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A Congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

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RevMerle: Musings and Mutterings on what I see God up to in this world.: RevMerle

"What? So What?" Matthew 3:13-17

One of my favorite professors at Seminary, David Tiede, used to tell us that anyone can do good biblical scholarship of any bible passage if they will apply just three little words to a passage. Those three little words are, “What?” and “So What?” “What?” What is happening in this passage? What’s the […]

"Power to be Children of God" John 1:1-18

I totally get it, prologues are hard. I mean, I love the poetry of the beginning of John’s Gospel. “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.” It is beautiful and it rolls off the tongue expressing something profound and mysterious, but…. But after a […]

"When God Says, Run!" Matthew 2:13-23

How bad are things when even God says, “Run!”? That’s the question I find myself asking as I read this story. The story of flight to Egypt and Herod’s intent towards the child comes at us like a dousing of cold water after the warm and glowing stillness of the strains of “Silent Night, Holy […]

Reflections on Joseph Matthew 1:18-25

What is it about those who bear the name of “Joseph” in the scriptures? The name itself is not one of great consequence or weight. Some names in the scriptures signal greatness. “Moses” in Hebrew translates to “Deliverer” or “One who draws out.” His name was well suited for the task given of […]

Repent?? Is That Even Possible? Matthew 3:1-12

What to do with John? We hear from him every Advent season as he comes to us, a voice of one crying in the wilderness, “Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.” I don’t think it is the “voice of one crying in the wilderness” part that befuddles us. […]

Sarah’s Sermons

Identity

At the heart of all of our readings for today are stories of identity. These readings tell us about the identity of God and of God’s people, and how God called them into relationship and into the full use of their gifts. It’s fitting that we read these readings during Epiphany, the season in which […]

Holy Disruption

Here we are. “The most wonderful time of the year”, as the song calls it. The time when, even if only for a night, it feels a little bit like the world is a magical place, like time stops, and we feel just a little bit closer to God. Tradition helps this, of course. Tonight, […]

Long Expected

What happened to John the Baptist? Let’s go back to last week’s Gospel. In the third chapter of Matthew, John was prophesying that the Messiah was coming, saying, “I baptize you with water for repentance, but one who is more powerful than I is coming after me….He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and […]

The Long Game

Jeremiah has words of assurance this morning, for those with ears to hear. He speaks to a people who are scattered, driven away by evil rulers who did not care for them. He prophesies of the promised king,the heir of David, who will be attentive to the people and will defend and preserve them, so […]

Changing the Narrative

We are confronted with a difficult Gospel reading today. The Sadducees challenge Jesus on a question of how far marital authority extends under the law. Jesus points out to the Sadducees, and to us, how little we understand about the resurrection, if we think that the power structures we live under today will continue. Using the example handed to him, the example […]

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Recent Posts: St. James Lutheran Church

Stewardship Notes from the Pastor

Strategic Giving for Retirees Dana J. Holt People have been tithing for millennia. In Christian tradition, the aim of many is to give 10% of their household income to the church as offering to God. But how much should we give after we retire and don’t have a regular income from work anymore? And where … Continue reading Stewardship Notes from the Pastor

Study Opportunities in April

St. James offers a variety of options for adult learning and interaction, so take advantage of these that fit your schedule or interest. Adult Forums on Sunday Morning — “Living Into the Gospel.” For the season of Lent our Sunday Morning adult class will take the form of a dialogue with the preacher. The preacher … Continue reading Study Opportunities in April

Church in the World Notes

The Clay County Clothes Closet is the charity chosen by Church in the World Committee for the month of April April 7th and 14th have been designated “Undie Sundays”. Besides gifts of gently used clothing we’re asking for donations of NEW underwear and NEW Socks, all sizes from children’s to adult. Or, you can make … Continue reading Church in the World Notes

From the Intern

Our daffodils are about a day away from blooming. My favorite part about daffodils blooming is that it means that our tulips are next, and the magnolia trees are not far behind. I love the early spring flowers: the first real green of the year, the riot of color, the signs of new life and … Continue reading From the Intern

From the Pastor

“Enough” Problems. We have “enough” problems as a society right now, but I don’t mean that in the way that you probably think I do. I’m not talking about the number of problems, as in “enough, can’t take any more.” Oh we might have that too, but my mind is wandering elsewhere today. We have … Continue reading From the Pastor

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