Letters On The Page

Wikimedia Image Address   Thank you to Pastor Keller for inviting me to preach at the Epiphany Divine Service at St. James Lutheran Church in Reynolds, IN.  Pastor Keller presided and Pastor Mueller served as crucifer and Assisting Minister.  You can listen to the service  here. The Epiphany          Isaiah 60:1-6             Ephesians 3:1-12                  Matthew 2:1-12 O Lord, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, my rock and my redeemer. Amen.  The identity and origin of the Magi, the Wise Men, is shrouded in mystery. We only know of their existence because of Matthew 2. The text says that they are from the East, but there is nothing more specific than that. But the one thing that we  do know , that is essenti...

 I read The Odyssey a few years ago and thoroughly enjoyed Christopher Perrin's recap of the story's highlights and its meaning. Dr. Perrin is a Christian and he infuses orthodox Christian reflection into his presentation. I liked how he quoted Clement of the 200's who argued that Greek philosophy and myths prepare them to receive Christ.  If you have not read or listened to The Odyssey, this is an easy to listen to and watch introduction to this great work. A worthy use of one's time indoors amidst the harshness of this winter day!

Public Domain                                                        Video of Divine Service, St. Luke, Rensselaer Second Sunday  after Christmas       1 Kings 3:4-15           Ephesians 1:3-14                   Luke 2:40-52 O Lord our God, we thank you for the treasure that is your Holy Word and that we have the privilege to read, hear, mark, and inwardly digest it. We join with the Psalmist and declare “How sweet are your words to my taste, sweeter than honey to my mouth.” O Lord speak to us today so that we are prepared to meet 2025. Amen.  In the last couple of weeks in December we were exposed to many kinds of reviews of 2024. What were the noteworthy news events? What wer...

Messina, Virginia, and Jack Norris.   Vegan for life: Everything You Need to Know to Be Healthy and Fit on a Plant-Based Diet . Da Capo Press, 2011.   A most helpful book to define terms (i.e. What does vegan really mean?) and introduce the reader to the benefits and ease of maintaining a plant-based diet. Both authors are long time practitioners and registered dieticians. The sixteen chapters address numerous questions: What nutrition do we really get from this kind of diet? Is it enough? What do we give up when we give up meat, dairy, and eggs? Is a vegan diet good for women who are pregnant, lactating, or undergoing menopause? Should children and teens be vegan too? They also address health issues such as weight, heart disease, diabetes, kidney disease.  I found their writing style engaging and their answers compelling.  Regarding nutrition, chapter 3 is titled Vitamin B12: The Gorilla in the Room. Within the vegan research and community, there is disagreemen...

  St. Luke started a Mommy and Me class that includes readings, crafts, snack time, and other fun and educational activities for children who are almost ready for preschool.  The primary teacher and Director, Natalie Waling, organized and led a Christmas Puppet show.  In the audience are Mommy and Me students and Little Lamb Preschool students and their adult guardians.  Thank you to all of Mrs. Waling's helpers!  Thank you to Lizzie for providing a video with highlights of the play and their time together!

Jacobs, Alan.   How to think: A survival guide for a world at odds . New York: Currency, an imprint of the Crown Publishing Group, a division of Penguin Random House LLC, 2017.   This is the second in what became a trilogy of essays. The first was  Reading in an Age of  Distraction  and the third is  Breaking Bread with the Dead . All three books are delightful, thoughtful, essays that offer insight into the significance of literature, reading, and thinking, for communicating with fellow human beings in a civil, responsible, and respectful manner. Jacobs believes that people with different opinions can and ought to converse with one another. But, how to get past the rightness and intensity of our own opinions? Jacobs has some thoughts on how this can happen and a large part of it lies in being willing to learn how it is that we truly think.    Jacobs begins with two people who were convinced of their opinions about the rightness of their own perce...