Letters On The Page

Video of Divine Service at St. Luke, Rensselaer Epiphany of our Lord   Ephesians 3:1-12  Matthew 2:1-12 The Necessity of Revelation O Lord, your Word is a lamp unto my feet and a light unto my path. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, my rock and my redeemer. Amen.  If we were in Bethlehem on the night that Jesus was born, would we have recognized Mary as the mother of God and her newborn son as the Savior of the world? Or would we have seen a poverty-stricken family who is relegated to the hard luck of staying in the manger?  If we got to know Joseph and Mary and the infant Jesus as they waited in Bethlehem for what comes next, would we discern something special, something unique about Mary or Jesus? The honest answer is probably not.  In order to appreciate the gift of God that is before us, we need revelation. We need God’s revelation to open our eyes and ears to see and hear what is happening before us. The ang...

Video of Divine Service at St. Luke, Rensselaer Second Sunday after Christmas  1 Kings 3:4-15  Ephesians 1:3-14  Luke 2:40-52 For Us! O Lord, your Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, my rock and my redeemer. Amen.  When I was in seminary, we were taught a few Latin phrases to help get into our heads what God is doing in our world and why. One of those phrases kept coming back to me as I reflected on today’s Gospel reading. The phrase is “pro nobis.” Pro nobis translates into English as “for us.”  Martin Luther, his peers in Wittenberg, and subsequent Lutheran theologians have used that phrase effectively to keep before us what God is doing in this world through Jesus Christ and why. The phrase “for us” also serves to remind us that our salvation is not our work. Our salvation is God’s work.  We do not save ourselves. God saves us. God saves us by act...

Video of Divine Service at St. Luke, Rensselaer First Sunday after Christmas  Isaiah 63:7-14  Galatians 4:4-7  Matthew 2:13-23 O Lord, your Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, my rock and my redeemer.  Today’s Gospel comes as a bit of a shock after the joy of Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  On Christmas Eve, we heard the joyous news of God coming down to dwell with us. Isaiah’s prophecy is fulfilled in Jesus Christ:  For to us a child is born,   to us   a son is given;   his name shall be called   Wonderful   Counselor,   Mighty God, Everlasting   Father, Prince of   Peace.  For a brief musical moment, the veil that separates the seen from the unseen was removed and the angels announced the birth of the Christ child in Bethlehem. “ Glory to God in highest, and on earth peace upon those with whom he is pleased...

Christmas Day - John 1:1-18              O Lord, Your Word is lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, my Rock and my Redeemer. Amen.   Many of the books I read have introductions written by the author or someone else.  In general, a good introduction lets the reader know what the theme is and what direction the book is going to go.  Sometimes, the reader may even surmise the conclusion.              The Gospel reading is a brief, poetic prose, introduction to the life of Jesus Christ.  Reading the prologue carefully lets us know what is coming. If we were hearing the Gospel for the very first time, we would discern that Jesus is the focus of the rest of the book and that He is unlike any man born. He is co-eternal with the Father and the Holy Spirit. ...

Video of Lessons and Carols at St. Luke, Rensselaer Christmas Eve – Isaiah 9:2-7 & Luke 2:1-20   O Lord, Your Word is a lamp unto our feet and a light unto our path. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, my rock and my redeemer. Amen.    When the heavenly host of angels appeared to the shepherds in the night sky, they sang out “ Glory to God in the highest and peace to God’s people on earth .” Tonight, we join with the heavenly host in glorifying God for the gift of Jesus.  Jesus, sweet baby Jesus, born in humble surroundings, is a child born not for the sake of Mary and Joseph or for the sake of continuing the family line.  Jesus is born for the sake of the world.  In and through the life of this baby, we receive the promise of salvation.  For the peace he brings us; for the forgiveness he wins for us through the cross; for the hope he instills within our hearts, and for the embodiment o...

Video of Divine Service at St. Luke, Rensselaer Fourth Sunday in Advent          Isaiah 7:10-17            Romans 1:1-7             Matthew 1:18-25 O Lord, your Word is a lamp to my feet and a light unto my path. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, my rock and my redeemer. Amen. It is not unusual this time of year for there to be a focus on Mary, the mother of Jesus. Regardless of one’s theological tradition, we see from the biblical witness that Mary is an exemplar of faith. God, through his messenger Gabriel, asks Mary to do something that has never been asked before.  In full trust of God for her future, she says “yes” to bearing the Son of God.  While we appreciate Mary’s faith and her role in bringing Christ to us, I contend that what we learn of Joseph is equally important. I am gratefu...