Your Faith Journey - Finding God Through Words, Song and Praise

Today, we had a special musical performance of Praise My Soul, The King of Heaven by the Faith Bells at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan. Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC

Today, we had a special musical performance of For the Beauty of the Earth by the Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran with Gwynne Kadrofske on Flute at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan. Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC

Earth Sunday/Third Sunday of Easter April 19, 2026 Faith Okemos I Peter 1:17-23, Psalm 104, Romans 8:18-27, Luke 24:13-35   Because the World Is About to Turn   My soul cries out with a joyful shout that the God of my heart is great, and my spirit sings of the wondrous things that you bring to the ones who wait.  You fixed your sight on your servant's plight, and my weakness you did not spurn, so from east to west shall my name be blest. Could the world be about to turn?    My heart shall sing of the day you bring. Let the fires of your justice burn.  Wipe away all tears, for the dawn draws near, and the world is about to turn.   From the halls of power to the fortress tower, not a stone will be left on stone.  Let the king beware for your justice tears every tyrant from his throne.  The hungry poor shall weep no more, for the food they can never earn; there are tables spread, every mouth be fed, for the world is about to turn…                                                  ELW 723   When Victor Orban, the authoritarian prime minister of Hungary, was soundly defeated a week ago today, it did seem another sign that our world was about to turn.  Increasingly throughout the world more and more nations have been led by far-right dictators.  They and their cronies have amassed for themselves enormous wealth at the expense of the health and well-being of those citizens they were elected to lead and of the Earth itself.  But on this Earth Sunday 2026, we see signs of hope, signs of resurrection that God is birthing in the hearts and actions of millions of people throughout the world, including millions in our own country…Signs of hope and resurrection through the forthright words of religious leaders like our own Bishop Julie and like Pope Leo.   Could it be that the world is about to turn?  I think of all the money given in recent weeks (including from us) to fully fund the purchase and installation of a solar array, a project co-sponsored by Michigan Interfaith Power and Light for a Habitat for Humanity home near Sparrow Hospital, now a home for adults with autism and for their support staff, a home that will receive much of its power directly from the sun.      This "great turning" looks like the 900 people (including several of us from Faith) who journeyed from Pilgrim Congregational Church on Pennsylvania Ave. to the Capitol four Sundays ago, pledging anew to see Jesus in feeding the hungry, healing the sick, and welcoming the stranger.     In a book titled Active Hope, the authors share this poem about grace and trust and courage in a world about to turn:  When you act on behalf of something greater than yourself, you begin to feel it acting through you with a power greater than you own. This is grace. Today, as we take risks for the something greater than our separate, individual lives, we are feeling graced by other beings and by Earth itself. Those with whom and on whose behalf we act give us strength and eloquence and staying power we didn't know we had. We just need to practice knowing that and remembering that we are sustained by each other in the web of life.  Our true power comes as a gift, like grace, because in truth it is sustained by others. If we practice drawing on the wisdom and beauty and strengths of our fellow humans and our fellow species, we can go into any situation and trust that the courage and intelligence required will be supplied.      In our beautiful gospel for today (a favorite of Pastor Megan's), Jesus our risen Lord and a "fellow human," walks with Cleopas and another disciple (likely his wife, one of the Mary's who followed Jesus on his earthly journey), albeit incognito, unrecognized… until in their home Jesus takes and blesses and breaks and gives them the bread at supper in their home.    A word I've been living with all this past week is a Greek word, panentheism, that literally means "all in God, God in all."  I thought of these words in Ephesians 4: There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to the one hope of your call, one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all and through all and in all.   Panentheism, all in God, God in all.  For me this radically changes everything and everyone I see.  When I look at Ray and Tabitha and each of you… and when I look at the daffodils in our backyard, or when I look at the food and juice or coffee I will drink after worship, I see God, I see Jesus!   I saw God when I was with Ledith on Thursday evening.  Ledith, long-time member of Faith and beloved child of God, is now at the precipice of her death.  When we softly sang together a verse of "Holy, Holy, Holy" and of "Beautiful Savior" and her favorite, all the verses of "How Great Thou Art," I saw God.   