Weekly Words
Posted by request: a sermon on the 9th Sunday after Pentecost, July 21, 2013, following the acquittal of George Zimmerman in the Treyvon Martin case, based on Luke 10:38-42. GRACE TO YOU AND PEACE, FROM GOD OUR FATHER AND FROM OUR LORD AND SAVIOR, JESUS THE CHRIST. Steve Charleston, an Episcopal Priest and the former…
Read MoreGRACE TO YOU AND PEACE, FROM GOD OUR FATHER AND FROM OUR LORD AND SAVIOR, JESUS THE CHRIST. What will I see and what will I wear. What will I see when I wake up in the morning and look in the mirror of the world? A nine year old boy gunned down in a…
Read MorePastors of the South Central Conference had a conversation about resolutions for our upcoming assembly meeting. There was an expressed desire to address the issue of gun violence in some way, which led to the drafting the resolution below. It’s too late for this congregation to submit it without a special meeting, but it can…
Read MoreFreedom is not free. Liberties have costs. Economists calculate the cost of decisions in terms of the trade-offs we make, and there’s one cost we need to consider. What is the cost of our right to keep and bear arms? What is the price or the tax that this liberty exacts from us? The sad…
Read MoreSome of us learn at a very young age, that you can add or change just a couple of words in a song to give it some edge, or drama, or context specificity. Consider the end-of-verse add-ons to Christmas-y songs like “Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer” or even old Sunday School songs like “Do…
Read MoreBack in the 1950s the Reverend Otto Schmidt used to tell new residents to the Como Park neighborhood that they needed to do three things: join a church, join a civic group (like the Lions or Rotary or Kiwanis) and join a political party. This was how Christians could live out their life in Luther’s…
Read MoreAugust 29, 2012 There have been lots of introductions (and some second introductions) this first week of internship! The members of Como Park Lutheran Church have welcomed me with bright smiles, healthy curiosity, and kind wishes. This pleases me, but does not surprise me. You see, a few common phrases I have heard are: “Como…
Read MoreI spent some time this week looking for the war on religion in America. I found cities opposing the construction of mosques, a few instances of what seem like prejudicial zoning practices by different municipalities against churches, restrictions on the use of mind altering drugs and animal sacrifice, but nothing that resembles a war. Quite…
Read More“Every occupation has its own honor before God, as well as its own requirements and duties.” – Martin Luther (LW 46:246) The faith community that is Como Park Lutheran understands this line from Martin Luther and truly lives it out! I have come to know this over the past year of internship. You guys get…
Read MoreThe letter below went out to families of Como Park Lutheran Church this week, pointing out some of the congregation’s summer expenses. What it doesn’t mention is how easy it is to contribute using our new online donation tool on the homepage of this website. There are three check-boxes there to direct your offering to…
Read More