Will Preach For Food Podcast

This sermon is for the 4th Sunday in Advent, which is also Christmas Eve Day, December 24, 2023, based on the Gospel reading from Luke 1:26-38. In this passage the gospel writer sets the stage—and the stakes—for the miraculous, prophetic, improbable birth of the Son of God, King of Kings, and Savior of the Nations. And it all begins with the courageous faith of a young, poor, unwed girl named Mary.We'll take a closer look at Mary, the angel Gabriel, the names of Jesus, and why these details were so important then and now. We'll conclude with some ideas about what Spirit might be saying to us now, including some practical ways to apply God's word this Christmas. So, now would be a great time to dust off your Bible, and open to the first chapter of the gospel of Luke and find verse 26. Let's pray, then dive in. This prayer is verse four of a Christmas Carol: O Little Town of Bethlehem.O, Holy Child of Bethlehem, descend to us, we pray: Cast out our sin, and enter in, be born in us today. We hear the Christmas angels the great glad tidings tell; Oh, come to us, abide with us, our Lord Immanuel! Amen.Luke 1:26-38 (NRSV)26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a town in Galilee called Nazareth, 27 to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin's name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, favored one! The Lord is with you.” 29 But she was much perplexed by his words and pondered what sort of greeting this might be. 30 The angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And now, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you will name him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High, and the Lord God will give to him the throne of his ancestor David. 33 He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.” 34 Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, since I am a virgin?” 35 The angel said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be holy; he will be called Son of God. 36 And now, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month for her who was said to be barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 Then Mary said, “Here am I, the servant of the Lord; let it be with me according to your word.” Then the angel departed from her.Support the show

Hello, welcome to the Will Preach for Food podcast. I'm Doug, a pastor here at Faith Lutheran Church, based out of Shelton, Washington, a congregation of the ELCA. I took the summer off from recording this podcast, but it feels good to be back. Thank you so much for tuning in. You can learn more about Faith at our website, www.faithshelton.org. I am recording this for the 16th Sunday after Pentecost, September 17, 2023.Today we're going to talk about marriage and divorce, reading from the gospel of Matthew, chapter 19, beginning with the first verse. Here Jesus tells us a little bit about how to relate well as humans, but also points us to the love of God who created us just as we are. God who is both Husband and Helper, Lover and Beloved. Let's get started by reading Matthew 19:1-12. After a few notes about what the text is saying, we will dig into the Living Word, and what it means for us today. And I'll leave you with a few takeaways for the week ahead. Ready? Let's listen.Matthew 19:1-12When Jesus had finished saying these things, he left Galilee and went into the region of Judea to the other side of the Jordan. 2 Large crowds followed him, and he healed them there.3 Some Pharisees came to him to test him. They asked, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?”4 “Haven't you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,' 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh'? 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.”7 “Why then,” they asked, “did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?”8 Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. 9 I tell you that anyone who divorces his wife, except for sexual immorality, and marries another woman commits adultery.”10 The disciples said to him, “If this is the situation between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry.”11 Jesus replied, “Not everyone can accept this word, but only those to whom it has been given. 12 For there are eunuchs who were born that way, and there are eunuchs who have been made eunuchs by others—and there are those who choose to live like eunuchs for the sake of the kingdom of heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it.”Support the show

This is the final podcast in my sermon series through the book of Romans. I'll be taking a couple months off from recording this summer, but will be back with more this fall.--DougRomans 16:1-16...And it brings me to this final chapter 16. I'll warn you, that it is a lengthy list of weird sounding names. But I want to read it, and as I do, see if you notice anything surprising or unusual. I commend to you our sister Phoebe, a deacon of the church in Cenchreae. 2 I ask you to receive her in the Lord in a way worthy of his people and to give her any help she may need from you, for she has been the benefactor of many people, including me.3 Greet Priscilla and Aquila, my co-workers in Christ Jesus. 4 They risked their lives for me. Not only I but all the churches of the Gentiles are grateful to them.5 Greet also the church that meets at their house.Greet my dear friend Epenetus, who was the first convert to Christ in the province of Asia. 6 Greet Mary, who worked very hard for you.7 Greet Andronicus and Junia, my fellow Jews who have been in prison with me. They are outstanding among the apostles, and they were in Christ before I was.8 Greet Ampliatus, my dear friend in the Lord.9 Greet Urbanus, our co-worker in Christ, and my dear friend Stachys.10 Greet Apelles, whose fidelity to Christ has stood the test. Greet those who belong to the household of Aristobulus. 11 Greet Herodion, my fellow Jew. Greet those in the household of Narcissus who are in the Lord.12 Greet Tryphena and Tryphosa, those women who work hard in the Lord.Greet my dear friend Persis, another woman who has worked very hard in the Lord. 13 Greet Rufus, chosen in the Lord, and his mother, who has been a mother to me, too. 14 Greet Asyncritus, Phlegon, Hermes, Patrobas, Hermas and the other brothers and sisters with them.15 Greet Philologus, Julia, Nereus and his sister, and Olympas and all the Lord's people who are with them.16 Greet one another with a holy kiss. All the churches of Christ send greetings.Support the show

We begin, therefore, by reciting a single verse, Romans 15:7.Welcome one another, therefore, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God. This is the word of God. Amen.Welcome Home! Hospitality is kind of a big deal around here. We begin every worship service with a call and response. I stand up in front of the congregation and say “Welcome Home!” And the congregation responds “It's good to be home!” But here's the thing. It's not “OUR” house. It's GOD's house. God welcomes each one of us as strangers and sinners, guests and travelers. We are welcome because of who God is, revealed in Christ Jesus. And because each of us has been welcomed by God's grace, we seek to extend that same welcome to one another. Welcome home. It's GOOD to be home.Support the show

Romans 14:1-9I want to look as well at the passage from Romans 14. In some ways, Paul is answering the same question: what do we need to do, what do we need to know? In particular, there are questions in Rome about worship practices and dietary restrictions. How often do we need to go to church? Is it okay to eat bacon? Can I eat bacon AT church? As you can imagine, there were, in Paul's day—as in ours—differences of opinion, differences of practice in some of these matters. Listen again to what Paul says. This is from “The Message” translation.Welcome with open arms fellow believers who don't see things the way you do. And don't jump all over them every time they do or say something you don't agree with—even when it seems that they are strong on opinions but weak in the faith department. Remember, they have their own history to deal with. Treat them gently.2-4 For instance, a person who has been around for a while might well be convinced that he can eat anything on the table, while another, with a different background, might assume he should only be a vegetarian and eat accordingly. But since both are guests at Christ's table, wouldn't it be terribly rude if they fell to criticizing what the other ate or didn't eat? God, after all, invited them both to the table. Do you have any business crossing people off the guest list or interfering with God's welcome? If there are corrections to be made or manners to be learned, God can handle that without your help.5 Or, say, one person thinks that some days should be set aside as holy and another thinks that each day is pretty much like any other. There are good reasons either way. So, each person is free to follow the convictions of conscience.6-9 What's important in all this is that if you keep a holy day, keep it for God's sake; if you eat meat, eat it to the glory of God and thank God for prime rib; if you're a vegetarian, eat vegetables to the glory of God and thank God for broccoli. None of us are permitted to insist on our own way in these matters. It's God we are answerable to—all the way from life to death and everything in between—not each other. That's why Jesus lived and died and then lived again: so that he could be our Master across the entire range of life and death, and free us from the petty tyrannies of each other.Support the show

Drop kick me, Jesus, through the goalposts of life, end over end, neither left nor the right. Straight through the heart of them righteous uprights: Drop kick me, Jesus, through the goalposts of life. Amen.Hello, welcome to the Will Preach for Food podcast. I'm Doug, a pastor here at Faith Lutheran Church, based out of Shelton, Washington, a congregation of the ELCA. You can learn more about Faith at our website, www.faithshelton.org. This podcast is being recorded for Sunday, April 30, 2023. We're continuing a series through Paul's letter to the Romans. But I've also got football on my brain this weekend. I've been following the NFL draft with my son. We've been tracking who the Seahawks will pick to be the newest members of the team.It turns out that the NFL draft might be a helpful analogy for understanding God's word for us today. After all, we're talking about how Jesus calls each of us by name. How sometimes we play offense, sometimes we're on defense, and sometimes we play special teams. And we're talking about putting on the jersey, showing up for practice, and representing the team. So please open your Bible to the tenth chapter of the gospel of John, beginning with verse 1.John 10:1-10“Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger's voice.” 6 Jesus used this figure of speech, but the Pharisees did not understand what he was telling them.7 Therefore Jesus said again, “Very truly I tell you, I am the gate for the sheep. 8 All who have come before me are thieves and robbers, but the sheep have not listened to them. 9 I am the gate; whoever enters through me will be saved. They will come in and go out, and find pasture. 10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full.Here ends the reading. Dear sisters and brothers in Christ, grace to you and peace, from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ.Support the show

In Romans 12 Paul begins to describe how God has designed Christian community to be like a single body with many members—body parts—each with a distinct function and purpose, but all belonging to and working together as one body. So today we'll be talking about stewardship, spiritual gifts, and Christian vocation. Takeaways will include a “time and talents” form for volunteering at Faith, and a larger call to share the gifts of God, to “be” the body of Christ “out there,” beyond the church walls, in the everyday matters of work, home, school, and neighborhood.We start with a story about how Jesus likes to show up among his followers post-resurrection: on the road, in the Scriptures, with the bread.Luke 24:13-32Now that same day two of them were going to a village called Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem. 14 They were talking with each other about everything that had happened. 15 As they talked and discussed these things with each other, Jesus himself came up and walked along with them; 16 but they were kept from recognizing him.17 He asked them, “What are you discussing together as you walk along?”They stood still, their faces downcast. 18 One of them, named Cleopas, asked him, “Are you the only one visiting Jerusalem who does not know the things that have happened there in these days?”19 “What things?” he asked.“About Jesus of Nazareth,” they replied. “He was a prophet, powerful in word and deed before God and all the people. 20 The chief priests and our rulers handed him over to be sentenced to death, and they crucified him; 21 but we had hoped that he was the one who was going to redeem Israel. And what is more, it is the third day since all this took place. 22 In addition, some of our women amazed us. They went to the tomb early this morning 23 but didn't find his body. They came and told us that they had seen a vision of angels, who said he was alive. 24 Then some of our companions went to the tomb and found it just as the women had said, but they did not see Jesus.”25 He said to them, “How foolish you are, and how slow to believe all that the prophets have spoken! 26 Did not the Messiah have to suffer these things and then enter his glory?” 27 And beginning with Moses and all the Prophets, he explained to them what was said in all the Scriptures concerning himself.28 As they approached the village to which they were going, Jesus continued on as if he were going farther. 29 But they urged him strongly, “Stay with us, for it is nearly evening; the day is almost over.” So he went in to stay with them.30 When he was at the table with them, he took bread, gave thanks, broke it and began to give it to them. 31 Then their eyes were opened and they recognized him, and he disappeared from their sight. 32 They asked each other, “Were not our hearts burning within us while he talked with us on the road and opened the Scriptures to us?”CLICK HERE for link to Gifts insert.Support the show

