tell our story of how sharing God’s love through radical welcome and hospitality has transformed our lives. The disciples were sent as lambs among wolves… but then and now, we know not everyone is ready to receive God’s word. They will reject it… and that rejection may come with threats or even violence. The message of Jesus has the power to change the world… the power to turn everything upside down… and well… most people don’t typically like change… especially those in power. We can reasonably expect a swell of resistance against Jesus’s message, particularly because following in the way of Christ disrupts power and privilege. But we must keep going… keep sharing the good news… keep following in the way of Christ. Paul writes in the letter to the Galatians, verse 2, we are to “bear one another’s burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ.” …and verse 10, “whenever we have an opportunity, let us work for the good of all…” not of some… but of all. I rejoice… that this community knows that bearing one another’s burdens doesn’t mean we reject the stranger, and only bear the burdens of those who look and think like us… And I rejoice… that this community knows that working for the good of all people does not mean working for the good of only the wealthy and powerful, but in fact, means emphasizing those whose needs are greater so that in the end, all will be cared for. Our country seems to be pushing back against this way of Christ… it has become unpopular to care for the poor, the sick, the stranger, and the immigrant… and so, those of us who cling to Jesus’ mission must hold fast. Despair is not an option… instead, I invite you to rejoice with me in the good news of Jesus, and let your joy in Christ be an act of defiance against the cruelty of this world. Rejoice that we are invited into the mission of following the will of Christ and bringing close the kingdom of God, here on earth as it is in heaven. Rejoice in the love for our neighbor that is shared when we extend and receive hospitality with strangers. Rejoice in the furthering of Jesus’ message when we either hear or tell stories of transformation through Christ. Rejoice when we care for the poor, the sick, the hungry, the prisoner, or anyone in need… and rejoice if we find we were the ones in need and received that same care and provision from others. My friends, the kingdom of God is near… because Jesus Christ is near. And Jesus is both calling us in… and sending us forth… to tell the good news of what God has done for us… to tell our story of how God’s love has transformed our lives. We are called to extend love, care, and hospitality to strangers, and to participate in the bringing close of God’s kingdom. It might be a bumpy road, but do not despair, for the kingdom of God is near, and in that we can rejoice. Amen. /episode/index/show/faithlutheran/id/37292095

Sermon - 6/29/25 06/30/2025

Sermon - 6/29/25 Third Sunday after Pentecost June 29, 2025 Faith, Okemos I Kings 19:15-16, 19-21. Psalm 16, Galatians 5:1, 13-25[26], Luke 9:52-62 The apostle Paul wrote, I have been crucified with Christ; and it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. Galatians 2:20 …it is no longer I who live, but it is Christ who lives in me… [And these words from Paul’s letter to the church in Rome: 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…So you must also consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus. Romans 6:3-4, 11] As I was preparing this week for a small group study of the life and writings of Dietrich Bonhoeffer, I thought a lot about his vocation as a pastor in Germany in the 1930’s and 40’s, about his participation in the escalating resistance to Hitler’s Nazi regime. Dietrich came to believe that Christ truly lived in him and that Christ Jesus living in him did battle with the forces of darkness within his own soul and within the soul of the nation he deeply loved. My brothers and sisters, I believe that Jesus living in Dietrich also lives in now each of us. Know that in our restlessness and fear in this troubling time, Jesus is doing battle in and with us against our leanings toward despair and anxiety and cynicism, against our leanings toward disgust and hatred of other sisters and brothers perhaps in all three branches of our government with whom we may have come to increasingly distrust and despise. I think of the huge budget reconciliation bill now before Congress, a bill affecting countless of the poorest, the most vulnerable among us, a bill negatively affecting our efforts to conserve and preserve the Earth. Members of Congress and we whom they represent could easily give way to what St. Paul includes in what he calls “the works of the flesh”: heightened strife, anger, quarrels, dissensions, and factions. But if it is really true that “it is no longer [we] who live, but rather Christ Jesus who lives in [us]”, then our hearts, our words, and our behaviors radically change. Then these beautiful words increasingly become who we are: people of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. But let us make no mistake: as long as we live in a fallen world, we remain vulnerable to speaking and acting badly, even in a congregation so full of love as this one we so cherish. In uncertain, stressful times we could can be nasty or at least indifferent to each other. We could hurt one another even if unintentionally, whether we are young or old, whether new or long-time members. That was certainly true in the little church in Galatia. Harsh, ill-considered, judgmental words and behaviors toward one another threatened to irreparably break the bonds of love and kindness that held them together, wounds that effectively muted their witness to God’s mercy and grace. The little church in Galatia and our congregation in Okemos, Michigan did have this in common: the same crucified and risen and healing Jesus Christ who lived in the Galatian congregation 2000 years later also lives in us. They were then and we are now the very presence of Christ! Individually and collectively, we are called to be the very presence of Jesus in this time and in this community whenever our love for one another and for our neighbors especially in Meridian Township is clearly expressed. But when these Galatian sisters and brothers sinned against each other, and if and when we sin against one another, this same indwelling God who spoke plainly and firmly in their hearts through this little letter to them from Paul, now speaks words of judgment plainly and firmly in our hearts. Christ Jesus dwelling in their hearts, this Jesus, through the Holy Spirit who convicted them of their sins, now truly dwelling in our hearts, will convict us of our sins against each other. But Jesus, the Son of God, gave them, and now will give us both the courage and the humility to repent, to put to death our pride and stubbornness, and to ask for forgiveness from those we have hurt. It has been and it will be a wonderful thing to be part of a congregation where members can courageously acknowledge to one another their lack of kindness or patience or gentleness or self-control. It has been and it will be a wonderful thing when we can say to one another, “Please forgive me” and to hear back, “I forgive you.” It is a wonderful thing when we regularly practice confession and forgiveness with one another! This practice may be the most primary, most powerful, deepest witness we can give to our own families, to our neighbors, to a country, to a world so divided, so full of hate. Confession and forgiveness “levels the playing field.” In it no one of us is either higher or lower than any of our siblings. Before God we are all sinners. And in Christ Jesus, we are all saints, truly cleansed and forgiven through Jesus’ death on the cross for us. Until we reach our heavenly home heaven, we will always be both sinners who need to repent and saints who have been forgiven. There is great freedom is this dual reality. We are set free from having to prove how good we are, how much better or better behaved we are than others, how surely “we are right” and “they are wrong.” At the same time, we no longer need to wallow in guilt or remorse for how awful we are, for how badly and stubbornly wrong-headedly we’ve lived. Christ in our hearts continually sets us free! Jesus through the Holy Spirit struggles in us and with us and for us to name and dethrone the false gods that deceitfully promise a better, happier, safer life if we only we isolate ourselves, cut ourselves off from people with whom we disagree or whom we regard as beneath us. I want to witness to our life in following Jesus, who is our Life, who day after day resides in our hearts, a life that keeps getting richer and richer. I want to share a little of what that was like in my own life this past week. Just days ago Janet Boyer was on my mind. I called her and rejoiced with her in her gratitude to God for still having her voice after major thyroid surgery performed dangerously close to her vocal cords. Then I think the same day, I was asked to see Jane and her daughter and some close friends. Jane, a member of Immanuel, Grand Ledge, was in hospice care, just hours away from her death. Together we prayed and hugged and commended Jane into God’s eternal embrace. Then I privileged to be with a developmentally disabled young man in jail who as I was leaving promised to pray for me as I for him. Then on Thursday evening Phylis and I were with a very crowded church in Grand Rapids, blessed by the presence of Nadia Bolz-Weber, a very down-to-earth, unpretentious ELCA pastor, who testified of the unending grace of God even in and from her mother’s womb, the grace of God through years of drug addiction, and to this day sharing the beautiful fruits of the Holy Spirit with countless people who were lost… Nadia sensing even in her darkest hours that Jesus was not far from her. She could echo the words of St. Paul: “It is no longer I who live but it is Christ who lives in me.” With her we sang many songs that evening, songs including these two verses of Amazing Grace… I believe that experiences like those given to in these last few days…expressions of love, joy, peace, patience, gentleness, kindness, given and received, are meant to be experienced by all of us, all of us in whom Jesus dwells, all of us whom Jesus calls to courageously follow him for the rest of our lives. Please sing with me “Lord Jesus, You Shall Be My Song” [ELW 808] Amen. JDS /episode/index/show/faithlutheran/id/37212690