What a difference it makes when you and I look at any and all of the peoples and creatures of the Earth, all the vast and varied combinations of elements and molecules that comprise our common home.  Above all, through all, and in all is our crucified and risen Lord and God.  How could we not cherish and love and respect all of it?  How could we not think twice about trashing or misusing or exploiting any of it when we know that Jesus is in it?   So important that together we think and celebrate that Greek word, panentheism, all in God, God in all, God in everything.   But so important too that we mourn creation's brokenness together with God and with each other… If we felt the pain of loss each time an ecosystem was destroyed, a species wiped out, or a child killed by war or starvation, we wouldn't be able to continue living the way we do.  It would tear us apart inside…By speaking our concerns and giving voice to our feelings [to each other], we make them more visible not just to others but also to ourselves.  The more we draw issues into the open, the more inclined we become to tackle them…Rather than attempting to fix feelings of distress, we accept their validity and significance.  Doing this is in itself an act for the Great Turning. Active Hope, page 77   And these words from Archbishop Desmond Tutu: [Jesus'] supreme work is to reconcile us to God and to one another and, indeed, to all of God's creation.  It is possible to have a new kind of world where there will be more compassion, more gentleness, more caring, more laughter, more joy for all of God's creation, because that is God's dream.  And God says, "Help me. Help me, help me realize my dream."   And from Jim Antel, a public theologian and pastor in the United Church of Christ:  God is calling all of us to unleash our imaginations, unmuzzle our mouths, unbind our hands, unshackle our feet, and open our wallets.  Each of us must use our unique God-given gifts to hasten the day when each human heart is governed not by grief but by hope…not by selfishness but by sharing.  Yes—God still has a dream…As we live into God's dream, we will rediscover who we truly are and all of creation will be singing.                      Climate Church, Climate World,  pages 168-169   Because the world is about to turn… St. Peter writes, Make your minds ready for action…   Put your hope in nothing but the grace that will be given when Jesus Christ is revealed.  Be children of obedience…It is through Christ that you are believers in God, the God who raised Jesus from the dead into glory…Therefore, love one another constantly, from the heart.  [I Peter 1:13,21-22] By the grace and great mercy of God we are born anew every day into a living hope because Jesus lives "above all and through all and in all."  Jesus walks with us.  Everything changes when you and I see him in every thing and every one.  Therefore, love one another constantly, from the depths of your hearts.   Daniel Erlander in a little book entitled Baptized, We Live, writes, "The ruler of the universe hides himself in the common, in the stuff of this earth.  God lives in creation; he lives in all… Here is God… in the home, in the forest, in the face of a child, in the sunset, in human love, in the enemy, in the mountains, in the cry of the poor, in the sea, in the sharing of food,  in the prison, in the sunshine, in the hospital, in the rain, in the aged, in governments, in the dying, in the air, in the broken home, in the stranger, in outer space, in the third world, in death."    Daniel writes:  Because of Jesus, we see God in all, weeping where there is pain and alienation, rejoicing where there is wholeness and love.     So, because God in Jesus is with and in us and all of creation, albeit often incognito as on the road to Emmaus, we may dare to believe that the world is about to turn, that other powerful autocrats and dictators besides Prime Minister Orban will soon be brought low.  We can live with hope that soon compassion and respect and a just peace will rise up, albeit imperfectly, in the Middle East, in Eastern Europe, in Africa, and, yes, in our own country.   Imagine that one day, maybe 50 or 60 years from now, our descendants asked us three questions about when in our day there was a great turning: 1.    "Ancestor, I hear stories about the period you are living in, with wars and preparations for wars, with some people absurdly rich while huge numbers are starving and homeless, with poisons in the seas and soil and air, and with the dying of many species.  We are still experiencing the effects of all that.  What was it like for you to live with this knowledge?" 2.    "Ancestor, we have songs and stories that tell of what you and your friends did back then for the Great Turning… You must have felt lonely and confused at times, especially at the beginning.  What were some of the first steps you took?" 3.    "Ancestor, I know you didn't stop with those first actions on behalf of life on Earth.  Where did you find the strength to continue working so hard, despite all the obstacles and discouragement?"                                          Active Hope, page 155   Let us sing "God Bestows on Every Sense," a song of hope and of "signs of what the earth will be."   Amen.