We're continuing a series through Paul's letter to the Romans. “By Grace Through Faith” is my ongoing title, as it summarizes, not only the book of Romans, but really the message of the whole Bible. It's always been about God's grace, from Genesis to Revelation and everything in between.One of the most pressing concerns in the first century church was the simple but profound question: “What about the Jews?” Had God given up on them? This was a very personal issue for the writer of Romans, the apostle Paul. These were “his people.” His family, friends, loved ones, his heritage. “What about the Jews?”So today you'll get a brief overview of Romans 9-11, which can be summarized into three sections: Grace, not Race; Power Goes Sour; and Shoots, not Roots. We're going to begin with today's gospel reading for the Sunday after Easter, though, so open your Bibles to John 20:19-31, and we'll dive in.John 20:19-31On the evening of that first day of the week, when the disciples were together, with the doors locked for fear of the Jewish leaders, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 20 After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord.21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit. 23 If you forgive anyone's sins, their sins are forgiven; if you do not forgive them, they are not forgiven.”24 Now Thomas (also known as Didymus), one of the Twelve, was not with the disciples when Jesus came. 25 So the other disciples told him, “We have seen the Lord!”But he said to them, “Unless I see the nail marks in his hands and put my finger where the nails were, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.”26 A week later his disciples were in the house again, and Thomas was with them. Though the doors were locked, Jesus came and stood among them and said, “Peace be with you!” 27 Then he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here; see my hands. Reach out your hand and put it into my side. Stop doubting and believe.”28 Thomas said to him, “My Lord and my God!”29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”30 Jesus performed many other signs in the presence of his disciples, which are not recorded in this book. 31 But these are written that you may believe that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in his name.Support the show

Hello, welcome to the Will Preach for Food podcast. I'm Doug, a pastor here at Faith Lutheran Church, based out of Shelton, Washington, a congregation of the ELCA. You can learn more about Faith at our website, www.faithshelton.org. This podcast is being recorded for Easter Sunday, April 9, 2023. Christ is risen, we declare every Easter morning. He is risen indeed, Alleluia, which is simply another way to say: “Praise the Lord!”So let's start by reading the Easter story from the gospel of Matthew, chapter 28, verses 1-15. What happened on Easter? What REALLY happened? And what does it mean for us today? My Big Idea for today is that Easter Sunday vindicates Jesus—the empty tomb shows that he really is who he says he is. Easter Sunday also underscores the good news that it's all about God's grace, and nothing, not even death, can prevent God from accomplishing God's good purpose for your life. And I'll leave you with three takeaways: first, that you find hope and joy in the Easter story; second, that you go looking for Jesus “out there” in the neighborhood, and not just at church; and third, that you, like the first disciples, have the courage and love to tell the Easter story in your own life. Again, and again, and again.Matthew 28:1-15After the Sabbath, at dawn on the first day of the week, Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went to look at the tomb.2 There was a violent earthquake, for an angel of the Lord came down from heaven and, going to the tomb, rolled back the stone and sat on it. 3 His appearance was like lightning, and his clothes were white as snow. 4 The guards were so afraid of him that they shook and became like dead men.5 The angel said to the women, “Do not be afraid, for I know that you are looking for Jesus, who was crucified. 6 He is not here; he has risen, just as he said. Come and see the place where he lay. 7 Then go quickly and tell his disciples: ‘He has risen from the dead and is going ahead of you into Galilee. There you will see him.' Now I have told you.”8 So the women hurried away from the tomb, afraid yet filled with joy, and ran to tell his disciples. 9 Suddenly Jesus met them. “Greetings,” he said. They came to him, clasped his feet and worshiped him. 10 Then Jesus said to them, “Do not be afraid. Go and tell my brothers to go to Galilee; there they will see me.”11 While the women were on their way, some of the guards went into the city and reported to the chief priests everything that had happened. 12 When the chief priests had met with the elders and devised a plan, they gave the soldiers a large sum of money, 13 telling them, “You are to say, ‘His disciples came during the night and stole him away while we were asleep.' 14 If this report gets to the governor, we will satisfy him and keep you out of trouble.” 15 So the soldiers took the money and did as they were instructed. And this story has been widely circulated among the Jews to this very day.Support the show

This podcast is being recorded for Palm Sunday, April 2, 2023. We've got the story of Palm Sunday from the 12th chapter of the gospel of John. We're going to look ahead at what we call “Maundy Thursday.” I'll tell you about a core Lutheran teaching based on Romans 7, called “simul justis et peccator”—recognition of our life in Christ as simultaneously justified and sinner. And we'll end with God's good declaration: you are beautiful, you are loved. So let's start by reading the gospel of John 12: 12-19.John 12:12-19The next day the great crowd that had come for the festival heard that Jesus was on his way to Jerusalem. 13 They took palm branches and went out to meet him, shouting,“Hosanna!”“Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord!”“Blessed is the king of Israel!”14 Jesus found a young donkey and sat on it, as it is written:15 “Do not be afraid, Daughter Zion;    see, your king is coming,    seated on a donkey's colt.”16 At first his disciples did not understand all this. Only after Jesus was glorified did they realize that these things had been written about him and that these things had been done to him.17 Now the crowd that was with him when he called Lazarus from the tomb and raised him from the dead continued to spread the word. 18 Many people, because they had heard that he had performed this sign, went out to meet him. 19 So the Pharisees said to one another, “See, this is getting us nowhere. Look how the whole world has gone after him!”Support the show

So far, in the first five chapters of the book of Romans, the Apostle Paul has talked about sin, salvation, and suffering—all of us in the same boat, bound to sin and saved by grace, apart from any works of the law, including theories like substitutionary atonement. Suffering is neither a sign of blessing or disfavor. Suffering mostly just, well, is. Today, Paul addresses a fourth universal human experience: death. I'll begin today by reading a few verses of Romans 6, then pivot to a story about a man named Lazarus, in John 11. Understanding the story of Lazarus will help us understand Paul, death, and baptism.Romans 6:1-14What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don't you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with, that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. 14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.Dead Man Walking“Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase?” If I'm saved by grace, if there are no guaranteed direct consequences for my actions and choices, does that mean I can do anything I want? No, Paul says, after all, how can we who have died to sin go on living in it? If you are a bit confused at this point, you aren't alone. Let's read about a dead man named Lazarus in John 11, then we'll circle back around to Romans 6 at the end.Support the show

Today's big idea is Paul's claim in Romans 5 that we have “peace with God.” This is by grace, through faith, apart from works of the law. By grace we have peace with God, forgiveness of sins, and courage for life. Let's read Romans 5:1-8 and dive in.Romans 5:1-8Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ, 2 through whom we have gained access by faith into this grace in which we now stand. And we boast in the hope of the glory of God. 3 Not only so, but we also glory in our sufferings, because we know that suffering produces perseverance; 4 perseverance, character; and character, hope. 5 And hope does not put us to shame, because God's love has been poured out into our hearts through the Holy Spirit, who has been given to us.6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous person, though for a good person someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.The word of God. Amen. Sisters and brothers in Christ, grace to you and peace, from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Here is that song, "Blessings" by Laura Story.Support the show

This podcast is being recorded for the 2nd Sunday in Lent, March 5, 2023. I'm preaching through the book of Romans this spring. “By Grace Through Faith” is my series title, and today is Part Two, looking at Romans 3-4. Here Paul articulates his proclamation of the gospel of Jesus Christ, that we are justified by grace, through faith, apart from works of the law. To this day, this is a radical and liberating message, one that because it sounds too good to be true, most folks, including well-meaning Christians, attempt to misuse God's law and limit God's grace. And like Martin Luther did 500 years ago, it is up to the Lutherans today to call for reformation, to submit to the word alone, and let God be God. We begin, as always, by reading the Bible, listening to what it says, then we'll try to figure out what it means, and what it means for us today. Romans 3:19-31 (NRSV)Now we know that, whatever the law says, it speaks to those who are under the law, so that every mouth may be silenced and the whole world may be held accountable to God. 20 For no human will be justified before him by deeds prescribed by the law, for through the law comes the knowledge of sin.21 But now, apart from the law, the righteousness of God has been disclosed and is attested by the Law and the Prophets, 22 the righteousness of God through the faith of Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction, 23 since all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God; 24 they are now justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a [sacrifice of atonement] by his blood, [effective] through faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over the sins previously committed; 26 it was to demonstrate at the present time his own righteousness, so that he is righteous and he justifies the one who has the faith of Jesus.27 Then what becomes of boasting? It is excluded. Through what kind of law? That of works? No, rather through the law of faith. 28 For we hold that a person is justified by faith apart from works prescribed by the law. 29 Or is God the God of Jews only? Is he not the God of gentiles also? Yes, of gentiles also, 30 since God is one, and he will justify the circumcised on the ground of faith and the uncircumcised through that same faith. 31 Do we then overthrow the law through this faith? By no means! On the contrary, we uphold the law.Support the show

