The weather outside is frightful, but hopefully a brief little live stream will be delightful! Winter storms have kept us from gathering in person this Sunday, but I pray this may at least be a little God moment for the start of your week.
Thursday, November 26, 2024
Spirit of Hope Lutheran Church, Lincoln, NE
Thanksgiving Eve Eve
(narrative lectionary)
watch this service online (reading starts around 12:03; children’s sermon starts around 13:36; sermon starts around 19:32)
Reading: Matthew 6:25-33
In the children’s sermon, naturally, we talked about things we are thankful for. We talked about how it feels to be thanked when we do something nice for someone else. I asked the kids why we make such a big deal out of thanksgiving, why it’s so important to give thanks. We talked about how giving thanks shows respect to others and makes them feel good and appreciated. And we talked about how showing gratitude benefits us as well. Being thankful means remembering that we have good things in our life to be thankful for – and even more importantly, it reminds us that we have people in our lives who care about us and love us enough to do nice things for us. Giving thanks helps us to be joyful. And it builds up our relationships with others. God is pleased when we give thanks, and gratitude helps us grow even closer in our relationship with God.
Who all here tonight has ever helped someone else learn to drive? I imagine a lot of the parents here have done so. If you had to sum up that experience in one or two words, what would you say?
I remember how anxious my dad was back when I was learning to drive. In fairness, I was a nearsighted teenager with poor spatial reasoning – and already in my early teens, I was beginning to develop a bit of a lead foot. The first time Dad let me drive his vehicle out on the highway down to Norfolk, I swear you could audibly hear him stomping on the imaginary brake on his side of the car the whole way there.
Sunday, October 20, 2024
Spirit of Hope Lutheran Church, Lincoln, NE
Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost
(narrative lectionary)
watch this service online (reading starts around 24:54; sermon starts around 30:10)
Reading: 2 Samuel 7:1-17
My first call as a pastor, as many of you know, was to St. John’s Lutheran Church up in Schuyler, NE. I was there for about five years, and during that time, I lived in their parsonage – it was a nice little three-bedroom ranch-style house with an attached garage (so luxurious!).
But probably my favorite part about the house was actually the backyard. It was a nice, big backyard, fenced in all around, with a clothesline and a little concrete patio. There were all kinds of plants back there – trees and flowers and little shrubs and grasses – and they had all been planted by someone who clearly… had no idea what they were doing.
Continue reading “Sermon: Embrace the Mint (AKA The Tent Is Mightier than the House)”
This is the Day 