Today, we had a special musical performance of the Land of Rest by the Faith Lutheran Handbell Choir, including Megan Nyquist, Addie Thompson, Matt Schnizlein, and Rich Weingartner at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan. Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC

Year A – Second Sunday of Easter – April 12, 2026 Pastor Megan Floyd John 20:19-31 Grace and peace to you from God and the Holy Spirit, and from Jesus Christ, our risen and wounded Savior. Amen. This past week, I've been thoroughly enjoying the dispatches from Artemis II… seeing the pictures and hearing the interviews with the astronauts who have now traveled farther than any human has ever traveled. These four amazing humans gave us all a bright flame of hope for the future of humanity and our ability to come together across borders for collaboration… to wonder enough about what's just beyond our reach that they were willing to risk exploring. On Friday, I felt tense, thinking about and praying for their safe return to this planet we call home, and I have felt such joy seeing them now safe. They gave us images of our world, and our Moon, that we've never seen before… incredible images of an in-space lunar eclipse, and the dark side of our cratered Moon… I imagine God's delight in our discovery… and celebration of our newfound ability to explore God's awesome Creation. It is also incredible, in this moment in history and profound discovery, that today – April 12th - is the anniversary of Galileo being brought before the Inquisition in the year 1633… for supporting the idea that the Earth revolves around the Sun, rather than the other way around. Galileo insisted that scientific research and Christian faith are entirely compatible, and that study of the universe would promote a more proper interpretation of Scripture. And he was right! …we know that now… even if it took some longer than others to come to that conclusion. …and yes, there are still those fringe few who would deny all of this… and that is their loss. But to allow our new discoveries to shape our ongoing understanding of Scripture, and of God in, with, and among us, means that we must let go of certainty… and approach Scripture, and God's continued revelation …with a healthy amount of wiggle room in our own conclusions and understanding. We must always leave room for wonder… and for new encounters with the Divine… That's a challenging stance to take… it's one that would have me thrown out of some churches… especially those that place a heavy stake in "religious authority" …but I stand by it. …I personally prefer to hold the position of "religious wonder," because faith… for it to truly be faith… will always be just beyond the edge of what we know for certain. And holding onto "religious wonder" rather than certainty… requires an even stronger… more robust faith in the saving power of the living God… than any kind of certainty could ever have. Which brings me… to Thomas. Poor Thomas… forever labeled "Doubting Thomas." He's really gotten a bad rap that I don't think he deserves. Thomas wasn't there in that room on that first Easter evening… all the other disciples were locked away for fear of the religious authorities… but not Thomas. It's quite possible that he alone dared to hope in Mary's testimony and was out looking for his Lord… hoping to encounter Jesus himself. We don't know why he wasn't with them. But while he was away, the others were met by Jesus, who showed them his wounds… and he gave them the Holy Spirit. I can only imagine Thomas' frustration… and how hurt he must have been. This is… a traumatic story… and being the one left out of receiving a glimmer of hope from Jesus… must have cut him to the core. So, when we hear Thomas declare, "Unless I see the mark of the nails… and put my hand in his side, I will not believe" …I hear him declare this through tears and anguish. He is not doubting… he is devastated… and he is only demanding what his companions have already received… he is trying, just as they are, to understand this new information… this new encounter… trying to understand what it means for them moving forward. I also appreciate that Thomas doesn't want to see Jesus in an unmarked and perfect body… perfection will not convince him… because for Thomas, Jesus' woundedness is what will make him real… it's what will prove that this resurrected body is that of his Lord, Jesus. Our imperfections… our flaws… our wounds and our scars… are what make us human… and authentic… and Jesus' wounds are what keep him connected to our imperfect humanity. So Jesus meets Thomas… exactly where he is… Jesus meets him and shares his vulnerability with him… his open wounds… his marked body. Jesus shows Thomas that doubt and fear will not keep Jesus away… nor will sin or shame… Jesus meets us where we are, and though he is wounded, he is not delicate. And met with this authentic and wounded Jesus, who defeated sin, death, and the devil and has come back to them… Thomas… is the one who puts it all together. "My Lord… and my God." Jesus is more than the Messiah who saves… Jesus is God, who meets us in our pain… our sin and our suffering… meets us in our messy lives… and still claims