IntroductionHello, welcome to the Will Preach for Food podcast. I'm Doug, a pastor here at Faith Lutheran Church, based out of Shelton, Washington, a congregation of the ELCA. You can learn more about Faith at our website, www.faithshelton.org. This podcast is being recorded for the 1st Sunday in Lent, February 26, 2023. Over these next few weeks, I think I'm going to try my best to preach from the book of Romans. “By Grace Through Faith” is my series title, and today is Part One, looking at Romans 1-2. So we're going to spend some time getting to know a man named Saul of Tarsus, whom we know as the Apostle Paul. Paul was a Jewish teacher and tentmaker turned Christian missionary, theologian, reformer. Paul introduces himself to the Romans as simply “a servant of Christ Jesus.”Romans 1:1-4Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle and set apart for the gospel of God— 2 the gospel he promised beforehand through his prophets in the Holy Scriptures 3 regarding his Son, who as to his earthly life was a descendant of David, 4 and who through the Spirit of holiness was appointed the Son of God in power by his resurrection from the dead: Jesus Christ our Lord. After twenty years of missionary work around the Mediterranean, Paul has on his heart to bring the gospel all the way to Spain. To get there, he's going to need support from a cluster of little churches in Rome. He needs donors, backers, companions, prayer. He writes a letter to a group he's never met. It is an ambitious attempt to summarize and demonstrate his message, his vision, and his mission strategy. He is coming to visit them in person, and he wants to be ready and receptive to his vision. Romans 1:7-10To all in Rome who are loved by God and called to be his holy people:Grace and peace to you from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ.8 First, I thank my God through Jesus Christ for all of you, because your faith is being reported all over the world. 9 God, whom I serve in my spirit in preaching the gospel of his Son, is my witness how constantly I remember you 10 in my prayers at all times; and I pray that now at last by God's will the way may be opened for me to come to you.History tells us that Paul makes it to Rome, although as a prisoner, not a missionary. And he never makes it to Spain.But we have his letter to the Romans, arguably the most important of Paul's writings if not the entire Bible. Paul wants to let them know about what he calls “the gospel,” the euangelion, the good news that was promised in the Hebrew Scriptures and finally revealed and realized in the person of Jesus, the Messiah Christ sent from God. This letter gives us ways to talk about human depravity and God's righteousness. He gives us language for a doctrine of justification: Saved by grace through faith, apart from works of the law. And for sanctification: daily dying and being made new through the Holy Spirit, symbolized and set into motion through Baptism. Support the show

As we come to worship the God who's always loving us first, take a deep breath. Bring your shoulders up to your ears, then let them melt down you back. Today we're going to enter the Gospel with our imaginations. As a warmup, I wonder if you can remember a moment of warmth and safety that you enjoyed, maybe near a cozy fire, or in bright and beautiful sun, or in the embrace of a loved one… Thank you, Holy God, for the warm light of your love, your peace. May the peace of God be with you all! Sermon Transcript with LinksSupport the show

Hello, welcome to the Will Preach for Food podcast. I'm Doug, a pastor here at Faith Lutheran Church, based out of Shelton, Washington, a congregation of the ELCA. You can learn more about Faith at our website, www.faithshelton.org. This week's podcast is a live recording from Sunday, February 12, 2023, at Faith Lutheran Church in Shelton. The text is Matthew 5:17-30.“Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have not come to abolish them but to fulfill them. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth disappear, not the smallest letter, not the least stroke of a pen, will by any means disappear from the Law until everything is accomplished. 19 Therefore anyone who sets aside one of the least of these commands and teaches others accordingly will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever practices and teaches these commands will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you that unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees and the teachers of the law, you will certainly not enter the kingdom of heaven.21 “You have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘You shall not murder, and anyone who murders will be subject to judgment.' 22 But I tell you that anyone who is angry with a brother or sister will be subject to judgment. Again, anyone who says to a brother or sister, ‘Raca,' is answerable to the court. And anyone who says, ‘You fool!' will be in danger of the fire of hell.23 “Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother or sister has something against you, 24 leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to them; then come and offer your gift.25 “Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still together on the way, or your adversary may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison. 26 Truly I tell you, you will not get out until you have paid the last penny.27 “You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall not commit adultery.' 28 But I tell you that anyone who looks at a woman lustfully has already committed adultery with her in his heart. 29 If your right eye causes you to stumble, gouge it out and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to be thrown into hell. 30 And if your right hand causes you to stumble, cut it off and throw it away. It is better for you to lose one part of your body than for your whole body to go into hell.Support the show

IntroductionHello, welcome to the Will Preach for Food podcast. I'm Doug, a pastor here at Faith Lutheran Church, based out of Shelton, Washington, a congregation of the ELCA. You can learn more about Faith at our website, www.faithshelton.org. This Sunday, February 5, marks the 45th Anniversary of the first worship service held in our current sanctuary back in 1978. So dust off your disco albums, bell bottom jeans, and polyester leisure suits, and we going to worship like it's 1978! Today's podcast is titled “Windows of Faith,” and I want to tell you about the stained glass windows that adorn this sanctuary. For you out of staters, I'm working on getting the windows on a page on our website.Stained glass is a rare and treasured art form that lets the light of the sun shine through it to reveal God's beauty and goodness. My prayer for the people of Faith is that each one of us be living stained glass, so that God's Son might shine through our lives to bless the world and glorify God.Matthew 5:14-16The holy Gospel according to St Matthew, the fifth chapter, beginning with the 14th verse:14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.Here ends the reading. Dear sisters and brothers in Christ, grace, peace, and mercy be with you. Amen.Support the show

1 Corinthians 1:18-24For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written:“I will destroy the wisdom of the wise;    the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate.”20 Where is the wise person? Where is the teacher of the law? Where is the philosopher of this age? Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. 22 Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. “We preach Christ crucified,” declares the Apostle Paul in a letter he writes to the first century church he started in Corinth. We preach CHRIST, crucified. The center of our faith and life is Jesus. Christ is Lord and Savior, the beginning and the end. The church isn't a political organization or cult of personality. No, Paul insists, we preach CHRIST Jesus.Jesus is the incarnation and revelation of the God described throughout the Bible. God created the heavens and the earth with a Word. The Creator's Spirit gives life to all living things. It has been noted that the name of God sounds like taking a breath: Yah. Weh. That life begins when we first utter God's name: Yah. Weh. And it ends when we say God's name for the last time: Yah. Weh. YHWH, the Bible teaches, over and over again, is gracious and merciful, slow to anger, and abounds in steadfast love: “Hesed” in Hebrew. It is translated steadfast love, lovingkindness, mercy. The hesed of God: the steadfast love of God never ceases. God's mercies never come to an end. They are new every morning… God is faithful. God is hesed. So when the creative Word of God becomes flesh—that's how one writer describes the coming of Jesus into the world—it is no wonder that his life, ministry, and death all reflect and embody the hesed of God. We preach the hesed of God. Crucified, died, and was buriedWe preach Christ crucified. The central feat or accomplishment of Jesus is his crucifixion—his death on a cross. For us and for our salvation, the creed says, he came down from heaven…for our sake he was crucified…suffered death, and was buried. The cross is so much more than a mere divine transaction: there was a price to pay for our sins and Jesus paid it. The cross demonstrates and symbolizes the hesed nature of God: a God who suffers, a God who sacrifices, a God whose love is unconditional and has no bounds. The cross is not primarily about God's judgment or wrath, but rather a demonstration of and sign of God's hesed: God so loved the world. For us and for our salvation. For Jesus came into the world not to condemn the world, but to save us—mostly from ourselves.Support the show

Making Christ Known is today's podcast title, and it is part of this congregation's mission statement. Faith exists to reveal Jesus to the world. To make him known. What we say about Jesus, and how we live as a result of Jesus. Our talk AND our walk. One of my favorite verses talks about this: Let your light so shine before others that they may see your good works, and glorify the Father in heaven. Today we are looking at two passages from the Bible. The first one gives us some intel about who Jesus is and what he does—a teacher, preacher, and healer. He also has this line about fishers of people, and I'm reading that in a new way this week. The other reading today looks at the problem of factions among the followers of Jesus, how lesser loyalties hinder our ability to what we are here to do: which is making Christ known.Big stuff, and we're going to try to get through it in about twenty minutes. Grab your Bible and open to the gospel of Matthew chapter 4. Matthew is the first book in the New Testament. We will start reading at verse 17. Matthew 4:17-25 (NRSV)17 From that time Jesus began to proclaim, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”18 As he walked by the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon, who is called Peter, and Andrew his brother, casting a net into the sea—for they were fishers. 19 And he said to them, “Follow me, and I will make you fishers of people.” 20 Immediately they left their nets and followed him. 21 As he went from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John, in the boat with their father Zebedee, mending their nets, and he called them. 22 Immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.23 Jesus went throughout all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and curing every disease and every sickness among the people. 24 So his fame spread throughout all Syria, and they brought to him all the sick, those who were afflicted with various diseases and pains, people possessed by demons or having epilepsy or afflicted with paralysis, and he cured them. 25 And great crowds followed him from Galilee, the Decapolis, Jerusalem, Judea, and from beyond the Jordan.Support the show

What is at the heart of worship? Today we're going to talk about the Lamb of God and the Spirit of Christ. We're going to consider what is a sanctuary, and how Baptism both invites us into worship AND sends us out for mission, service, and evangelism. Let's start with a reading from the gospel of John, the first chapter, beginning at verse 29.John 1:29-4229 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.' 31 I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”32 Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 33 And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.' 34 I have seen and I testify that this is God's Chosen One.”35 The next day John was there again with two of his disciples. 36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”37 When the two disciples heard him say this, they followed Jesus. 38 Turning around, Jesus saw them following and asked, “What do you want?”They said, “Rabbi” (which means “Teacher”), “where are you staying?”39 “Come,” he replied, “and you will see.”So they went and saw where he was staying, and they spent that day with him. It was about four in the afternoon.40 Andrew, Simon Peter's brother, was one of the two who heard what John had said and who had followed Jesus. 41 The first thing Andrew did was to find his brother Simon and tell him, “We have found the Messiah” (that is, the Christ). 42 And he brought him to Jesus…The gospel of the Lord. Thanks be to God. Dear sisters and brothers in Christ: grace to you and peace from God the Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.Support the show

In today's Bible reading, the apostle Paul is writing to a congregation about its practice of holy communion in the earliest stages of the church. Today I want to spend some time learning from the Bible itself what Holy Communion is—and isn't. You might be surprised to know that the Bible uses several images and metaphors for describing the meaning and power of this bread and wine: “given and shed for you.” I hope today's message leads to some good conversations in your household about what communion means to you. I hope it helps OUR congregation wonder together about why and how we want to share this sacrament on Sunday mornings in worship. And I hope this message brings you to a deeper experience of Christ himself at the table of the Lord, in the eating and drinking, in your participation in the Lord's Supper. Open your Bible to 1 Corinthians 11:17-34.1 Corinthians 11:17-3417 In the following directives I have no praise for you, for your meetings do more harm than good. 18 In the first place, I hear that when you come together as a church, there are divisions among you, and to some extent I believe it. 19 No doubt there have to be differences among you to show which of you have God's approval. 20 So then, when you come together, it is not the Lord's Supper you eat, 21 for when you are eating, some of you go ahead with your own private suppers. As a result, one person remains hungry and another gets drunk. 22 Don't you have homes to eat and drink in? Or do you despise the church of God by humiliating those who have nothing? What shall I say to you? Shall I praise you? Certainly not in this matter!23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes.27 So then, whoever eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty of sinning against the body and blood of the Lord. 28 Everyone ought to examine themselves before they eat of the bread and drink from the cup. 29 For those who eat and drink without discerning the body of Christ eat and drink judgment on themselves. 30 That is why many among you are weak and sick, and a number of you have fallen asleep. 31 But if we were more discerning with regard to ourselves, we would not come under such judgment. 32 Nevertheless, when we are judged in this way by the Lord, we are being disciplined so that we will not be finally condemned with the world.33 So then, my brothers and sisters, when you gather to eat, you should all eat together. 34 Anyone who is hungry should eat something at home, so that when you meet together it may not result in judgment.Support the show