Special Music - Holy Manna 06/22/2025

Sermon - 6/22/25 06/22/2025

Sermon - 6/22/25 Year C – 2nd Sunday after Pentecost; Lectionary 12 – June 22, 2025 Pastor Megan Floyd Luke 8:26-39 Letter from Birmingham Jail, MLK Jr. Grace and Peace to you from our Lord, Jesus Christ, who is the source of our liberation. Amen. *** This past Thursday was Juneteenth… it is the day we honor June 19, 1865, when the last remaining people who were enslaved in Texas were liberated by the US Army… three years after the Emancipation Proclamation had been issued. A few of us came together to honor this day by reading and discussing Martin Luther King, Jr’s, Letter from Birmingham Jail, from April 16, 1963. Nearly 100 years after the liberation of those people who were enslaved… we were reminded in that letter… that people of color in this country… were still not free. They… were still bound. And 62 years after this convicting letter… 62 years after MLK wrote of his ‘hope that the dark clouds of racial prejudice would soon pass away and the deep fog of misunderstanding would be lifted from our fear-drenched communities…’ we sat with the pain of knowing that we are still not free from our sin of holding our fellow siblings captive. We… are still bound. So many people in our country are committed to their idea of what is right and acceptable, that instead of growing in their understanding of the beautiful diversity of God’s creation, they have added to the categories of people who are bound by our prejudice… People of color still face discrimination from white people… and this now overwhelmingly includes Native Americans, and our immigrant, refugee, and migrant communities. Additionally, our LGBTQIA+ neighbors face prejudice and discrimination as they have started living more openly as their beautiful, authentic selves… And yet, the Supreme Court just issued a ruling last week to uphold a state law allowing for the ban of medical care for transgender youth… disregarding the mountain of evidence that this care literally saves lives… We are bound by our sin… and we cannot free ourselves. We are bound… but we have before us, our God in the flesh… Jesus… the source of our liberation. Jesus… the one who comes to release our chains… release us from our prisons and enslavement of our own making. Jesus… comes to us… to set us free. If we are willing… if we are willing to be freed. Our gospel text tells a story of a man plagued by demons… so many demons… he is so burdened… so bound by these demons… that he identifies as his demons… When Jesus asks him his name… he replies… Legion… for we are many. This man is literally bound… bound by chains, shackles, and by distance… separated from his society… marginalized… and feared. For Jesus and his disciples, this man is the most unclean of all the unclean… he is a foreigner… a gentile… he is possessed by demons… he is naked and living among the dead… in the tombs. For Jesus and his disciples, this man is not just outside of the realm of what they found acceptable… he was in another world. And yet… Jesus shows up here… because there is no place that is beyond Jesus’ reach and authority… but it was here, among these tombs and with this poor man… it was here… that he was needed most. This man was bound… and Jesus frees him. Jesus comes to this man because this man needs Jesus… but in going to him, we see, yet again, that Jesus is always challenging the borders and boundaries around the way we think things should be. Jesus is always challenging us to widen our understanding of God’s love for all of God’s creation… and when we understand that… we loosen our own bonds and draw closer to Christ. And yet… living in such a tied up way is what we know best… After this man is freed from his demons, he immediately wants to be bound to Jesus… but Jesus is not going to trade one form of bondage for another… no. Jesus tells him… that he is free… and to go and share all that God has done for him. He is free. And his neighbors? …they are still bound by their fear… perhaps even more afraid now that this man whom they thought was bound up and controlled is now free and living among them… as if he belonged. They preferred it when this man who was different… was set apart… so they didn’t have to think about him… or care for him… The man is now free… but they are still bound to their sin… and unwilling to be freed. Thinking back to Dr. King’s letter from Birmingham Jail… King writes ‘that the greatest stumbling block is not the KKK, but the white moderate… who is more devoted to order than to justice… Who prefers a negative peace, which is the absence of tension, to a positive peace, which is the presence of justice…’ The people in the country of the Gerasenes… wanted to chain up the one who was different… they wanted a “negative peace” …they wanted him to not remind them that he existed. They wanted him to remain bound. White people, after the abolition of slavery, wanted people of color to remain oppressed… they wanted both whites and blacks to buy into the false notion of white supremacy… …and many today are still bound to this sinful endeavor. And those who are uncomfortable with the LGBTQIA+ community… really of queerness of any kind… they also want those folks to remain bound, hidden away from view. They certainly want people who are transgender, or trans-queer, to not exist, and they think they can legislate them out of existence. They want a negative peace… an absence of tension… rather than a positive peace… which requires shaking off the shackles of sin and working for justice for those we have oppressed. But Jesus… remember where Jesus went? …he didn’t go to the townspeople to try and convince them that this man was their brother, and they should care for him and provide for his needs. No. Jesus went to the man who was bound… because that’s where he was needed. And we, who seek Jesus… that’s where we need to go, too. We need to go to those who are bound… Jesus is the source of our true liberation from oppressive forces, both known and unknown. And when we seek Jesus… we will find him among those we have pushed away… we will find him among those who are bound. When we seek Jesus… we will find him when we engage in the work of breaking those bonds… the work of seeking justice for those who are oppressed. A genuine relationship with Jesus and a commitment to the way of the gospel can only compel us to engage in the pursuit of social justice. For you cannot love your neighbor… if you insist that they remain bound. If we try… and Lord help us, we try all the time… we find that we are also bound… bound by our sin… bound by our fear of the ‘other.’ We are bound… and we cannot free ourselves. But Jesus… Jesus is our liberation… and Jesus has shown us the way to freedom… We cannot become free by seeking liberation for ourselves. We can only become free by seeking liberation for our neighbor. When we engage in the work of seeking justice and life for our neighbor who is bound by oppressive forces… we, too, will become free… Seeking liberation for our neighbor… brings us face to face with Jesus… Seeking liberation for our neighbor… is loving our neighbor… just as Jesus commanded… and engaging in this work… frees us both. Amen. /episode/index/show/faithlutheran/id/37104965