us… and loves us. Jesus faces our doubts and our questions… even our anger… and our rage … Jesus faces our best… and our worst… by coming closer to us… by sharing in our authentic humanity… and offering us the peace of the Holy Spirit. And yet… Jesus tells Thomas, "Have you believed because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen… and yet have come to believe." Seeing is believing… or so they say… but Jesus invites us into a far more robust relationship than one that relies on physical signs. Jesus invites us to go beyond our certainty… beyond what we think we know… and step into what is now made possible in the light of a crucified and risen Lord… and God. Jesus invites us to lean into… faith… a faith that is not delicate… a faith that withstands all our humanity can throw at it… and yet, remains because it comes from God. Our faith… does not originate within us… our faith is a gift from our wounded and risen Lord. And Jesus invites us to receive this faith that will continually draw us into a state of wonder… and amazement… at all God has done for us… a faith that knows that God is not done with us yet. Belief that relies on seeing and certainty is weak… but faith… faith leads to hope in the coming fulfillment of God's promises… and faith leads to the incredible power of love to bring healing and wholeness to a broken world. Yes, faith… is trust in the things we cannot see… it is our comfort for our deepest hurts… it is the flickering flame of hope when all seems lost… and it is our guiding light… through life's darkest valleys. Faith… leaves room for wonder… room for new discovery… room for hope in the redeeming power of God's love. Jesus walked among his disciples after his resurrection and gave them a new vision of what was possible… a new vision of hope… he showed them his wounds… and told them… this is only the beginning. Over the past 10 days, the crew of Artemis II gave us a new vision of the Universe and our world… a planet that all humans call home… and they gave us a new understanding of what is possible for humanity. But, of course… that mission started with concrete facts… and math… and prior experience. It's ok to start with what you know, but we can't get stuck there. Don't ever be ashamed to ask God for what you need, to bring you back to Christ… for we know that Jesus meets us where we are… but… Be prepared for Jesus to show up… to greet you with love… and then call you into a deeper relationship… to receive something stronger and more daring… that relies on trust in God's promises that are still in the making. Yes… be prepared for Jesus to call you to receive the faith of Christ… for it is so much stronger than a belief that relies only on seeing and certainty. Blessed are those who have not seen… and yet have come to believe. Amen.  

Today, we had a special musical performance of the Hallelujah Chorus by the Faith Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan. Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC

Today, we had a special musical performance of See, What a Morning by the Faith Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan. Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC

Year A – Easter Sunday – April 5, 2026 Pastor Megan Floyd Acts 10:34-43 Colossians 3:1-4 Matthew 28:1-10 Grace and peace to you from God and the Holy Spirit, and from Jesus Christ, our Savior. Christ is Risen! He is risen, indeed! Alleluia! *** This past Holy Week has been… really something special. Last week, on Palm Sunday, many of us here participated in the Palm Sunday March in Lansing. We were surrounded by a crowd of about 800 people from various denominations, who came together to march with palms in hand, bound by our shared commitment to the foundational teachings of Jesus. We marched to share our commitment to love our neighbors… to feed the hungry, clothe the naked… to care for the sick, and the poor… and those who are outcast… and to welcome the stranger. And our group here in Michigan was part of a larger movement across at least sixteen other states… thousands and thousands of Christians showed up… disciples of Jesus… marching to proclaim the saving words and promise of Christ. Jesus Christ is not dead and gone… he is alive! And then on Thursday, I had the profound honor to care for you by washing and anointing your feet… and by allowing my own feet to be washed and anointed. We do this because Christ did this for his disciples… and told us to continue the practice, and so trusting in the words of our teacher, we wash… There's a closeness there, in that simple and ancient practice, that just cannot be replicated any other way… and when sharing this practice, Jesus is profoundly close. And then we shared our meal of Holy Communion together… and yes, we do that every week in remembrance of Christ… but on Maundy Thursday, we recall why we celebrate this meal… and we recall together the grace, love, and inclusion that Jesus demonstrated for all, even those who would later betray and deny him. And so, we share our meal with all who are gathered… more than just trusting and hoping that Christ will show up… we expect our Christ to show up. Jesus Christ is not dead and gone… he is alive! And