All are invited. This Sunday is the Matthew 22:1-14 gospel of ‘For many are called, but few are chosen.’ Instead, Pastor Eric spoke to us of Jesus’s invitation to all to come to the banquet and learn of Him. Jesus invites us to try on different ‘coats’. ‘Coats’ are different situations in life in which…
Today’s Gospel, Matthew 21:33-46, recounts Jesus’ parable of the landowner who sent slaves to collect produce from his vineyard. The tenants beat and killed the slaves. The landowner then sent his son to collect the produce, thinking the tenants would surely respect him. They killed him as well, with a plan to steal his inheritance.…
Born into the family of a wealthy merchant, Francis gave up his inheritance to serve poor people. He formed the Order of Friars Minor (called Franciscans), who took on poverty and the task of preaching “using words if necessary.” Francis had a spirit of gratitude for all of God’s creation. We celebrated St. Francis and…
Today was the 17th Sunday after Pentecost and Safi Sunday. In the first reading of today, Philippians 2:1-13, Paul urges us to look to Christ as a model of humility, looking to the interests of others above our own. Safi School Project is a non-profit organization with the mission of empowering and improving the lives…
That’s not fair!’….we all want things to be fair and all of today’s lessons speak to this on the 16th Sunday after Pentecost. Pastor Beth asked us if we knew what is God concerned about. 1. G-Generosity-how we live out our lives. 2. R-Relationships-God seeks reconciliation between each of us. 3. A-Attitude-impacts everything. 4. C-Community-to…
What are the limits of forgiving? Should we forgive our enemies, no matter the magnitude of their harm? Do we forgive a friend or family member when they hurt us so badly we do not see a way through the hurt? What about those we don’t know well, yet judge to be sinners? As Jesus advised…
Our Children’s Time talk this morning was a wonderful story about two brothers who due to a disagreement decide to build a wall between their adjoining properties. Listen to the audio below of this tale as the intervention of a third party changes the construction from a wall to a bridge and the impact that…
The 2017 Gardening season is almost over and the garden has been absolutely beautiful this summer. We got a late start with a wet, soggy spring, and many of us volunteer gardeners did not have very high hopes for a great garden. We had to replant our peas, spinach, beets, and lettuce, and planted the…
Today is the 14th Sunday after Pentecost and today’s gospel, Matthew 18:15-20, talks of situations having to do with church discipline. Pastor Beth asked us if we remembered a TV game show called: The Weakest Link Contestants were voted off the show one by one as they were selected by the other contestants and had…
CHICAGO (Sept. 4, 2017) – The Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA), has issued the following statement in response to the Trump administration’s announcement about the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. “As we journey together through the time God has given us, may God give…