Sermon - 6/15/25 06/14/2025

Sermon - 6/15/25 Year C – Trinity Sunday – June 15, 2025 Pastor Megan Floyd John 16:12-15 Athanasian Creed Grace and Peace to you from our Lord, Jesus Christ, who is God and the Holy Spirit… the Three-in-One. Amen. Today is Holy Trinity Sunday… now I have several clergy friends who prefer to gloss over this one, but given how cloudy our understanding of the Trinity is, I thought we should dig in, yes? So today… Trinity Sunday… is a different sort of festival… in that what we are celebrating is actually… our church doctrine… it is the church’s explanation of God’s nature as three-in-one… one-in-three… or rather, we should say… Today we celebrate our almost understanding of God’s nature. I say almost, because… it isn’t perfect… no description we can imagine or create will truly capture who God is… and that’s also the point. Nothing we can say about God will fully describe God’s being because God is massive and ultimately beyond our full understanding. God is mystery… and wonder… and awe… And yet… This massive and mysterious God yearns for a relationship with us… a personal relationship with humanity… God wanted that so much that God came and walked with us in the person of Jesus Christ. Our great and powerful God… in a poor and humble human body. God came and shared our joy and our pain… lived a human life with us… and submitted himself to our most incredibly violent actions… all to show us how much God was invested in this relationship. And after Jesus defeated death, and was resurrected from the tomb… he continued to share life with us before ascending to heaven, but not before drawing our attention to the Holy Spirit… Our advocate… the Holy Spirit of God… the very breath of God that fills our lungs and permeates our lives… God who surrounds us… and lives within us. God, the mighty and powerful creator… Jesus… our humble redeemer and friend… and Spirit… the one who sustains us and saturates our world… Distinct in their divinity but together as one… one God. “One God in trinity, and the Trinity in unity, neither confusing the persons nor dividing the divine being… the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit is one, equal in glory, coeternal in majesty.” Makes perfect sense, yes? As humans, in a relationship, we want to set parameters… we want to understand and know the other person… We like to believe that fully knowing another is actually possible. For example… my parents have been married for forty-nine years. I’d say they know each other very well… they can anticipate each other’s reactions and moods. But occasionally, they still surprise each other… And my husband and I have been married almost twenty-two years… we respond in unison so often that we suspect we might share a brain. But we are still – all of us – separate people with different perspectives on life. Think about your closest relationship… perhaps with your spouse… or a sibling or cousin… maybe a life-long best friend. You know this person through and through… you can describe and anticipate this person’s thoughts and reactions… You have laughed together… cried together… and yet, you are not them… they are not you… Even the person you know the most is distinct from you in such a way that prevents you from ever fully understanding what it is… to be them… And your person… the one you have in mind now… is human… How much more than that is our God? With God… full knowledge and understanding will always be… just beyond our reach. And that’s ok. For us to be invested in our relationships with anyone, but particularly with God, we must invest our time in them. We must share our full life with them… laugh and cry together… learn and grow together. With God… Jesus… Spirit… we dwell in our learning and growing through prayer, worship, and spending time in the Scriptures… laughing together… crying together… giving thanks for God’s enduring faithfulness. In our scriptures, we read and relive God’s interactions with our ancestors so that we can be attuned to God’s interactions with us. Because God did not stop acting after Revelation was written! We come together in worship and praise, and we wait for the Lord to come to us… to meet us in our lives… we nurture our relationship with God so that when God shows up, we recognize the one who calls us beloved. Our doctrine of the Trinity… our best attempt at describing God’s three-in-oneness… wasn’t handed to the disciples as a list of terms and conditions to accompany the Holy Spirit… This doctrine… this way of understanding… developed over a few hundred years of faithful followers of Jesus trying to make sense of what happened… trying to understand how these events fit in with the Hebrew scriptures and laws, and with the writings and teachings they’d gathered since Jesus’s death and resurrection… The Trinity is our best attempt at describing God’s divine presence in and with and through all things in all places… for all time and even outside of time. Our understanding of the Trinity came from those who dedicated their time and attention to their relationship with God… and allowed that relationship to reveal new discoveries about our Creator… Redeemer… and Sustainer. The Three-in-one… One-in-three. However, what we celebrate today is not the doctrine itself per se, but that this idea gave us a new lens through which to revisit Scripture… a new perspective to help us understand our interactions with the Divine. This new perspective helped us realize that God… Jesus… Spirit… have always been… and were always there… and will be until the end of time… eternally together, yet separate… and eternally one. And so, this doctrine is the lens through which we now hear Jesus’s parting words to his disciples… on the night in which he was betrayed. Jesus knows they cannot fully grasp the meaning of all that is about to occur… and that they won’t fully understand everything he has taught them up until that point, until after he has defeated death. He knows that they will need to remember his words to understand… but he promises them that they will have help. God’s Holy Spirit will surround them and guide them toward truth… will guide them in their continued living as disciples of Jesus. God’s Holy Spirit will permeate their lives and continue to glorify God… to make God known for them… just as the Holy Spirit continues to glorify God for us. Jesus says of the Holy Spirit that it will continue to make Jesus known to them… because it will guide them in his teaching… just as Jesus’ teaching has made God the Father known. The inspiration and guidance we receive from the Holy Spirit is not independent of God or Jesus… for the Spirit and Jesus and God are one. And yet… exactly how it is that God… Jesus… Spirit so saturates our very being remains a mystery that we know is true. We know it is true because we feel God all around us, we share stories of encountering God, and we do our best with our limited language to describe God’s awesomeness… knowing that the full scope of God is just beyond our grasp. Kallistos Ware was an English bishop and theologian of the Eastern Orthodox Church, and he wrote, “We see that it is not the task of Christianity to provide easy answers to every question, but to make us progressively aware of a mystery. God is not so much the object of our knowledge, as the cause of our wonder.” It is our wonder that keeps us invested in this amazing relationship with our Creator… and it is our awe that reminds us who we are and whose we are… We seek the triune God who reveals themselves to us as three… and yet one… the source of our life and our salvation… A divine mystery that we can explore for our whole lives, knowing and accepting that full knowledge is not for us in this life. And that’s ok. We can celebrate our almost understanding, using the doctrine of the Trinity as our lens through which we read, and grow in awareness of God’s story… Always leaving room for wonder and awe for our Creator… Redeemer… and Sustainer… the three-in-one… and one-in-three. Amen. /episode/index/show/faithlutheran/id/37012480