Hello, Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and welcome to this very special Christmas Eve edition of the Will Preach for Food podcast. I'm Doug, a pastor here at Faith Lutheran Church, based out of Shelton, Washington, a congregation of the ELCA. You can learn more about Faith at our website, www.faithshelton.org. I hope this Christmas is one filled with joy, health, and peace.I'm going to read the Christmas gospel, as recorded in Luke 2:1-20. Helpful hint—some Bibles are easier to read than others. Some old Bibles are really hard to read and understand. So if you read the Christmas story around the dinner table tomorrow, use something like the NIV (New International Version) or NRSV (New Revised Standard Version. If you don't have the physical Bible, they are easy to Google. Bible Gateway is a great, free source of just about every English translation out there. Read it directly from your phone or tablet, or do it the old fashioned way and print a copy with a large enough font! Oh, and it's pronounced “QuiRINeeUs.”Luke 2:1-20In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register.4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.8 And there were shepherds living out in the fields nearby, keeping watch over their flocks at night. 9 An angel of the Lord appeared to them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were terrified. 10 But the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid. I bring you good news that will cause great joy for all the people. 11 Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is the Messiah, the Lord. 12 This will be a sign to you: You will find a baby wrapped in cloths and lying in a manger.”13 Suddenly a great company of the heavenly host appeared with the angel, praising God and saying,14 “Glory to God in the highest heaven,     and on earth peace to those on whom his favor rests.”15 When the angels had left them and gone into heaven, the shepherds said to one another, “Let's go to Bethlehem and see this thing that has happened, which the Lord has told us about.”16 So they hurried off and found Mary and Joseph, and the baby, who was lying in the manger. 17 When they had seen him, they spread the word concerning what had been told them about this child, 18 and all who heard it were amazed at what the shepherds said to them. 19 But Mary treasured up all these things and pondered them in her heart. 20 The shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things they had heard and seen, which were just as they had been told.Support the show

Hello, and welcome to the Will Preach for Food podcast. I'm Doug, a pastor here at Faith Lutheran Church, based out of Shelton, Washington, a congregation of the ELCA. Faith is learning how to be a welcoming community, energized by God's amazing love. We want to make Christ known in the world, we want to grow closer to and more like Jesus. We want to joyfully serve our neighbors, each other, and the whole world. You can learn more about Faith at our website, www.faithshelton.org. This is the fourth and final Sunday in Advent. Thanks for listening.Today we tell the Christmas story as recorded in Matthew 1. Admittedly, it lacks the manger, the angel choirs, and the shepherds watching their flocks by night that we hear about in the more familiar account in the gospel of Luke. On the other hand, it does give us a concise summary of why Christmas is such good news. “[Mary] will bear a son,” the angel tells Joseph, “and you will give him the name Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins” (Matthew 1:21). Christmas celebrates the birth of the Savior, who is Christ, the Lord! Let's read the gospel according to Matthew 1:18-25. We'll set a little bit of context, define a couple of terms, then imagine how Jesus saves us: first as a tragic hero; next as a romantic comedy lover; and finally as Iron Man in the final battle with Thanos.Matthew 1:18-2518 This is how the birth of Jesus the Messiah came about: His mother Mary was pledged to be married to Joseph, but before they came together, she was found to be pregnant through the Holy Spirit. 19 Because Joseph her husband was faithful to the law, and yet did not want to expose her to public disgrace, he had in mind to divorce her quietly.20 But after he had considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream and said, “Joseph son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary home as your wife, because what is conceived in her is from the Holy Spirit. 21 She will give birth to a son, and you are to give him the name Jesus, because he will save his people from their sins.”22 All this took place to fulfill what the Lord had said through the prophet: 23 “The virgin will conceive and give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel” (which means “God with us”).24 When Joseph woke up, he did what the angel of the Lord had commanded him and took Mary home as his wife. 25 But he did not consummate their marriage until she gave birth to a son. And he gave him the name Jesus.This is the word of God. Sisters and brothers, grace to you, and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Support the show

Prepare ye the way of the Lord! In today's Bible reading from Matthew 3, we read about a rock star preacher named John the Baptist. Long hair. Cool clothes. Trendy diet. Outdoor venue. Standing Room Only. John the Baptist is a pivotal character in the Bible story, and one whose example and message we consider every year around this time, at least, those of us who observe the season of Advent in the church calendar. We are getting ready, after all. Ready for Christmas. Ready for Christ to come into our hearts. Ready for Christ to come again.Today's message reminds us that the coming of the kingdom of God is good news for everyone. That the Holy Spirit gathers and unites us in the waters of Baptism. And John the Baptist issues the challenge to bear good fruit AND burn the chaff. Let's unpack all that as we open our Bibles to Matthew 3:1-12.Matthew 3:1-12In those days John the Baptist came, preaching in the wilderness of Judea 2 and saying, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” 3 This is he who was spoken of through the prophet Isaiah:“A voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Prepare the way for the Lord,    make straight paths for him.'”4 John's clothes were made of camel's hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey. 5 People went out to him from Jerusalem and all Judea and the whole region of the Jordan. 6 Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River.7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to where he was baptizing, he said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? 8 Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. 9 And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.' I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. 10 The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.11 “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire. 12 His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.”This is the word of God. Sisters and brothers, grace to you, and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Support the show

Here we are, at the end of 2022. It sure FEELS like the end times, doesn't it? So many of our systems seem worn out. Things feel like they are getting worse. Armageddon. Apocalypse. The end of the world as we know it. People have a lot of ideas about Bible prophesies and what it says about the last days, the return of Christ, and the end of the world as we know it. It can be a little bit scary, especially if you get your theology from Indiana Jones, the DaVinci Code, or TikTok.In fact, the promise of Christ's return is good news. Prophets like Isaiah wanted to give hope and direction and perspective and encouragement to people who were scared, overwhelmed, and uncertain about the future. Jesus wanted to give hope and direction and perspective and encouragement to his followers—who were scared, overwhelmed, and uncertain about the future. My prayer today is that today's message, based on those prophecies of Isaiah and those promises of Jesus, may offer you hope and direction and perspective and encouragement as you and I face a future that feels so often scary, overwhelming, and uncertain.Let's start with Isaiah 2:1-5.Isaiah 2:1-5 (NRSV) The word that Isaiah son of Amoz saw concerning Judah and Jerusalem.2 In days to come     the mountain of the Lord's houseshall be established as the highest of the mountains     and shall be raised above the hills;all the nations shall stream to it.3     Many peoples shall come and say,“Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord,     to the house of the God of Jacob,that he may teach us his ways     and that we may walk in his paths.”For out of Zion shall go forth instruction     and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem.4 He shall judge between the nations     and shall arbitrate for many peoples;they shall beat their swords into plowshares     and their spears into pruning hooks;nation shall not lift up sword against nation;     neither shall they learn war any more.5 O house of Jacob,     come, let us walkin the light of the Lord!Support the show

Dear friends, grace to your and peace from Abba-God and the Lord Jesus Christ!Way back in mid-August, I introduced our Emotionally Healthy Relationships series imagining our spiritual lives as a marathon—a long, long race, or facetiously, a five-year mission to explore strange new feelings, seek new life in Christ's civilization, to boldly go where Christ has gone before!  Since then, we've leaned into our biblical roots and drawn insights and tools from modern psychology, deepening our discipleship and growing in loving relationship with God and each other. And it's been good!To varying degrees, we've practiced…·       Anchoring ourselves in the love of God by sitting quietly with God at least twice a day, beginning our mornings with God's voice in scripture and looking back at night to notice God's touch;·       Then working the program: checking in with each other—staying connected through affirmations, puzzles, what we notice and prefer, hope and dream; ·       We've stopped mind-reading, clarified our expectations, and expressed our wishes gently and patiently; We've…·       explored our families of origin—Jesus may be in my heart, but how does Grandpa (or Grandma!) still live in my bones?—·       and looked beneath the surface of our lives to recognize the emotions in our bodies, minds, and hearts, letting them move through us instead of stuffing them down to come out sideways as illness or irritability. With growing awareness of what's going on in ourselves, our EHR group participants have begun to…·       quiet ourselves to listen more deeply and fully to others;·       clarify our values using a tool for self-examination and awareness called the “ladder of integrity;” and·       put all these learnings together and become peacemakers who “fight clean.” We're learning to stand calmly, with “patient endurance” in our own God-given places, and to move through conflict in Christlike, calm, healthy ways with family, friends, and colleagues. Emotionally Healthy Spirituality lives the Jesus Way of Resting in God's Love and Following God's Lead. It isn't easy. But it is life giving and good.Support the show

I have to say that this has been a very emotional week at Faith. All week the church has been buzzing with church members preparing for our annual holiday bazaar, which is taking place even as I record this podcast! It is also my daughter's birthday—Happy Birthday, Hannah! But even as we have been enjoying the fellowship, the baking, and the decorations of the week, we are grieving, too. We can't help but notice the people who aren't here. For years people would come to the bazaar to buy Geri's cinnamon rolls. At the door they'd be greeted by Ron and Pastor Neil decked out in tuxedos and welcoming grins. But Geri and Ron have died, and Neil is in hospice care. We miss them. We grieve.And this week our hearts broke again when another saint—Linda—fell on Monday and died rather unexpectedly only a couple days ago, at the hospital, with Herb at her side.There's a lot of grief and loss all around us—in our families, our congregations, our communities. Even at a national level it feels like something that was once healthy and good has passed away. What do we do with grief? What does God do with our grief? That's what we're going to consider today. Open your Bible to Matthew 5:1-9.Matthew 5:1-9Now when Jesus saw the crowds, he went up on a mountainside and sat down. His disciples came to him, 2 and he began to teach them. He said:3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,    for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. 4 Blessed are those who mourn,     for they will be comforted. 5 Blessed are the meek,    for they will inherit the earth. 6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,    for they will be filled. 7 Blessed are the merciful,    for they will be shown mercy. 8 Blessed are the pure in heart,    for they will see God. 9 Blessed are the peacemakers,    for they will be called children of God.Support the show

