Taggrace

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Saints that are Human

     EMAIL DEVOTIONAL      week of Pentecost 24 I spent an hour and a half today with ten church members gathered for a Book Club discussion of the book Martin Luther, written by our American Lutheran historian Martin Marty.  It was a fascinating discussion as we marveled at the courage of a simple monk…

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Law and Gospel in Our World

traditional sermon pentecost 19 I can be a bit judgmental.  Some of you here will not believe that because you think I am nice.  Some here (who will remain nameless) … who know better … some who work with me … they know better.  They have heard me judge everyone and everything from the people…

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Are We Sometimes Like the Tenants in the Vineyard?

TRADITIONAL SERMON       PENTECOST 18 Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord, Jesus Christ (1 Colossians 1:3). The parable in our gospel reading Matthew today is also found in Mark and Luke. The parable is known either as the Parable of the Vineyard or the Parable…

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Do You Walk the Walk?

New Day Sermon Pentecost 17 Are you disappointed in others when they don’t follow through on what they said they would do?  Do you ever do the same?  Tune in for a consideration on how Jesus responds as our Savior, to shame and disappointment.

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How Forgiving Can We Be?

Traditional Sermon Pentecost 15 Grace be unto you, and peace, from God our Father, and from the Lord, Jesus Christ (1 Colossians 1:3). Listen to this short three-sentence phrase: “I forgive you.” Although this simple phrase consists of three short words, it is nevertheless very powerful. Generally speaking, forgiving those who have wronged us can…

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Let There Be Light

EMAIL DEVOTIONAL Pentecost 11 God said, ‘Let there be light’; and there was light. And God saw that the light was good. (Genesis 1:3-4a) [My sincere thanks to Brendan Armitage, who offered these thoughts in an email correspondence with me, and who allowed me to share them with you as a devotion, at my prompting.  When…

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Is Hell for real?

EMAIL DEVOTIONAL PEntecost 2 The pit of torment shall appear, and opposite it shall be the place of rest; and the furnace of hell shall be disclosed, and opposite it the paradise of delight. (2 Esdras 7:36) Hell is real.  I visited there today.  It snuck up on me.  I spent much of the day working on some…

You Are Never Far From Home

Easter 5 Traditional Sermon Grace, peace, and the reconciliation found in love to you from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. First of all let me wish all the mothers in the room a Happy Mother’s Day.  The relationship between a child and their mother is unlike any other.  Sometimes that relationship is strong and…