Special Music - Restless 06/08/2025

Sermon - 6-8-25 06/08/2025

Sermon - 6-8-25 Year C – Pentecost – June 8, 2025 Pastor Megan Floyd Acts 2:1-21 Grace and peace to you in the name of our Advocate, God’s Holy Spirit, who walks alongside us every day. Amen. *** God doesn’t create in half measures… ya know? Think about our planet… and all the intricate details included on every level of life… from whole eco-systems down to tiny microbes. Think about… us…you and me… There is no one else quite like you. You are unique and beloved… God knit you together after God’s own image, gave you life with God’s own breath… and loves you fully… God doesn’t create in half-measures… and all that God creates is precious and loved, including you… And since the beginning of humanity, God has invited us to be in relationship with God… never forcing the relationship, but giving us that choice… because we are loved. A choice to respond to the presence of God in our lives… in our world… in each other… and within our very own bodies. What began as God’s breath across the face of the waters, bringing forth life… guiding us as a pillar of smoke… a burning bush… a booming thunder… and a still, small voice… Always speaking… if we are willing to listen… always guiding… if we are willing to follow… always inviting… if we are willing to respond. Becoming human in the person of Jesus… entering our lives in the most humble way… teaching… loving… inviting… suffering… dying… forgiving and still loving… still inviting. The presence of God around us and in us, in countless ways, reminding us that God’s Holy Spirit… has been with us from the beginning, and God’s Holy Spirit will be with us to the end… Reminding us that God’s Spirit was with us, and is with us, and that even though God in Jesus must ascend to the Creator, we have another advocate… the one who has been with us all along. God’s Spirit… the pneuma in Greek… the ruach in Hebrew… God’s holy breath that fills your lungs and gives you life… is with you always. God does not create in half measures… and God does not abandon God’s creation. But as with all things that are constant in our lives… we often overlook this continual holy presence with us… take it for granted… after all… how often have you stopped to consider the air in your lungs? So, this was the scene in Jerusalem that day… Jesus had ascended, and now it was time to share the gospel story… time to witness to all that had occurred… time to light a fire under this message of good news! God’s Spirit… our constant companion… needed to get those disciples moving. What better chance than to cause a holy disruption during Shavuot… the Festival of Weeks… the Pentecost festival in Jerusalem, which happens 50 days after Passover, commemorating the giving of the Torah to the Jewish people… A time when Jewish people from all around the known world would have made a pilgrimage to the city to celebrate and honor God’s word. A mass of people… diverse and inclusive… together… for God. This is the moment… this is the time… God’s Spirit moves through… and causes a scene… Like I said… God doesn’t really act in half-measures. The Spirit of God comes upon these people as a great, roaring sound like a violent rushing wind… Filling the room and appearing among them like divided tongues, as of fire, and resting upon each of them… And giving them the ability to proclaim the Gospel in whatever language it needed to be heard… The Holy Spirit is in the house, demanding attention, engaging every one of their senses… for the Gospel must be heard. The Gospel… must be experienced. What a moment! A dramatic onslaught of action and motion… of speaking… and of hearing… confusion… and… of understanding. Hearing the proclamation of the gospel… hearing the good news of salvation… of love and forgiveness. Hearing, each in their native language… the message that Love has come and is making all things new. Death is overcome and new life is born... new breath… new growth. We are gathered by this swirling wind, but also provoked and pushed to give our witness… to tell our story… For the Gospel must be heard… and God doesn’t do with half-measures. Pentecost is only the beginning… the fire that was ignited on that day burns within you still… guiding you toward God’s love… and empowering you to share your story. God’s Holy Spirit… your constant companion… your ever-present connection to Christ within yourself and in others… is guiding you daily toward God’s love. And occasionally causing a holy disruption… either as that still, small voice that insists on being heard, or as a roaring wind… a sensory disruption that demands attention and cannot be ignored. God’s Spirit doesn’t do with half-measures. Shaking us out of our complacency… our routine… giving us the courage to speak up when our words are necessary… and the wisdom to be silent and listen, when our understanding is required. God’s Holy Spirit is igniting within us… attuning our senses toward God’s will. Whenever we feel that push… or pull… a gentle nudge or maybe a hard shove… toward loving more widely, sharing more generously… welcoming more inclusively… Whenever we feel that call inside our hearts to extend and receive grace and forgiveness more openly… and freely… That is God’s Holy Spirit igniting within you… that is a Pentecost moment. What happened to those disciples in Jerusalem on that festival day so long ago was amazing… incredible… It gave birth to the church and lit a fire under the message, spreading the Gospel to the corners of the world… For the Gospel must be heard, and God doesn’t do with half-measures. That experience taught them, and us, that God is doing a new thing… that the Good News of Jesus’s death and resurrection must be heard, and that this is a message for all people, everywhere… that there are no boundaries around God’s love. This experience connected them… connected them to the presence of God within themselves and within each other. It reminded them, and us… that what began as God’s holy breath across the face of the waters… still fills our lungs. That our Creator, in whose image we are made, filled us with holy breath… guided us through wind, fire, thunder, and silence… loved us through Jesus and inspires us still as our advocate. The experience of Pentecost is that God doesn’t act in half-measures, and that God’s message of love must be heard. And so God’s Holy Spirit… the pneuma… the ruach… is within you… sometimes whispering to you, and sometimes shouting… that you are loved… You are loved with so much abundance that you cannot help but to share that love with others in the name of the one who is, who was, and who is yet to come… Our God and Creator, our Savior, and our Advocate. You are loved with so much abundance… because God doesn’t create in half-measures. And that… is a message that must be heard. Amen. /episode/index/show/faithlutheran/id/36909000

