Dear Esperanza friends, For this week’s Lenten Midweek meditation, I thought I’d offer this meditation on what Jesus said are the two greatest commandments: “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your neighbor as yourself” (Luke 10:27). …
Readings for this Sunday, March 22, include the prophet Samuel anointing David to be the second king of Israel (1 Samuel 16:1-13), the well-known “The Lord is my shepherd” psalm (Psalm 23), a passage from Paul’s letter to the Ephesians …
Dear Esperanza friends, It’s our usual day for Lenten Midweek worship. Though we can’t be together, I invite you to pray with me, read a meditation, and listen to Holden Evening Prayer. Let’s pray together: Holy Spirit, you draw us …
Happy Sunday, everyone. Here are some thoughts on one of today’s Scripture readings… The New Testament reading assigned for today, the third Sunday in Lent, is definitely timely. Here’s the first part of it, from Romans: “Therefore, since we are …
Rodney Stark’s 1996 book The Rise of Christianity shows how the early church made a strong impression on the people around them by the willingness of Christians to stick around and care for the sick when the plague came to …
I’ve been reading 1 John and finding no place to hide. The author writes to a Christian community with this straightforward declaration, one of many like it: Dear friends, let us love one another, for love comes from God. Everyone who …
Please excuse me if I use my space this week to plug an app. I just want to make sure people have heard of the YouVersion Bible app. This app offers an apparently limitless number of reading plans to help …
Hello, Esperanza Lutheran Church! I’m excited to be beginning my ministry with you as your interim pastor. In case you’re not familiar with that term, an interim pastor takes on all the responsibilities of a “regular” pastor and also supports …
Dear friends, It’s hard to believe but my time as your “fill-in pastor” is rapidly drawing to a close. My last service as preacher and presider will be on Christmas Day. I want to thank you for your patience …
Isaiah 35:1-10 Psalm 146:5-10 James 5:7-10 Matthew 11:2-11 Dear Friends, One of the things that drew Cherie and me to Esperanza seven years ago, in addition to Pastor Steve’s stimulating sermons, was the amazing choir that we heard regularly at …
Dear Friends, I guess I really am a prophet! My prediction for worship numbers last Sunday was right on! But come to think of it, it didn’t take a rocket scientist to predict that folks would react to Thanksgiving and …
Dear friends, When I was serving a congregation full time I never particularly liked the years that Thanksgiving showed up just four days before the First Sunday in Advent. Not only did parishioners wear themselves out with holiday feasting, large …