Happy Reformation Sunday, celebrating the re-forming, re-newing work of the Holy Spirit in the church in every generation. Lutefisk, lutefisk, lefse, lefse: We're the mighty Lutherans—Yah, shore, you betcha!We are also in week six of our series focusing on Emotionally Healthy Relationships—EHR for short—as Faith leans into our congregation's vision and dream to grow “closer to and more like Jesus.” Emotionally Healthy Relationships is an eight-week preaching, devotional, and small group series based on the work of Pete and Geri Scazzero. This week's lesson has to do with “Climbing the Ladder of Integrity.” You can learn more about Faith and about Emotionally Healthy Relationships at our website, www.faithshelton.org. Thanks for listening today. I've grown up in the Lutheran tradition. I've had the privilege to read a chunk of Luther's writings and quite a bit about his life. He's no saint. He wasn't perfect, and was, in many ways, maybe just at the right place at the right time in history to be an instrument of the Holy Spirit to lead a re-formation of a Christian church that had gotten off track. There are countless stories about Luther, his life, what he accomplished, what he wrote and taught. Today I want to share four details about Martin Luther that are meaningful to me, and why they matter. Three are a matter of public record, and the fourth is just a good story that sounds true. But we've got to start where Luther would: with the Word of God. Grab your Bible and open it up to Romans 3:21-28.Romans 3:21-28But now apart from the law the righteousness of God has been made known, to which the Law and the Prophets testify. 22 This righteousness is given through faith in[h] Jesus Christ to all who believe. There is no difference between Jew and Gentile, 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus. 25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement,[i] through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.27 Where, then, is boasting? It is excluded. Because of what law? The law that requires works? No, because of the law that requires faith. 28 For we maintain that a person is justified by faith apart from the works of the law. John 8:31-36And now a short reading from the gospel of John, chapter 8, beginning at verse 31:To the Jews who had believed him, Jesus said, “If you hold to my teaching, you are really my disciples. 32 Then you will know the truth, and the truth will set you free.” 33 They answered him, “We are Abraham's descendants and have never been slaves of anyone. How can you say that we shall be set free?” 34 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, everyone who sins is a slave to sin. 35 Now a slave has no permanent place in the family, but a son belongs to it forever. 36 So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.  The gospel of the Lord.Support the show

Exploring the IcebergHow do we grow closer to and more like Jesus? How are we experiencing the regeneration of the Holy Spirit in our lives today? It starts and ends with God's agape love for us and for the world. God, in Christ Jesus, has done for us what we could not do for ourselves. Through the love of Christ and the indwelling of the Holy Spirit, we have been saved, justified, and called children of God. Nothing can separate us from the love of God in Christ Jesus. Amen? Amen. In obedience to God's command and following the example of our Lord Jesus, we practice the habit of quiet time with God, drinking deep from the well of God's love so that we can love God and others well. Human relationships require open communication, especially about our mutual expectations and “the stories we are telling ourselves:” about the thoughts and motives of others. We may have Jesus in our hearts, we learned last week, but we also have grandpa in our bones! That is, our family histories—the good, the bad, and the ugly—all play into and play out in our current relating with God and others.Everything Under the SunAnd that gets us to this week's lesson that challenges us to “explore the iceberg,” to look inside us and see what lies under the surface, in our hearts and wills. Emotions. Motives. Yes, we are going to talk about our feelings. Let's start in Ecclesiastes 3:1-11, written over 2500 years ago.There is a time for everything,     and a season for every activity under the heavens:2     a time to be born and a time to die,     a time to plant and a time to uproot, 3     a time to kill and a time to heal,     a time to tear down and a time to build, 4     a time to weep and a time to laugh,     a time to mourn and a time to dance, 5     a time to scatter stones and a time to gather them,     a time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing, 6     a time to search and a time to give up,     a time to keep and a time to throw away, 7     a time to tear and a time to mend,     a time to be silent and a time to speak, 8     a time to love and a time to hate,     a time for war and a time for peace.9 What do workers gain from their toil? 10 I have seen the burden God has laid on the human race. 11 [God] has made everything beautiful in its time. He has also set eternity in the human heart; yet no one can fathom what God has done from beginning to end. Support the show

Words for beginning the service:You have loved us first, O God, alas! We speak of it in terms of history as if You loved us first but a single time, rather than that without ceasing You have loved us first many times and every day and our whole life through. When we wake up in the morning and turn our soul toward You—You are there first—You have loved us first; if I rise at dawn and at that same second turn my soul toward You in prayer, You are there ahead of me, You have loved me first. When I withdraw from the distractions of the day and turn my soul toward You, You are there first and thus forever… we speak ungratefully as if You have loved us first only once. --Soren Kierkegaard, Danish Philosopher & Theologian (1813-1855) Grandpa (or Grandma?) in My Bones: Reckoning with Our Past EHR 3)Rev. Brenda SatrumOctober 9, 2022 Gospels for this message: Luke 8:19-21.  Now Jesus' mother and brothers came to see him, but they were not able to get near him because of the crowd. Someone told him, “Your mother and brothers are standing outside, wanting to see you.” He replied, “My other and brothers are those who hear God's word and put it into practice.” John 15:9-12. (SLIDE 1)  “I've loved you the way my Father has loved me. Make yourselves at home in my love. If you keep my commands, you'll remain intimately at home in my love. That's what I've done—kept my Father's commands and made myself at home in his love.I've told you these things for a purpose: that my joy might be your joy, and your joy wholly mature. This is my command: Love one another the way I loved you. (Msg)Support the show

Hello, and welcome to the Will Preach for Food podcast. I'm Doug, a pastor here at Faith Lutheran Church, based out of Shelton, Washington, a congregation of the ELCA. “Great Expectations” is this week's podcast title. That “EHR” you see in parens stands for “Emotionally Healthy Relationships.” This Fall Faith Lutheran is leaning into our congregation's vision and dream to become “closer to and more like Jesus.” Today's message is the second in an eight-week preaching, devotional, and small group series based on the work of Pete and Geri Scazzero.You can learn more about Faith and about Emotionally Healthy Relationships at our website, www.faithshelton.org. Thanks for listening today. It starts and ends with love. That was the big idea in week one. The agape love of God is for us and what we were made for. The importance of quiet time with God, drinking deep from the well of God's love so that we can love well. Love like this never feels like enough, yet the world is dying for love like this. Session Two in the Emotionally Healthy Relationships Course has to do with resisting the tendencies BOTH to think we know what other people are thinking AND that other people know what WE'RE thinking. Today we are going to learn tools to help us stop “mind-reading” and clarify expectations. Then we'll look at how Jesus does it. And finally, I'll give you some ways you can put some of this stuff into practice. We begin with a reading from Luke 18: 31-43.Luke 18:31-43Jesus took the Twelve aside and told them, “We are going up to Jerusalem, and everything that is written by the prophets about the Son of Man will be fulfilled. 32 He will be delivered over to the Gentiles. They will mock him, insult him and spit on him; 33 they will flog him and kill him. On the third day he will rise again.”34 The disciples did not understand any of this. Its meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what he was talking about.35 As Jesus approached Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside begging. 36 When he heard the crowd going by, he asked what was happening. 37 They told him, “Jesus of Nazareth is passing by.”38 He called out, “Jesus, Son of David, have mercy on me!”39 Those who led the way rebuked him and told him to be quiet, but he shouted all the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!”40 Jesus stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he came near, Jesus asked him, 41 “What do you want me to do for you?”“Lord, I want to see,” he replied.42 Jesus said to him, “Receive your sight; your faith has healed you.” 43 Immediately he received his sight and followed Jesus, praising God. When all the people saw it, they also praised God.Support the show

Hello, and welcome to the Will Preach for Food podcast. I'm Doug, a pastor here at Faith Lutheran Church, based out of Shelton, Washington, a congregation of the ELCA. “It Starts and Ends with Love” is this week's podcast title. That “EHR” you see in parens stands for “Emotionally Healthy Relationships.” This Fall Faith Lutheran is leaning into our congregation's vision and dream to become “closer to and more like Jesus.” Today's message is the first in an eight week preaching, devotional, and small group series based on the work of Pete and Geri Scazzero.You can learn more about Faith and about Emotionally Healthy Relationships at our website, www.faithshelton.org. Thanks for listening today. They'll know we are Christians by our LOVE, the old song says. So why is it that so much of Christianity that we see all around us is so judgmental, angry, and fearful? It seems like we used to be able to have differences of opinion, but still be friends, right. We could work together, go to church together, care for each other. Yet these days it feels like we've all been pushed into opposite corners. Earlier this week I used the word “progressive” in a conversation about my faith, and just about got my head bit off. And I'm a pastor! I can only imagine how it is with you. So, what happened? Where did love go?The Greatest CommandmentAs we start a fall emphasis on being Emotionally Healthy followers of Jesus Christ, we must start—and end—with love.Dear friends, let us love one another, the Bible teaches, for love comes from God. Everyone who loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Whoever does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us (1 John 4:7-12).Jesus taught and modeled the life of love: love God with everything you've got, and you do that by loving your neighbor—and yourself—with everything you've got (Mark 12:30-31). If you've ever been to a Christian wedding you probably heard some bit about love being patient and kind, that faith, hope, and love abide, and the greatest of these is…love (1 Corinthians 13). Faith and love are inseparable. “Ever since I heard about your faith in the Lord Jesus and your love for God's people,” Paul writes to a beloved congregation in Ephesus, “I have not stopped giving thanks for you, remembering you in my prayers” (Ephesians 1:15-16).[The story of Lazarus in Luke 16 portrays a wealthy man who fundamentally lacks love, showing no care or compassion or sympathy for a beggar at his doorstep.]Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. Yes, they'll know we are Christians by our…love.Support the show