How Firm A Foundation 06/01/2025

Sermon - 6-1-25 06/01/2025

Sermon - 6-1-25 John 17:20-26; Pride Sunday; 7 Easter; June 1, 2025 Additional texts: Acts 16:16-34; Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21 Rich Weingartner Grace to you and peace from God our parent, Jesus our Savior, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. I’m scared. We live in a scary time. When I went up to the UP to visit my parents and family for Easter, I brought my passport with me. No real reason, just some fear that I might be in a situation where I’ll have to try to prove that I’m a US citizen. I hear of friends traveling to foreign countries, some of them who are part of the LGBTQIA+ community. I fear that they won’t be able to come back into our country. I’m afraid to leave the United States for concern that I’ll be stopped at the border and end up being detained and not let back into our country. It is an unsettling time for LGBTQIA+ or Queer people these days. We hear constant attacks on people as things are said or laws are introduced or passed that try to declare our Queer siblings as “other” or to make it sound like there is something wrong with them. I also know others are scared. The queer community aren’t the only ones being attacked and put down. I know my Black, Indigenous, and People of Color community have been attacked for centuries in various ways. Our siblings of hispanic heritage are facing struggles and threats as well. Asian and Pacific Islanders as well. Immigrants, including refugees and asylum seekers, including the young men in our parish house. There are a lot of people who are apprehensive and concerned now - and for many this is just a continuation of decades or centuries of being treated like “others” and that they don’t really belong and aren’t valid as a human being. However, God, through Jesus and the bible, tells us a different story. A story that declares that we are all children of God and we can be proud of who God made us to be. A story of love that knows no bounds and never ends. Which brings us to our readings for today that show that God is always with us, even in times of trouble. We start with the reading from Acts where we find Paul and Silas thrown in jail. While they may have been feeling scared and worried - they didn’t show it by just sitting around and moping and blaming God for their troubles. Instead, we find them praying and singing hymns and connecting with the other prisoners. In the midst of it all, they kept faithful to God. Then the earthquake happens. Since, at the time, if a guard lost prisoners, it was custom that he would pay for the loss with his life, the guard had assumed that everyone would have fled and thus was about to kill himself. However, Paul and Silas kept faith and stayed where they were and saved the guard’s life - not only physically but also spiritually through their witness to the power of God. This serves not only as a reminder that God will never leave us, but also that we can serve as witnesses to the power and love of God just through who we are and doing what is right - doesn’t take anything special - just through our actions and love they can know God’s love. Just like yesterday and the pride festival. We may think we were just there at a booth, talking to people, and handing out items - but we were witnesses to the love of Christ through our actions of acceptance, welcome, and love, to the LGBTQIA+ community and their allies. Then we move to the concluding verses of Revelation. From verse 13, “I am the Alpha and the Omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end” (Rev. 22:13) While this passage refers to the extremes of the beginning and the end; and the first and the last - we need to remember that God isn’t just there at the extreme ends, but everywhere in between. Just like all of creation, God isn’t just at one point or another - God is everywhere in between. Not just light and dark, but in all the shades in between - not just day and night but at sunrise and sunset, the dawn and twilight. In all creatures that live in the waters, on the land, and in the sky - and all of those that live in multiple places. And thus God has created all of us - in our many different varied ways - there is no binary in creation - everything spans a wide range to create the beautiful diversity of God’s creation - something to be proud of and celebrate. God is ever present across all time, all places, and all creation - the entire Cosmos from the very beginning of creation until the very end. And not only do we have this promise of God being ever present with us always, we are invited. As it says in Revelation 22:17 - all are invited to come to the Lord and His promises. Everyone who is thirsty and wishes to take the water of life as a GIFT is invited to come. This is a great reminder that God wants us to be in God’s presence and love - we are invited to receive the gift. We do not earn it, we do not have to work for it - it is a gift, a most wondrous gift from God for all. Then we turn to today’s Gospel from John. When I was preparing and first read the Gospel for today - the very first thing I noticed was how this passage starts. It wasn’t the words that I noticed - it was that it started with a quotation mark. Now, you’ll notice that in the reading we used in our service, a helpful prompt is added at the beginning in brackets to guide the reader, but in the Bible that prompt isn’t there. Since I didn’t have that prompt and the passage starts with a quotation mark, I knew we were joining in, right in the middle of something, so I backed up to get the context. And then I also remembered this is the time of the church year I tend to get confused. Just a few weeks ago we experienced the passion story and then the joyful Easter Resurrection. In fact, we are still in the season of Easter. However, for our Gospel readings for a few weeks, we have jumped back in time to hear stories from Jesus and his disciples during Jesus’ last evening with them at the last supper. So that is where we are with today’s Gospel. Jesus is giving his farewell speech and then praying for his disciples. That is where today’s Gospel is from - part of the prayer Jesus shared with his disciples that evening. While Jesus is praying with and for his disciples, we find that the prayer isn’t just for his disciples, as this part of the prayer starts with “I ask not only on behalf of these, but also on behalf of those who will believe in me through their word”. The “behalf of these” is referring to the disciples and “behalf of those” is referring to us, today, and past and future. All of us who believe. You and me and all of God’s beloved. Take a moment and let that sink in - Jesus around 2000 years ago was praying for you and me, everyone alive today, and in the past and in the future. I don’t know about you, but I find it pretty awesome and also comforting to know that Jesus was praying for all of us - so long ago. In times when we are often scared and facing uncertainty it certainly is a good reminder to know that Jesus and God are on our side and that we are not alone. So, yes, it is awesome that Jesus is praying for us - but what did he pray for? He prays that we all may be one. Not only that we are one together with each other, but that also we are one together with Christ. We live in a world that wants to label us and put us in many different categories to separate us. However, that is completely opposite of what God wants, which is for all of us to be one in Christ. We have been given God’s glory so that we can all be together as one. While we need to celebrate and take pride in being called together as one in Christ Jesus - we are also given some work to do in this prayer - a reason for us all being called together as one. We are called to act together so that the world, through us, might believe that Jesus was sent from God. Not only to believe that Jesus is God’s son, but that God loved the entire cosmos so much that God sent Jesus for us, so that we may experience the grace, love, and forgiveness of God - given to us as a gift. It is this unconditional grace, love, and forgiveness that we are called to share with the world - just like we did yesterday at the pride festival. So, during Pride month, and always, today’s readings remind us we are never alone - no matter what we are going through or who we are. We are not alone for two reasons. First, we, through the examples of so many stories in the Bible, are not alone because we live in community with each other. God clearly sets an example that we are meant to be in community with each other (and with the entire creation) to support and build up each other - to be one together with each other. Not to divide and label, but to support and uplift each other. Second, we are not alone because we have been promised and reminded time and time again that God is always with us. God is the alpha and the omega, the first and the last, the beginning and the end. And more importantly God is also everything in between. God never ends - and is always with us - and loves all of us exactly for who we are - children of God created in God’s image. Or in the words of a hymn. Have good cheer, little flock; have good cheer, little flock, for the Father will keep you in his love forever; have good cheer, little flock! May we all learn from the example and prayer of Jesus and work to be united as one with each other and with God and Jesus Christ. Not just to be with each other but also to share God’s love with all of creation. From the waters and sky to the grass, trees, and plants, to all the animals that live in the water, on land, or in the sky. And to all of God’s beloved children - every one of the LGBTQIA+ community, all our BIPOC siblings, people with every different ability, immigrants seeking safety and shelter, those who are hungry, everyone, especially those that society often shuns, calls an “other” or “less than”, and pushes to the margins. Through our words and actions, we can help bring this unity to creation, so we all can be one in Christ. We do this through the help of God who is always coming to us, every day, not just at the end of times. As it says in Revelation 22:20-21 “‘Surely I am coming soon.’ Amen. Come, Lord Jesus! The grace of the Lord Jesus be with all the saints.” and let the entire church say “AMEN!”. /episode/index/show/faithlutheran/id/36810225

