“Night and day, you are the one, Only you beneath the moon, Under the sun…” The lyrics of the great Cole Porter song are appropriate to this week’s Gospel text in so many ways. “Night and day,” can describe the contrast between Nicodemus and the Woman at the Well:...
I think of St. Teresa’s words every time I encounter The Beatitudes, whether here in Matthew (5:1-12) or in Luke (6:20-23). The “blessed” are a sorry lot, in the eyes of the world: the poor in spirit; those who mourn; the meek; those who hunger and thirst for righteousness; the…...
“Foreshadowing.” Isn’t that an awesome word? Sounds so Gothic. “Foreshadowing” [insert creepy organ music here], “a narrative device in which suggestions or warnings about events to come are dropped or planted,” suggests one dictionary. A wonderful example of this is hidden in the Greek word translated in today’s Gospel text…...
Guess the character and the name of the show he appeared in. Here are a few of his famous lines: "This is the city, Los Angeles, California... I work here... I'm a cop." It was [day of the week and date], it was [weather conditions] in Los Angeles; we were…...
The grand scope of this very familiar text is very grand indeed. There is a lot going on here. Although “Jesus was born…” is all that Matthew has to say on the matter, what comes next is full of detail: Bethlehem is only five miles south of Jerusalem – close…...
My long-suffering wife has had to sit through almost twenty-five years of my sermons. Pray for her! Amy will point out that when it comes to wedding sermons, I have a very small repertoire of illustrations. In fact, Amy can pretty much match me word-for-word when it comes to my…...
What’s in a name? Everything, when we are talking about Jesus. First of all, Joseph is the one who is to give the child the name Jesus. Contrast this with Luke’s account in which Gabriel tells Mary to name the child (Luke 1:35). For Matthew, establishing Jesus as a descendant…...
I read a wee reflection recently which made a rather poignant point: There was a day in our childhood when we hung out with our friends for the very last time, but did not know the finality of it at the time. We shared stories, and did goofy things, and…...
Amy’s uncle remembers his first golfing trip to Scotland. On the first tee he asked the caddie, “What do the Scots call a mulligan?” The reply was brutally honest – “We call it two strokes!” Today’s Gospel text is a mulligan text. It opens with the words, “In those days”…...
Even a cursory glance through Scripture will reveal a rich harvest (pun intended) of thanksgiving to God: "Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good; his love endures forever." 1 Chronicles 16:34 "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were…...
Eighth-Day Discipleship: A New Vision for Faith, Work & Economics
Richard H. Bliese in his book, and in this class, “draws on the historic architecture of eight-sided churches to call attention to an important but often overlooked emphasis on the eighth day of creation. Early Christians were focused on God’s new creation that began in Christ’s resurrection on Sunday, the first day of the week. But these Christians understood resurrection as the continuation of God’s creative and redemptive activity. So the first day of the week became the eighth day of creation, and therefore the day of resurrection work and time to join with Christ in transforming the world. Christian disciples do this work by living out their baptismal vocations, especially in their daily work and through their ethical economic choices.”
Taught By Richard H. Bliese
“An accomplished leader, teacher, innovator, and visionary with extensive ministerial experience on three continents, forty years of church leadership, nonprofit and entrepreneurial experience in over fifteen different organizations, and deep teaching and consulting expertise nationally and internationally in theological education and congregational ministry. He is the editor, with Craig Van Gelder, of The Evangelizing Church: A Lutheran Contribution.”
When: For six weeks on Tuesdays, February 21-March 28, 2-3:30pm.
Preparation: Purchase and begin to read Richard’s book, ISBN 978-1506478838, available on Amazon.
Sign Up: Please click here to sign up as an attendee for these classes. Sign-ups are appreciated.
Contact us
Join us at the Church on the Circle St Armands Key Lutheran Church.
Sunday Morning
9am and 11am
Fellowship Hour Sunday
10am
The Parking Lot is on North Adams Drive behind the Church
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