GOSPEL READING1Then Jesus said to the disciples, “There was a rich man who had a manager, and charges were brought to him that this man was squandering his property. 2So [the rich man] summoned [the manager] and said, ‘What is this that I hear about you? Give me an accounting of your management, because you cannot be my manager any longer.' 3Then the manager said to himself, ‘What will I do, now that my master is taking the position away from me? I am not strong enough to dig, and I am ashamed to beg. 4I have decided what to do so that, when I am dismissed as manager, people may welcome me into their homes.' 5So, summoning his master's debtors one by one, he asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?' 6He answered, ‘A hundred jugs of olive oil.' He said to him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it fifty.' 7Then he asked another, ‘And how much do you owe?' He replied, ‘A hundred containers of wheat.' He said to him, ‘Take your bill and make it eighty.' 8And his master commended the [unrighteous, adikaios] manager because he had acted shrewdly; for the children of this age are more shrewd [phronimos, wise, prudent—like serpents, or bridesmaids, or Jesus-people (Paul)] in dealing with their own generation than are the children of light. 9And I tell you, make friends for yourselves by means of dishonest wealth so that when it is gone, they may welcome you into the eternal homes.10“Whoever is faithful[pistis]  in a very little is faithful also in much; and whoever is dishonest [adikaios] in a very little is dishonest also in much. 11If then you have not been faithful with the dishonest wealth, who will entrust to you the true riches? 12And if you have not been faithful with what belongs to another, who will give you what is your own? 13No slave can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth.” Support the show

Today's reading is one of the more well-known stories Jesus taught, Luke 15:11-32, often known as the parable of the Prodigal Son. The story illustrates God's amazing grace, that, like the old hymn says: “saved a wretch like me.” Today I wonder if Jesus is the Prodigal Son in the story, and what that might mean for us and for our understanding of how we are being invited to spread the kingdom of God. My sermon title for today is “The Prodigal Jesus.” We start with the reading of the holy gospel according to Saint Luke, the 15th chapter, beginning at the 11th verse.Luke 15:11-32“There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them.13 “Not long after that, the younger son got together all he had, set off for a distant country and there squandered his wealth in wild living. 14 After he had spent everything, there was a severe famine in that whole country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and hired himself out to a citizen of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He longed to fill his stomach with the pods that the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything.17 “When he came to his senses, he said, ‘How many of my father's hired servants have food to spare, and here I am starving to death! 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired servants.' 20 So he got up and went to his father.“But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him.21 “The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.'22 “But the father said to his servants, ‘Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.' So they began to celebrate.25 “Meanwhile, the older son was in the field. When he came near the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the servants and asked him what was going on. 27 ‘Your brother has come,' he replied, ‘and your father has killed the fattened calf because he has him back safe and sound.'28 “The older brother became angry and refused to go in. So his father went out and pleaded with him. 29 But he answered his father, ‘Look! All these years I've been slaving for you and never disobeyed your orders. Yet you never gave me even a young goat so I could celebrate with my friends. 30 But when this son of yours who has squandered your property with prostitutes comes home, you kill the fattened calf for him!'31 “‘My son,' the father said, ‘you are always with me, and everything I have is yours. 32 But we had to celebrate and be glad, because this brother of yours was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.'”The gospel of the Lord. Thanks be to God.Support the show

We are wired to ask questions from the time we are little. Where do babies come from? Why is the sky blue? Why is life so hard sometimes? What is the meaning of life, the universe, and everything? Most of these questions defy a cookie cutter answer. And so we tell stories. The Bible is full of compelling, multi-faceted stories that make us think and help us see the world with fresh eyes. The Bible includes not just one, but two stories about how and why God created the heavens and the earth and everything in between—including you and me. Genesis 2:4-244 This is the account of the heavens and the earth when they were created, when the Lord God made the earth and the heavens.5 Now no shrub had yet appeared on the earth and no plant had yet sprung up, for the Lord God had not sent rain on the earth and there was no one to work the ground, 6 but streams came up from the earth and watered the whole surface of the ground. 7 Then the Lord God formed a man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living being.8 Now the Lord God had planted a garden in the east, in Eden; and there he put the man he had formed. 9 The Lord God made all kinds of trees grow out of the ground—trees that were pleasing to the eye and good for food. In the middle of the garden were the tree of life and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.10 A river watering the garden flowed from Eden; from there it was separated into four headwaters. 11 The name of the first is the Pishon; it winds through the entire land of Havilah, where there is gold. 12 (The gold of that land is good; aromatic resin and onyx are also there.) 13 The name of the second river is the Gihon; it winds through the entire land of Cush. 14 The name of the third river is the Tigris; it runs along the east side of Ashur. And the fourth river is the Euphrates.15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the Garden of Eden to work it and take care of it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from any tree in the garden; 17 but you must not eat from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, for when you eat from it you will certainly die.”18 The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.”19 Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the man to see what he would name them; and whatever the man called each living creature, that was its name. 20 So the man gave names to all the livestock, the birds in the sky and all the wild animals.But for Adam no suitable helper was found. 21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man's ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.23 The man said,“This is now bone of my bones     and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,'     for she was taken out of man.”24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh.Here ends the reading.Support the show

The primary image for today's message is that of a banquet, of a big table with lots and lots of people and a table with lots and lots of free food. Think about the biggest feast you've ever attended. Jesus says that the kingdom of God is like THAT, and that there is a place for YOU at the table. Let's look at what it means to be a GUEST at God's table, then what it looks like to faithfully HOST God's table. Today's word of God has application for our shared worship and our shared spaces. And this podcast will end with an invitation for you to come to the table of the Lord. Just as you are. Let's start with a reading from the gospel of Luke 14:12-24.Luke 14:12-2412 Then Jesus said to his host, “When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. 13 But when you give a banquet, invite the poor, the crippled, the lame, the blind, 14 and you will be blessed. Although they cannot repay you, you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.”15 When one of those at the table with him heard this, he said to Jesus, “Blessed is the one who will eat at the feast in the kingdom of God.”16 Jesus replied: “A certain man was preparing a great banquet and invited many guests. 17 At the time of the banquet he sent his servant to tell those who had been invited, ‘Come, for everything is now ready.'18 “But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said, ‘I have just bought a field, and I must go and see it. Please excuse me.'19 “Another said, ‘I have just bought five yoke of oxen, and I'm on my way to try them out. Please excuse me.' 20 “Still another said, ‘I just got married, so I can't come.'21 “The servant came back and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and ordered his servant, ‘Go out quickly into the streets and alleys of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind and the lame.'22 “‘Sir,' the servant said, ‘what you ordered has been done, but there is still room.'23 “Then the master told his servant, ‘Go out to the roads and country lanes and compel them to come in, so that my house will be full. 24 I tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet.'”Support the show

IntroductionHello, and welcome to the Will Preach for Food podcast. I'm Doug, a pastor here at Faith Lutheran Church, based out of Shelton, Washington, a congregation of the ELCA. Faith is a welcoming community: growing closer to and more like Jesus; making Christ known; joyfully serving each other, our neighbors, and all God's creation. You can learn more about Faith at our website, www.faithshelton.org. Thanks for listening today. Some of you listening/here today know all about chronic suffering. Childhood trauma. Mental illness. Cancer. An old back injury. A genetic condition. PTSD. Maybe it is you. Maybe it is a loved one. What do you do with that? How do you cope year after year? A woman in today's Bible reading had lived with a debilitating, painful, chronic back condition for eighteen years. And Jesus heals her.I hope that today's podcast conveys God's mercy and faithfulness, no matter what you might be going through these days. I hope that God's word sets you free today, brings you healing and freedom. I hope that today's message will help you care for others in their suffering as well. Let's read from Luke 13:10-18.Luke 13:10-18On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, 11 and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” 13 Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she [was] straightened up and praised God.14 Indignant because Jesus had healed on the Sabbath, the synagogue leader said to the people, “There are six days for work. So come and be healed on those days, not on the Sabbath.”15 The Lord answered him, “You hypocrites! Doesn't each of you on the Sabbath untie your ox or donkey from the stall and lead it out to give it water? 16 Then should not this woman, a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has kept bound for eighteen long years, be set free on the Sabbath day from what bound her?”17 When he said this, all his opponents were humiliated, but the people were delighted with all the wonderful things he was doing.Here ends the reading.Support the show

Today is a special episode of "Will Preach for Food." The message is presented by Rev. Brenda Satrum, my wife and coworker here at Faith. Enjoy!Support the show

My wife (Brenda) and I just returned from an amazing week-long adventure in the Bob Marshall Wilderness of Montana. People in Montana know it simply as “The Bob.” We were two of eleven guests, six guides, seventeen horses, and sixteen mules coved over 45 miles of remote, rugged wilderness: from Wrong Creek to the North China Wall, the north fork of the Sun River and Headquarters Pass. We saw bear, elk, red-tailed hawks, towering peaks, and meadow after meadow of the most glorious wildflowers you'll ever see.Did I mention we were on horseback, and that I had never ridden a horse until this trip? I was assigned a horse named Bam-Bam. Brenda describes him as “a giant, black, half-Percheron draft horse.” Not only did I manage to stay upright and avoid saddle soreness, I also learned something about faith. Today's podcast is about faith, wildflowers, and a horse named Bam-Bam. Hello, and welcome to the Will Preach for Food podcast. I'm Doug, a pastor here at Faith Lutheran Church, based out of Shelton, Washington, a congregation of the ELCA. Faith is a welcoming community: growing closer to and more like Jesus; making Christ known; joyfully serving each other, our neighbors, and all God's creation. You can learn more about Faith at our website, www.faithshelton.org. Thanks for listening today. Please open your Bible to the book of Hebrews 11:1-6.Hebrews 11:1-6Now faith is confidence in what we hope for and assurance about what we do not see. 2 This is what the ancients were commended for.3 By faith we understand that the universe was formed at God's command, so that what is seen was not made out of what was visible.4 By faith Abel brought God a better offering than Cain did. By faith he was commended as righteous, when God spoke well of his offerings. And by faith Abel still speaks, even though he is dead.5 By faith Enoch was taken from this life, so that he did not experience death: “He could not be found, because God had taken him away.” For before he was taken, he was commended as one who pleased God. 6 And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him.This is the word of the Holy Spirit. Thanks be to God.Support the show