Sermon - 5-25-25 05/26/2025

Sermon - 5-25-25 Year C – Fourth Sunday in Easter – May 25, 2025 Pastor Megan Floyd John 14:23-29 Grace and peace to you in the name of our risen savior, Jesus Christ, who gives us his peace. Amen. *** If you haven’t already heard… we elected a new bishop this past week at our synod assembly. Bishop-elect Julie Schneider-Thomas comes from the outskirts of the Grand Rapids area, where she served two congregations that are in a formal paired relationship. In church lingo… we call that a 2-point, and she has been with them for nearly 30 years. As excited as the assembly was that the Holy Spirit was calling us into something new… there were those for whom Pr Julie’s election was a cause for grieving… a cause for troubled hearts. Among them, of course, are our outgoing bishop, Criag Satterlee, and those who serve on his staff, Pr Chrisy Bright and Pr Kjersten Sullivan… also Bp. Satterlee’s wife and daughter. The Holy Spirit is now calling all of them forward into something new, but to what… they don’t yet know. It’s understandably disorienting. And at the end of Bishop-elect Julie’s acceptance speech, she left the podium… but then came running back to say one last thing… She said she saw the wide eyes of her people… people from not only one congregation, but from two… who just realized they have lost their pastor… their leader and shepherd… of 30 years. She saw their wide, troubled eyes… and her heart just broke. I felt that ache with her. In just a few short months, I have fallen deeply in love with this congregation… and with joy in my heart, I’m excited to share my life with you for years to come… to deepen our relationship over the gift of time. And so, I can only imagine what they all must have felt in that moment… The thrill of hope for where a new leader might guide our synod… a leader they know and love… up against the terrible ache of loss, knowing that their stability… and the patterns of life in those congregations are suddenly upended. The truth is… life could change for any of us in a moment’s notice… disorienting us… and challenging what we thought we knew. Leaving our hearts… troubled, and afraid. And into this disorientation, Jesus arrives with a word of peace. Do not let your hearts be troubled, he says… and do not be afraid. He tells them that yes, he is leaving them… but he is not leaving them alone. So be at peace… Jesus is going back to the Father, but we have the Holy Spirit… our advocate… our God with us. The Holy Spirit is with us always, to guide us… and to remind us of what Jesus taught us… to pour God’s love into us so we can share that love with the world. The Holy Spirit is with us… to ease our troubled hearts… and to give us… peace. Jesus tells his disciples this before his death and resurrection… This particular passage takes place after their last supper… after Judas has betrayed Jesus and gone out into the night… and after Jesus predicts Peter’s denial of him… He’s telling them this now… so that when the moment comes, they will remember his words. He’s trying to prepare them as best he can for what is to come… Imploring them to remember… remember that when you feel troubled… when you are afraid… I am still with you. Our advocate… God’s Holy Spirit… is still with us… always with us. These words are for us, as well… remember what Jesus promised us… we will never be abandoned. *** Our election for bishop went all the way to the fifth and final ballot… the field narrowing with each round. And before each round of voting… after passing out the ballots, we prayed together as an assembly. We prayed for the Holy Spirit to be present in our choice, and we breathed in that breath of God around us… The intention of this prayer was not to call the Holy Spirit to us… we were not imploring the Holy Spirit to come and be by our side. This prayer was for us… it was for our understanding… it was so that WE would become aware of the presence of God… that was already there. This prayer… was to help us remember Jesus’ promise. This prayer was intended to help us open our hearts to God in the Spirit… our Advocate… who is with us always. …our Christ, by our side… giving us peace… not as the world gives, but as Jesus gives… the peace that comes from remembering Jesus’s promise that we would never be abandoned by God. It was only after giving thanks for the Spirit of God with us, that we cast each vote. And so, while the results mean there are changes ahead… we know that Christ is with us through them all. *** There was another story I wanted to share with you today… another example of how present the Spirit of God is with us in our troubling, disorienting moments. …those moments when we might be tempted to feel that God has abandoned us. This happened just a couple of days ago… and I want to start by saying that no one was hurt… But my friend and colleague, Pastor Kara of Trinity Lutheran in Hillsdale, lost her home, her camper, and her husband’s truck in a fire on Thursday. Like I said, everyone is ok… unharmed… physically, at least, including their dog… no one was home at the time. But their property is a total loss. And just as Rich recently experienced after the storms, they have been showered with offers to help in whatever way they might need. And to everyone, she has the same response… She is beyond thankful that no one was hurt, and they have insurance. She is shocked, for sure… no one expects this… but she is absolutely grounded by Christ’s peace and presence. So, her request to everyone who offers is that they refocus their intentions toward the youth and young adults of our synod. You see… at the assembly, after we elected the new bishop, we also had to pass the new budget. The synod council put forward a budget that cut the amounts allocated for nearly all of our ministries, including support for the synod Youth & Young Adult Table, our Campus Ministries, and Living Water Ministries. Pastor Kara had moved for an addendum to the budget to reinstate the financial support for our youth and young adult ministry programs. She argued that we cannot claim the importance of youth and young adults in our church while also cutting our support for them. After much debate, the addendum passed… which reinstated the $14,000 cut from the lines supporting youth and young adult ministries… It was… a leap of faith… Because it came without any recent historical pattern of mission support from congregations to justify that extra spending. She was pretty much on edge after pushing the synod into possible debt. Still, Pastor Kara knew the Holy Spirit was with us in that room, guiding our decisions and moving our hearts toward God’s will. She trusted that when we follow God’s call, God will provide. She could not have known, however, that in less than a week, her faith in God’s provision would be put to the test. But I hear her… I hear the ache in her voice. She pushed for the assembly to do the right thing, even before knowing how we would accomplish it. She knew that her heart was troubled, but that the Spirit of Christ was with us… So, when facing a life-altering event… the kind of event that might leave one feeling abandoned… her faith and her resolve became stronger. They are unharmed, and they will recover… and so she is redirecting all the attention back toward the movement of the Holy Spirit at the assembly. And she is at peace. We’ll be talking more about this call to support youth and young adult ministries in the months to come… but as we have these conversations, I want you to remember… Remember Jesus’ words to us… his promise… Jesus said to his disciples… as he says to us… Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid. Christ is with us always, through good times and challenging times… in happy times and in sorrow. The promise of Jesus is that God’s Spirit is with us always, surrounding us with peace, and equipping us for the work ahead. So we will not let our hearts be troubled… and we will not be afraid. Amen. /episode/index/show/faithlutheran/id/36712545

