Letters On The Page

Rob Henderson. Troubled: A Memoir of Foster Care, Family, and Social Class. Gallery Books. 2024.  I first encountered Rob Henderson on Shilo Brooks' podcast OLD SCHOOL.  Their conversation focused around George Orwell's Down and Out in Paris and London led me to purchase and read Henderson's book. Since watching the OLD SCHOOL podcast I have learned that people are paying attention to Henderson's observations regarding "luxury beliefs" of the affluent that he first witnessed while at Yale for his undergraduate degree. In the book, Henderson discusses "luxury beliefs" and their impact on society. That is a chapter worthy of reflection in itself.  The reason that Henderson can observe these "luxury beliefs" with a critical eye is because of his personal story and the trajectory of his life thus far. As the subtitle indicates, this is a memoir. His biological abandoned his mother while she was pregnant. After Rob was born, his mother became ad...

Video of Divine Service at St. Luke, Rensselaer   Third Sunday in Advent        Isaiah 35:1-10                        James 5:7-11              Matthew 11:2-15 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. Last week, we heard the fiery, accusing, rhetoric of John the Baptist as he prepared the people and spiritual leaders for the coming Christ. He memorably declares that the spiritual leaders are a brood of vipers and that they are unworthy trees ripe for the axe and will soon be thrown into the fire unless they begin to bear fruit worthy of their repentance.  This week, we encounter a considerably less confident and strident John the Baptist who...

Video of Vespers - St. Luke, Rensselaer, IN     Second Wednesday in Advent             Ruth 1- 4          Matthew 1:1-11 Matthew 1 and Luke 3 are the two genealogies that we have of Jesus’ human ancestors. Only Matthew includes women. The five women listed with their husbands have a story attached to them. Anyone expecting Jesus to come from a pure and holy, or even, a Jewish only pedigree will be sorely disappointed. While Jesus has no sin himself, he has several scandalous skeletons in his ancestral closet.  Last week, we focused on Tamar and her experiences of hardship, treachery, and deception as it is described in Genesis 38. Tonight, we focus on Ruth the Gentile.  Naomi and her two daughters-in-law find themselves in a desperate situation. When Naomi’s husband died, she had the security of her two sons. Then they died. What can they do? Orpah did as Naomi in...

Video of Divine Service at St. Luke, Rensselaer Second Sunday in Advent   Isaiah 11:1-10        Romans 15:4-13         Matthew 3:1-12 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.  In the 1990s and early 2000’s I often found myself in pastor meetings hearing about how to plant and grow a church.   ·        A clearly stated mission was important ·        Outreach into the community ·        Vibrant worship ·        Location for the church house The key words for the church building where the faithful will assemble are “assessable” and “visible.” The building needs to be visible from the road, a sign saying “Church – Enter Here, parking needs to be in front so pas...

       Vespers First Sunday in Advent   Advent 1 Wednesday – Genesis 38:1-26 – Matthew 1:1-6 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.  We have two genealogies of Jesus. Luke 3 and Matthew 1. They are not exact replicas of one another. For example, Luke lists only the fathers, starts with Jesus and then goes backwards to Adam. Matthew starts with Abraham ends with Jesus. What I want to focus on tonight and the next two Wednesday Vesper services is the five women that Matthew includes in his genealogy.  The Gospels are written so that people may hear the Good News of Jesus. The Gospel writers not only present the content of Jesus’ life, but they present it in a way in which people will hear what is being said. For example, when reading through the genealogies, a predictable pattern is given by which names are read. For e...