I am recording this podcast for the 5th Sunday after Pentecost. My sermon title is “The Art of Neighboring,” as a reflection on one of the more well-known stories told by Jesus: the story of the Good Samaritan, found in Luke 10:25-37. The story teaches us how to inherit eternal life and how to be a good neighbor. It turns out these are the same thing. Open your Bible to Luke 10, and let's dig in. As I read, I want to invite you to close your eyes and imagine the scene. Where are you in the story? And where do you see Jesus?Luke 10:25-37 On one occasion an expert in the law stood up to test Jesus. “Teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”26 “What is written in the Law?” he replied. “How do you read it?”27 He answered, “‘Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength and with all your mind'; and, ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.'”28 “You have answered correctly,” Jesus replied. “Do this and you will live.”29 But he wanted to justify himself, so he asked Jesus, “And who is my neighbor?”30 In reply Jesus said: “A man was going down from Jerusalem to Jericho, when he was attacked by robbers. They stripped him of his clothes, beat him and went away, leaving him half dead. 31 A priest happened to be going down the same road, and when he saw the man, he passed by on the other side. 32 So too, a Levite, when he came to the place and saw him, passed by on the other side. 33 But a Samaritan, as he traveled, came where the man was; and when he saw him, he took pity on him. 34 He went to him and bandaged his wounds, pouring on oil and wine. Then he put the man on his own donkey, brought him to an inn and took care of him. 35 The next day he took out two denarii and gave them to the innkeeper. ‘Look after him,' he said, ‘and when I return, I will reimburse you for any extra expense you may have.'36 “Which of these three do you think was a neighbor to the man who fell into the hands of robbers?”37 The expert in the law replied, “The one who had mercy on him.”Jesus told him, “Go and do likewise.”This is the word of the Holy Spirit. Thanks be to God.Support the show

IntroductionHello, and welcome to the Will Preach for Food podcast. I'm Doug, a pastor here at Faith Lutheran Church, based out of Shelton, Washington, a congregation of the ELCA. Faith is a welcoming community: growing closer to and more like Jesus; making Christ known; joyfully serving each other, our neighbors, and all God's creation. You can learn more about Faith at our website, www.faithshelton.org. Thanks for listening today.I am recording this podcast for the 3rd Sunday after Pentecost. My sermon title is “Calling Down Fire,” based on a reading from Luke 9:51-56. A little bit later we will look some verses from Galatians 5, but we begin with the holy gospel according to St. Luke, the 9th chapter, beginning with verse 51.Luke 9:51-5651 As the time approached for him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus resolutely set out for Jerusalem. 52 And he sent messengers on ahead, who went into a Samaritan village to get things ready for him; 53 but the people there did not welcome him, because he was heading for Jerusalem. 54 When the disciples James and John saw this, they asked, “Lord, do you want us to call fire down from heaven to destroy them?” 55 But Jesus turned and rebuked them. 56 Then he and his disciples went to another village.This is the word of the Holy Spirit. Thanks be to God.Support the show

We read about Jesus to learn about God's love for us. In the gospel of Luke, Jesus' mission statement is borrowed from the Old Testament prophet Isaiah. It is quoted in Luke 4:18-19, and it says this:“The Spirit of the Lord is on me,    because he has anointed me    to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners    and recovery of sight for the blind, to set the oppressed free, 19     to proclaim the year of the Lord's favor.”And, sure enough, that is what he does. He preaches and teachers about how the kingdom of God has come near. He blesses the poor, treats them with dignity, gives them food to eat and living water. He gives sight to the blind and raises the dead. His own eventual death and resurrection is understood as his ultimate victory over sin and death: “for us, and for our salvation.” We read about Jesus to learn about God's love for us.Please open your Bible to Luke 8, verse 26, and we will read about a man possessed by fallen spirits, and how Jesus sets him free. We'll take a closer look at the story, and how it applies to our life today. And I'll leave you with four takeaways. I was thinking about calling this sermon “The Bay of Pigs,” but instead I'll call it: “Set Free, Part One.” This story has Jesus and his disciples in a fishing boat on the Sea of Galilee. They just survived a midnight squall and were apparently out on the water all night.Luke 8:26-39 They sailed to the region of the Gerasenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. 27 When Jesus stepped ashore, he was met by a demon-possessed man from the town. For a long time this man had not worn clothes or lived in a house, but had lived in the tombs. 28 When he saw Jesus, he cried out and fell at his feet, shouting at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? I beg you, don't torture me!” 29 For Jesus had commanded the impure spirit to come out of the man. Many times it had seized him, and though he was chained hand and foot and kept under guard, he had broken his chains and had been driven by the demon into solitary places.30 Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”“Legion,” he replied, because many demons had gone into him. 31 And they begged Jesus repeatedly not to order them to go into the Abyss.32 A large herd of pigs was feeding there on the hillside. The demons begged Jesus to let them go into the pigs, and he gave them permission. 33 When the demons came out of the man, they went into the pigs, and the herd rushed down the steep bank into the lake and was drowned.34 When those tending the pigs saw what had happened, they ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, 35 and the people went out to see what had happened. When they came to Jesus, they found the man from whom the demons had gone out, sitting at Jesus' feet, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid. 36 Those who had seen it told the people how the demon-possessed man had been cured. 37 Then all the people of the region of the Gerasenes asked Jesus to leave them, because they were overcome with fear. So he got into the boat and left.38 The man from whom the demons had gone out begged to go with him, but Jesus sent him away, saying, 39 “Return home and tell how much God has done for you.” So the man went away and told all over town how much Jesus had done for him.Support the show

How old is “old?” Are you old? Raise your hand if you are old.Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel came out with a song in 1968 called “Old Friends.” “Can you imagine us years from today,” the song goes, “sharing a park bench quietly? How terribly strange to be seventy…” Paul Simon and Art Garfunkel are both 80 years old now, about the same age as President Biden. Rod Stewart, in 1988, at the age of 43, sang a song called “Forever Young.” He is 76 now. About the same age as former President Trump. Actually, the comparisons seem about right!How do you feel about growing up, growing older, getting old, especially if you consider the alternative? Because for as much as we live in a culture that never wants to grow up, the Bible says that growing up is a good thing, that spiritual maturity is a mark of a healthy Christian, of healthy churches. So this week we are going to talk about spiritual maturity, unpacking a passage of the Bible from Ephesians 4, which talks about spiritual maturity, what it looks like, and why it's a good thing. We will contrast that with an example of from the Bible of a family system marked by spiritual immaturity and dysfunction. Let's start by reading Ephesians 4:1-7 and 11-16. Ephesians 4:1-7 [8-10]; 11-16As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. [8 This is why it[a] says:“When he ascended on high,    he took many captives    and gave gifts to his people.”[b]9 (What does “he ascended” mean except that he also descended to the lower, earthly regions[c]? 10 He who descended is the very one who ascended higher than all the heavens, in order to fill the whole universe.)] 11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.14 Then we will no longer be infants, tossed back and forth by the waves, and blown here and there by every wind of teaching and by the cunning and craftiness of people in their deceitful scheming. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.Support the show

The Ascension of our LordWhere is Jesus when you need him? Seriously, in this day and age, as people of Faith, this may be the most important question on our hearts. I was in a small group discussion recently and posed the question to the group: What in the world is God doing? “Not enough!” said one of my friends.It turns out that Jesus is closer than you think. Today's reading from the end of the gospel of Luke tells us that we don't need to look for Jesus down there, back there, up there, or someday. No, Jesus is here, now, and is recognized and real IN you and me today; in the world, in the breaking of bread, in the mirror, in the study of scriptures, and in the eyes of every neighbor, widow, orphan, and immigrant.Let's read Luke 24:36-53, and we will take a fresh look at this thing called the “ascension” of Jesus, and what it means for us today. Open your Bible to Luke 24:36-53, and we will dive in. Luke 24:36-53 While they were still talking about this, Jesus himself stood among them and said to them, “Peace be with you.”37 They were startled and frightened, thinking they saw a ghost. 38 He said to them, “Why are you troubled, and why do doubts rise in your minds? 39 Look at my hands and my feet. It is I myself! Touch me and see; a ghost does not have flesh and bones, as you see I have.”40 When he had said this, he showed them his hands and feet. 41 And while they still did not believe it because of joy and amazement, he asked them, “Do you have anything here to eat?” 42 They gave him a piece of broiled fish, 43 and he took it and ate it in their presence.44 He said to them, “This is what I told you while I was still with you: Everything must be fulfilled that is written about me in the Law of Moses, the Prophets and the Psalms.”45 Then he opened their minds so they could understand the Scriptures. 46 He told them, “This is what is written: The Messiah will suffer and rise from the dead on the third day, 47 and repentance for the forgiveness of sins will be preached in his name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 You are witnesses of these things. 49 I am going to send you what my Father has promised; but stay in the city until you have been clothed with power from on high.”50 When he had led them out to the vicinity of Bethany, he lifted up his hands and blessed them. 51 While he was blessing them, he left them and was taken up into heaven. 52 Then they worshiped him and returned to Jerusalem with great joy. 53 And they stayed continually at the temple, praising God.Support the show

Acts 9:31-43Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.32 As Peter traveled about the country, he went to visit the Lord's people who lived in Lydda. 33 There he found a man named Aeneas, who was paralyzed and had been bedridden for eight years. 34 “Aeneas,” Peter said to him, “Jesus Christ heals you. Get up and roll up your mat.” Immediately Aeneas got up. 35 All those who lived in Lydda and Sharon saw him and turned to the Lord.36 In Joppa there was a disciple named Tabitha (in Greek her name is Dorcas); she was always doing good and helping the poor. 37 About that time she became sick and died, and her body was washed and placed in an upstairs room. 38 Lydda was near Joppa; so when the disciples heard that Peter was in Lydda, they sent two men to him and urged him, “Please come at once!”39 Peter went with them, and when he arrived he was taken upstairs to the room. All the widows stood around him, crying and showing him the robes and other clothing that Dorcas had made while she was still with them.40 Peter sent them all out of the room; then he got down on his knees and prayed. Turning toward the dead woman, he said, “Tabitha, get up.” She opened her eyes, and seeing Peter she sat up. 41 He took her by the hand and helped her to her feet. Then he called for the believers, especially the widows, and presented her to them alive. 42 This became known all over Joppa, and many people believed in the Lord. 43 Peter stayed in Joppa for some time with a tanner named Simon.Support the show

