Letters On The Page

Rembrandt - Abraham and Isaac - Public Domain      The following Homily was offered at three congregations in Indiana: Trinity, Goodland; Lutheran Church of Our Saviour, Monticello; and St. John's Lutheran Church, Rensselaer.             2025-3-26 & 27 Wednesday in Lent                 The Testing of Abraham Genesis 22:1-18 O Lord, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, my rock and my redeemer. Amen. There are traditions within some Jewish and Christian communities where certain Scripture passages and commentaries are withheld from the young until they reach an age of maturity. These same communities make similar decisions regarding encounters with great works of art in their forms of literature, visual, or music. The rational for such censorship is that the young will neither understand nor appreciate the deeper message and meaning th...

Video of Divine Service   Third Sunday in Lent    Ezekiel 33:7-20 1 Corinthians 10:1-13           Luke 13:1-9  People, as a general rule, in every age do not like unanswered questions. We do not like, not knowing, why something has occurred. If something terrible happens, we want to learn the cause because there must always be a cause. If we cannot discern the cause, then we will speculate. Perhaps, far too often, we bring God into our answer and speak authoritatively on His behalf. In the process, we forget to clarify that we are speculating, and we really do not know why this bad thing has happened.  The most well-known example of this is the endless speculating and accusations toward Job by his well-meaning friends. His story is told in the Biblical book of Job which is in the Wisdom section of the Old Testament. As you recall, Job is a successful independent businessman and a man of significant faith and conv...

March 19 & 20 2025 Lent - Third Wednesday/Thursday         Genesis 6 & 1 Peter 3:13-22 Words have power to tell stories, shape perceptions, affect the way we think and feel. I have found that the some of the most powerful words in the English language have the fewest letters. For those of us that have had the pleasure and privilege of taking care of little children, we are aware that the dynamics in the house change considerably when the child learns to say the word “no.” Two letters that inform us that the little darling has a different idea than we do. Please go pick up your toys. No. Please sit down. No. Come here. No.  Another strong word is the word “Yes.” Usually, the word “yes” is a welcome relief to the oppositional word. Yes, conveys agreement, affirmation, possibility, a promise, a direction, a future. Please take out the garbage. Yes. Will you marry me? Yes. In the Rite of Confirmation, the question is asked of the confirma...

Video of Divine Service Second Sunday of Lent  Jeremiah 26:8-15    Philippians 3:17-4:1              Luke 13:31-35 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Amen. Last Sunday, we reflected upon the bald temptations of Jesus by Satan. When Jesus was at the end of his fast and at his weakest physically, Satan came to tempt Jesus. We saw Jesus hold firm to His ultimate mission of the cross. Jesus chose the difficult path of obedience.  Three years have passed since his baptism and temptations. Under threat of imprisonment or premature death, Jesus remains committed to His ultimate mission of the cross. In chapter 9:51, Luke says that Jesus set His face to go to Jerusalem. That is where He is headed. The time for His passion draws near. Yet, He will not be rushed. All along the way God’s Good News in Word and Deed is administered to ...

Joseph Epstein. The Love Song of A. Jerome Minkoff. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2010 Fourteen short stories set in Chicago or Evanston that contain at least one Jewish person. Jewish culture is regularly referenced. The subjects addressed in these stories include friendship, marriage, money, immaturity, wealth disparity, mental illness and homelessness, monetary and career success, reputation, challenges of families in midlife, relationships between siblings but especially between brothers.  I enjoyed each story and found myself thinking about the characters and issues presented in the story for the next few days.

Lent Second Wednesday        Genesis 3:14-15 Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Amen.  The Book of Genesis is a book of beginnings. The Bible begins with the Good News of God creating the universe, including us. Unlike some other religions, the appearance of the material world is a good and positive development. The Bible reveals that God creates out of love. He is pleased with what He creates. No mistakes are made. No do-overs are reported. When we read through Genesis 1, we cannot help but observe that God says the word “good” a lot. Each day, except for the second day of creation, includes a positive assessment of what God brough forth. God approves of his handiwork. For example, on the first day, the text says “ And God said, ‘Let there be Light,’ and there was light. And God saw that the light was good .”  On the 6 th  day of creation, God brought fort...