Special Music - Let us Talents and Tongues Employ 05/19/2025

Special Music - True Light 05/19/2025

Sermon - 5-18-25 05/18/2025

Sermon - 5-18-25 Year C – Fourth Sunday in Easter – May 18, 2025 Pastor Megan Floyd John 13:31-35; Acts 11:1-18 Grace and peace to you in the name of our risen savior, Jesus Christ, who commands us to love more widely than we can imagine. Amen. *** What an incredible day of celebration! So beautiful and fun! And yet… some of us are still reeling from that storm that crossed our state on Thursday night and into Friday. There’s been damage here in our community, but also extensively across the state. Recovery and repair efforts are underway… and in Christ’s love, we hold those most affected in the embrace and prayers of our community… helping where we can through our prayers… and our actions. We do this… because it’s who we are as disciples of Jesus… we love our neighbors as Christ loves us… and sometimes that love looks like cutting up fallen trees and cleaning up broken glass. Life is better for everyone when we let our love for others guide us… And that, too, is worth celebrating. So, this is, indeed, a Celebration Sunday! And the Holy Spirit has gifted us with some beautiful scripture to accompany our celebration. We hear in our Gospel today, our Lord Jesus, commanding us to love each other as Christ loves us. If you were here on Maundy Thursday, you would have heard this text then as well. It’s very important, and so we hear it again. Jesus said to us… Love one another as I have loved you. Let your love for others be a defining characteristic of who you are… be known for it… and let your radically abundant love identify you as one of my disciples. And know that the love you have does not originate with you… it comes from Christ and flows through you… This is how we love. *** And from Acts, we have an important vision… Peter is deep in prayer while he’s waiting for lunch… he’s hungry… And he sees a large sheet being lowered in front of him, and on it, he sees all manner of animals that, as a Jewish man, he would have been prohibited from eating because it would have rendered him unclean. Along with the vision comes a voice from God telling him to kill and eat… Peter would have been horrified… maybe even repulsed… because he had been taught all his life that these animals were not for eating… they were common… profane. But the voice insisted… and said that what God has made clean, he must not call profane. God is doing a new thing here. And then, the Holy Spirit tells him to go to the home of a Roman centurion – a commander in the Roman army who was also a follower of Jesus – but… this man was a Gentile. The Jewish people kept themselves apart and would have avoided mixing with the Gentiles… And even those who followed Jesus… well, they thought they had something of a special club, exclusive to those who also follow Jewish law. …they certainly would not have accepted an invitation to a meal in the home of a Roman for many reasons, but foremost, there would have been no way to confirm that it was in accordance with their dietary rules. So… trusting in the Holy Spirit… Peter goes to Cornelius’ home, where he learns that he, too, was visited by God and told to invite Peter to come to his home… to hear what Peter could teach him. Peter begins to speak… to share the good news… and he witnesses the Holy Spirit fall upon this Gentile and his household And in that moment, Peter understood that God shows no partiality, and that the gift of this life with Christ… the saving love and grace that is Christ’s alone to give… is meant for all people. It certainly seems… that God is doing a new thing. But our passage is actually from Peter’s retelling of these incredible events… he is recounting the story for the others because they are upset with him for going. They are criticizing him for going to Cornelius’ home and eating with him… he is being called forward to explain why he would do such an unlawful thing. And we can hardly blame them… their rules and way of life, given to them by God, have governed their lives for thousands of years. They are known to others by these rules. And yet… it was clear that God is doing a new thing. God is not saying that the former rules were bad, or wrong… Only that it is time for something new… It’s time to eliminate the exclusivity of their religious club and accept people whom they would not have previously accepted. It’s time to break down the barriers and welcome all… to allow all their different cultures and backgrounds to become part of the beautiful tapestry of life that belongs to Jesus Christ… To celebrate… that there is no one beyond God’s love, and therefore no one should be excluded from our love. *** Do we think this was easy for them to do? Absolutely not!! These folks were human… and they were pretty set in their ways… and just like us today, they had prejudices and aversions… There’s a reason we are still talking about Jesus’s command to love others as Christ loves them… We still struggle… we still put up barriers around ourselves to keep out those who are different… those who will disrupt our ways. We push back against God’s call to open our hearts, our minds, and our communities to those who are different… different habits, different foods, different ages… different ways of worship… anything… Difference is disruptive, and we like things to be the same… set… calm. But God is always making things new… all around us, God is always renewing us … always calling upon us to love more… and to welcome those who are not already in the room… to not just widen our boundaries around who we love but to eliminate the boundaries altogether. …because we are called to love as Christ loves us, and we will never meet another person whom God does not love. We come together as a community of faith, because we seek to know Jesus… to follow Jesus and to conform ourselves to the ways of Jesus… And so we must love like Jesus. We must love others and welcome others in such a radical way that we become known for our love… Love in such a way that we can overcome the discomfort of difference… Love in such an open way that we leave room in our hearts to be surprised by the gift that the Holy Spirit has for us in our newfound relationships. Loving this way will change you… it will renew you… every day *** Peter did not insist that Cornelius and his household convert to Judaism before agreeing to meet with him… before agreeing to include them in the Way of Christ. No… Peter saw that God was including Cornelius and his household exactly as they were… and so very wisely, Peter observed… who am I, that I could hinder God? Who are we… that we could hinder God? When we exclude other people because they aren’t like us… we cause harm… We hurt those we have excluded… but we also harm our own hearts by rejecting the gift of relationship that is offered through Christ’s command to be loving and inclusive. And so, we love in such a way that leaves room for others to become the fullest, most beautiful version of themselves… And in so doing, we are also made new… drawn closer to the heart of Christ… closer to the love that Christ has for all the world. And we give our thanks and praise… for in our becoming new… in our blooming… our God is glorified. This is truly something we can celebrate today! *** In a short while, Abby, Isaak, Kara, and Maddie will publicly affirm their baptismal promises. They are proclaiming that they choose to continue in their journey with Christ… the journey that began with their baptism. But… then what… what does that really mean? Well, it means… that you will be known for your love… for the way you include those who are excluded… …for the way you lift others up so they can see themselves, and love themselves, as Christ sees and loves them… It means that you will let the love of Christ shine through you… that you’ll be Christ’s light in the darkness, and no darkness will overcome it. It means that by this love, you and all around you will know that you belong to Jesus, and that every day, Jesus is doing a new thing… through you. Do I think this will always be easy? Nope… it won’t… But that’s why we come back together again and again, to receive Christ’s forgiveness and grace, and be renewed by Christ’s love through all these folks around you. …We come together to remember how much we are loved… to see ourselves as God sees us, and allow God’s vision to work in us… so we, too, can become the fullest, most beautiful version of ourselves. Because the truth is… God is always doing a new thing… making all things new, including you. That’s definitely something to celebrate today! Amen. /episode/index/show/faithlutheran/id/36617900

