The Pastor’s Pen – AUTUMN
One of Autumn’s “after Pentecost” Scripture readings is a parable about the Rich Fool. No spiritual advisors or ecclesiastical deputy is in the story. As the Rich Fool ponders the size of his surplus...
The Pastor’s Pen – “Summertime, and the livin’ is easy.” George Gershwin anyone?
School is closed. Factories are slower. Offices rotate vacation schedules. Relax. Ease up. Sleep in. Chill out. Travel—mountains or the shore. Weeding the garden, Reading all those novels. Swimming lessons. Soccer camp. Brats and...
The Pastor’s Pen – Pentecost
In Pentecost, we celebrate that we, the people, have been given an Advocate to accompany us. An Advocate! Sounds like a Law and Order episode! Legal thrillers, in book, film, or TV series, belong...
The Pastor’s Pen – Easter Season
Assembly goers and Pastors this season will notice a familiar pattern in the Scripture readings. These readings give the Church an opportunity to hear the Gospel of John. The first three Sundays allow us...
The Pastor’s Pen – HOLY WEEK
The Three Days of Our Lord represent the pinnacle of worship in the Christian community. The events of these Three Days stand not only at the very heart of our faith, but...
The Pastor’s Pen – Lent 2022
Preaching and Listening are the jobs always connected to the call and grace of Baptism. Especially so in the season of LENT. The Invitation to Lent, spoken in the Ash Wednesday liturgy, opens with...
The Pastor’s Pen – February 2022 Time After Epiphany
This year the Time after Epiphany is a full eight Sundays. The Sunday following January 6, The Epiphany, is the Baptism of Our Lord. Following Baptism of Our Lord, seven more Sundays, including the...
The Pastor’s Pen – The Epiphany Jan 2022
The Epiphany commemorates the arrival of The Magi who came from afar to pay homage to the Christ Child. Yet the Christ Child is born to us every day and our Epiphany is continuous....
The Pastor’s Pen – Season of Advent
The Season of ADVENT is about waiting for the coming of the Lord. We wait for Christ’s arrival that happened twothousand years ago and for the arrival that is yet to occur. We journey...
The Pastor’s Pen – All Saints Nov 2021
All Saints Sunday has become an important and non-negotiable festival in our Lutheran congregations. Observing this festival’s readings, however, breaks up the narrative of the Common Lectionary Sunday readings through the brief remainder of...