Following up with last week's podcast, we're going to spend some more time in the book of Revelation. It calls itself a revelation of Jesus Christ, so let's look closer to learn more of what the Spirit wants to reveal to us about Jesus, about the nature of power, and about the kingdom of God. Please open your Bible to the book of Revelation—the Revelation of Jesus Christ—and turn to chapter 5:1-14.Revelation 5:1-14Then I saw in the right hand of him who sat on the throne a scroll with writing on both sides and sealed with seven seals. 2 And I saw a mighty angel proclaiming in a loud voice, “Who is worthy to break the seals and open the scroll?” 3 But no one in heaven or on earth or under the earth could open the scroll or even look inside it. 4 I wept and wept because no one was found who was worthy to open the scroll or look inside. 5 Then one of the elders said to me, “Do not weep! See, the Lion of the tribe of Judah, the Root of David, has triumphed. He is able to open the scroll and its seven seals.”6 Then I saw a Lamb, looking as if it had been slain, standing at the center of the throne, encircled by the four living creatures and the elders. The Lamb had seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven spirits of God sent out into all the earth. 7 He went and took the scroll from the right hand of him who sat on the throne. 8 And when he had taken it, the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders fell down before the Lamb. Each one had a harp and they were holding golden bowls full of incense, which are the prayers of God's people. 9 And they sang a new song, saying:“You are worthy to take the scroll    and to open its seals, because you were slain,    and with your blood you purchased for God    persons from every tribe and language and people and nation. 10 You have made them to be a kingdom and priests to serve our God,    and they will reign on the earth.”11 Then I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. 12 In a loud voice they were saying:“Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain,    to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength    and honor and glory and praise!”13 Then I heard every creature in heaven and on earth and under the earth and on the sea, and all that is in them, saying:“To [the one] who sits on the throne and to the Lamb    be praise and honor and glory and power, for ever and ever!”14 The four living creatures said, “Amen,” and the elders fell down and worshiped.Support the show (https://secure.myvanco.com/YKER/home)

Have you ever seen Jesus? Have you ever encountered the risen Christ? The Bible tells us that Mary did. And so did Peter. And John. Doubting Thomas saw Jesus. Cleopas and his wife met Jesus on the road to Emmaus. Fifteen years later, Paul of Tarsus met Jesus on the road to Damascus. Just last week a dear friend shared with me a story of when she, as a little girl, saw Jesus. The sad thing about it was that she wasn't sure how I'd receive her testimony, as if seeing Jesus was weird or unusual or unbelievable. Visions of Jesus aren't crazy at all. Throughout the history of the church the risen Jesus has had a habit of showing up, revealing himself to his followers in very real and personal ways. That's what we're going to talk about today. By the time we're done, I hope that the idea of visions is less weird, that you are freer to share your own stories and listen to others, AND that, even if you have never seen a vision of Jesus, well, “blessed are those who have never seen and yet believe.”Revelation 1:4-18John,To the seven churches in the province of Asia:Grace and peace to you from him who is, and who was, and who is to come, and from the seven spirits before his throne, 5 and from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, the firstborn from the dead, and the ruler of the kings of the earth.To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood, 6 and has made us to be a kingdom and priests to serve his God and Father—to him be glory and power for ever and ever! Amen.7 “Look, he is coming with the clouds,”    and “every eye will see him,even those who pierced him”;    and all peoples on earth “will mourn because of him.”So shall it be! Amen.8 “I am the Alpha and the Omega,” says the Lord God, “who is, and who was, and who is to come, the Almighty.”9 I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 On the Lord's Day I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, 11 which said: “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.”12 I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest. 14 The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. 15 His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead. Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. 18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! Support the show (https://secure.myvanco.com/YKER/home)

“Nothing is certain but death and taxes,” the saying goes. Benjamin Franklin wrote that back in 1789. The whole quote goes like this: “Our new Constitution is now established, everything seems to promise it will be durable; but, in this world, nothing is certain except death and taxes.” He wrote this about five months before his own death on April 17, 1790. Today is the 232nd anniversary of his death. Truly there is precious little in life that is certain. Taxes and government: check. Mortality rates hovering at 100%? Check. Christians believe that there is a third certainty: resurrection from the dead. That is the bold proclamation of Easter Sunday: Christ is risen. He is risen indeed. Today we will discuss the resurrection of Jesus and what it means for us today. The title of today's message is “Death, Taxes, and Easter.” Grab a Bible and we'll start with a reading from 1 Corinthians 15, then the Easter Gospel according to St Luke, the 24th chapter.1 Corinthians 15:19-25A reading from First Corinthians 15:19-25. If only for this life we have hope in Christ, we are of all people most to be pitied. 20 But Christ has indeed been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For since death came through a man, the resurrection of the dead comes also through a man. 22 For as in Adam all die, so in Christ all will be made alive. 23 But each in turn: Christ, the firstfruits; then, when he comes, those who belong to him. 24 Then the end will come, when he hands over the kingdom to God the Father after he has destroyed all dominion, authority, and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.Here ends the reading.Luke 24:1-12The holy gospel for this Easter Sunday is from Luke 24:1-12. On the first day of the week, very early in the morning, the women took the spices they had prepared and went to the tomb. 2 They found the stone rolled away from the tomb, 3 but when they entered, they did not find the body of the Lord Jesus. 4 While they were wondering about this, suddenly two men in clothes that gleamed like lightning stood beside them. 5 In their fright the women bowed down with their faces to the ground, but the men said to them, “Why do you look for the living among the dead? 6 He is not here; he has risen! Remember how he told you, while he was still with you in Galilee: 7 ‘The Son of Man must be delivered over to the hands of sinners, be crucified and on the third day be raised again.'” 8 Then they remembered his words.9 When they came back from the tomb, they told all these things to the Eleven and to all the others. 10 It was Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the others with them who told this to the apostles. 11 But they did not believe the women, because their words seemed to them like nonsense. 12 Peter, however, got up and ran to the tomb. Bending over, he saw the strips of linen lying by themselves, and he went away, wondering to himself what had happened.Support the show (https://secure.myvanco.com/YKER/home)

Raise your hand if you want to go to heaven when you die. How do you get there? The Bible teaches that we are saved by God's grace, through faith, apart from “works of the law.” Yet the Bible also talks about seeking the kingdom, striving and straining, obeying the commandments, and entering through something called the narrow door. Just how does it work, anyway?Today we're going to talk about salvation, narrow doors, and knowing Jesus. Today's podcast is called “Narrow Doors, Open Futures,” and is based on a reading from the gospel of Luke 13:22-30. We are also going to hear later from Philippians 3:4-14, but we start here with Luke 13, beginning at the 22nd verse.Luke 13:22-30 Then Jesus went through the towns and villages, teaching as he made his way to Jerusalem. 23 Someone asked him, “Lord, are only a few people going to be saved?”He said to them, 24 “Make every effort to enter through the narrow door, because many, I tell you, will try to enter and will not be able to. 25 Once the owner of the house gets up and closes the door, you will stand outside knocking and pleading, ‘Sir, open the door for us.'“But he will answer, ‘I don't know you or where you come from.'26 “Then you will say, ‘We ate and drank with you, and you taught in our streets.'27 “But he will reply, ‘I don't know you or where you come from. Away from me, all you evildoers!'28 “There will be weeping there, and gnashing of teeth, when you see Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God, but you yourselves thrown out. 29 People will come from east and west and north and south, and will take their places at the feast in the kingdom of God. 30 Indeed there are those who are last who will be first, and first who will be last.”Philippians 3:4b-14If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless.7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which is through faith in Christ—the righteousness that comes from God on the basis of faith. 10 I want to know Christ—yes, to know the power of his resurrection and participation in his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, 11 and so, somehow, attaining to the resurrection from the dead.12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.Support the show (https://secure.myvanco.com/YKER/home)

Hello and welcome to the Will Preach for Food podcast. I'm Doug, a pastor here at Faith Lutheran Church, based out of Shelton, Washington, a congregation of the ELCA. Faith is a welcoming community: growing closer to and more like Jesus; making Christ known; joyfully serving each other, our neighbors, and all God's creation. You can learn more about Faith at our website, www.faithshelton.org. Thanks for listening today.Prayer is such a central practice of the Christian faith that I decided I should preach about it today. I told God that I needed a really good sermon about prayer. “Good luck with that,” he said. “You'd better get to work on it.” Today's podcast is for the fourth Sunday in Lent, March 27th, 2022. The title of this podcast is “Pray Continually.”I want to share a few general biblical principles of prayer based on the examples of Jesus, Daniel, and Paul. We'll end with some specific takeaways for you and your own prayer life in the coming days and weeks. Let's start with Jesus. Open your Bible to Luke 11:1-13.Luke 11:1-4 [5-8] 9-13One day Jesus was praying in a certain place. When he finished, one of his disciples said to him, “Lord, teach us to pray, just as John taught his disciples.”2 He said to them, “When you pray, say:“‘Father, hallowed be your name, your kingdom come. 3 Give us each day our daily bread. 4 Forgive us our sins,    for we also forgive everyone who sins against us. And lead us not into temptation.'”[5 Then Jesus said to them, “Suppose you have a friend, and you go to him at midnight and say, ‘Friend, lend me three loaves of bread; 6 a friend of mine on a journey has come to me, and I have no food to offer him.' 7 And suppose the one inside answers, ‘Don't bother me. The door is already locked, and my children and I are in bed. I can't get up and give you anything.' 8 I tell you, even though he will not get up and give you the bread because of friendship, yet because of your shameless audacity he will surely get up and give you as much as you need.]9 “So I say to you: Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 10 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened.11 “Which of you fathers, if your son asks for a fish, will give him a snake instead? 12 Or if he asks for an egg, will give him a scorpion? 13 If you then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give the Holy Spirit to those who ask him!”This is the Gospel of the Lord. Thanks be to God.Support the show (https://secure.myvanco.com/YKER/home)

Go Where I Send TheeAnybody else remember the old Sunday School song that goes like this: “Children, go where I send thee! How…shall I send thee? Well… I'm gonna send thee Eight by eight:·        Eight for the eight that stood at the gate·        Seven for the seven that never got to heaven·        Six for the six that never got fixed·        Five for the gospel preachers·        Four for the four that stood at the door·        Three for the Hebrew children·        Two for Paul and Silas·        One for the little bitty baby [that] was BORN, born, born in Bethlehem…”Please open your Bible to Luke 10:1-12. Today's podcast is for the third Sunday in Lent, March 20th, 2022. The title of this podcast is “Go Where I Send Thee.”Luke 10:1-12After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 2 He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field. 3 Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 4 Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.5 “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.' 6 If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. 7 Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.8 “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. 9 Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.'[10 But when you enter a town and are not welcomed, go into its streets and say, 11 ‘Even the dust of your town we wipe from our feet as a warning to you. Yet be sure of this: The kingdom of God has come near.' 12 I tell you, it will be more bearable on that day for Sodom than for that town.]Support the show (https://secure.myvanco.com/YKER/home)