Special Music - All My Days 05/11/2025

Sermon - 5-11-25 05/11/2025

Sermon - 5-11-25 Year C – Fourth Sunday in Easter – May 11, 2025 Pastor Megan Floyd John 10:22-30; Acts 9:36-43 Grace and peace to you in the name of our risen savior, Jesus Christ, who consistently shows us how great God’s love is for those we have pushed aside. Amen. *** Earlier this week, at our Tuesday Bible Study, we took a deeper look at this passage we heard today from Acts. It’s always fun when a story we may have overlooked surprises us with details that seem to rise to the surface… in a new way. For us, this week… it was this beautiful story about this disciple… Tabitha. She is the only woman in scripture to be specifically named a disciple, even though some translations have converted the word ‘disciple’ into ‘woman.’ She was, in fact, a named disciple of Jesus. And she cared for those who were vulnerable and marginalized… she cared for them out of her own resources… the widows and the poor. She cared for them with love and offered them dignity in a very practical way… by weaving and sewing their clothes. This is significant. In first-century Rome, a person might only have one or two pieces of clothing at a time, and those pieces likely would have been made for them. So, the making, washing, and repair of clothing – a basic human need – was a serious business in the ancient world. Through giving of her time and skill, Tabitha was able to elevate her community of widows into a community that clearly cared for and supported each other …while surrounded by a society that would sooner have them pushed aside as objects. We are familiar with the social hierarchy of first-century Rome. A widow without a son was at the very bottom… they were the most vulnerable, and it is a recurring theme in scripture and Christian history that we, who follow Christ, must care for them. I have seen many examples of ministries that go above and beyond to care for those who are incredibly vulnerable and in need… the widows of our time. I would say our Parish House is one example of a ministry that goes above and beyond to restore life and dignity to those who are so incredibly vulnerable. And yet… how often do we encounter aid and ministry that assumes the ones being served will always depend on that aid? How often do we evaluate programs… and find that they consider those they serve to be objects of charity, rather than potential agents of ministry? Why do the stories of helping widows tend to fall short of imagining ways for them to become prosperous… or even simply… ways to reduce their vulnerability? You see… I think this was what was so special about the disciple, Tabitha. She understood Jesus’ command to love and care for others, especially those who are vulnerable… She understood this to be a mission to not only provide for basic needs but also elevate them and restore their humanity and dignity. She understood the command to love those on the margins as a command to bring those who have been pushed aside… back into the center. This is what Jesus did. Again and again. Jesus healed people by restoring them to their community… and he usually did this by curing the illnesses that kept them apart. This is what Jesus did, he loved people and restored their dignity… and so this is what his disciple, Tabitha, did. Jesus, our Good Shepherd, loves us so deeply that we are more than mere objects of charity. Jesus’ love for us is so abundant that we are restored… renewed… and transformed… and commissioned to carry that love forward to others. This kind of love not only sees and cares for the vulnerable on the margins, but it pulls them back into the community and calls them beloved and valuable. *** There is a community of women living near Guatemala City. They are the widows of those men who were disappeared during the great wave of violence and terror that the Guatemalan government perpetrated against the indigenous population in the 1980s. The community is called La Esperanza, which means “hope.” The women came together to offer mutual support and care for each other and their children. They would not accept direct charity, but they did accept funds from a Presbyterian program to build one durable building in the center of their community, which houses a day care center, a preschool, a health clinic, and a weaving cooperative. They have divided the responsibilities necessary for running their community, such as caring for the children, cooking, cleaning, sewing, and weaving clothes for themselves and to sell for income. Some have trained as dental hygienists and nurse practitioners to care for the community’s health needs. These women have a dignified life… they were cast aside, but through love and care for each other, the kind of love that comes from Christ, their lives are renewed. *** I imagine that if the disciple, Tabitha, lived today… we might find her in a community like La Esperanza. …we would find her in a community centered around hope. We would find the disciple, Tabitha, where we find other disciples… in places where hope in the risen Christ is transformed into loving action for those in need. The kind of loving action that transforms a person from an object of ministry, into an agent of ministry… Transforming people who have been lifted up into those who can, in turn, lift others. This is the power of Christ’s love working through us… through Christ’s disciples. And all of this is remarkable… but we haven’t even reached the most remarkable part of the story. The disciple, Tabitha, was so important to the community of widows… and so important to the community of Jesus’ disciples… that when they sent for Peter after her death, he came immediately. And through Peter… Jesus restored Tabitha, back to life. Because she lived, the community of widows would not be left alone. This story about the disciple, Tabitha, teaches us something about the nature of Jesus… about the nature of God… That God’s love for those on the margins is so great, that God will not leave them abandoned. And yet there is more… Because Tabitha lived, the community of widows understood firsthand that with Jesus, death does not have the final say. Reality is no longer bound to life and death, but rather, by Jesus’ promise that through him, all things are made new. Those widows in Tabitha’s community were no longer beholden to society’s vision for them at the bottom of the social hierarchy… they were newly caught up in Christ’s vision for them… as valuable, worthy, and beloved. A legacy that was surely carried forward into the community at La Esperanza. Through the resurrection power and love of Christ, we, too, are always being made new… remolded and remade… reminded that we are worthy and beloved. Through Christ’s love… we are transformed. Amen. /episode/index/show/faithlutheran/id/36525065

Special Music - River in Judea 05/05/2025

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