then on Friday… on Good Friday… we gathered with our siblings from All Saints Lutheran and St Paul Lutheran, and with our bishop… we gathered together as one community… to remember and honor Christ's death on the cross. Even as we acknowledge that Christ is with us, always, we know that we cannot get to the Resurrection without going through death and the cross… and so we gathered …as one body… and honored the presence of Christ that was there with us… and in each of us… it was, so very holy… and special. And still we proclaim… Jesus Christ is not dead and gone… he is alive! Jesus Christ is risen today! Alleluia!! Alleluia!! I came here today… knowing that I would meet Christ… I expect him to show up because Christ promised to show up… and I know Christ lives in you… and in me… and so wherever we gather… Christ is there… alive… and with us. That expectation of meeting Jesus everywhere we go… that's what it means to follow Jesus… to follow our God who became human… who defeated death and the grave… That's what it means to follow a crucified and risen Lord… it means that we show up in the world expecting to meet Christ there. We expect to meet Jesus… because we trust the Word of our God… we trust… and we dare to hope. Just like Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of James and Joseph, who showed up at the tomb on the third day… I believe they showed up expecting to meet Jesus! …or at least, daring to hope they would. Now, I know that in the gospels of Mark and Luke, they write that the women showed up at the tomb with spices to anoint his body. But not in Matthew… The Marys have been disciples of Jesus all along, following him and hearing his teaching… hearing him proclaim that he must die, but would rise again on the third day. And all four gospels record that Jesus was anointed for his burial before he was crucified. The women did not desert him or betray him… they stayed near… and watched. They felt the earth shake at the moment he died and heard the Roman Centurion proclaim that, truly, this man was the Son of God. The Marys stayed… and on the third day… they came to the tomb… not carrying spices for anointing… but coming with fear… and outrageous hope… that death did not win. They came… at the dawning of that new day… expecting to meet their risen Lord! And the earth shook for the second time in three days as the stone was thunderously rolled aside… and the angel of the Lord descended from heaven to meet them. The Roman guards fainted with terror, but the women stood strong, and they witnessed with awe and wonder that the tomb was empty. They stood strong because they expected something wonderful… Jesus Christ is not dead and gone… he is alive! The angel sent them on to meet Jesus, and they go with great fear and joy… but Jesus doesn't wait… he finds them and greets them with love… and they worship him… and bless his resurrected body. And then, full of grace and forgiveness, Jesus instructs the women to gather those who deserted him… gather together those who fled… so he can be reunited with them… to remind them of his love… and to mercifully commission them to witness to his resurrection. For the dawn from on high has broken upon us, and a new day has begun. Alleluia!! Alleluia!! But Easter morning… is only the beginning. Just as those first disciples had to decide, we, too, must decide who we are now… and who we must become… in the light of the risen Christ? But do not be afraid… Easter faith does not mean perfect faith… not for the first disciples, and not for us …our faith is almost always a mixture of trust and doubt… of belief and unbelief. Jesus knows… this is what we have… an imperfect faith… and yet, he still calls us to be with him… and to celebrate with him… on this new day. And if we dare to hope in the promise of the resurrection… then we can show up, expecting Christ to meet us… trusting that God's grace precedes us wherever we go. We can rest in the promise that Christ not only lives in you and me… but Christ also lives in the stranger whom we welcome… in the sick whom we minister to… in the hungry whom we feed… in the naked whom we clothe. We expect Christ to meet us… and we rejoice in his presence. If we dare to hope in the promise of the resurrection, then we can draw on the strength of Mary Magdalene and Mary, the mother of James and Joseph, and resist the powers of this world that would pull us toward greed and violence… toward bigotry and corruption. If we dare to hope in the promise of the resurrection, then we expect Christ to be here, and we can shape our lives around Christ's way of enduring love… and grace… and mercy. Because Easter is not an event that we remember and celebrate only once a year. Easter is a way of living… it's a way of loving… a way of shaping our communities in such a way that don't bend to the wills of the powerful… to the wills of greed and Empire… But instead… Easter is a way of living that glorifies God through loving the least among us, as Christ loved us… and knowing that there is nothing in the world stronger than God's love. Yes, we are Easter people. We are children of God who dare to hope in the promise of the resurrection, and we expect to meet our living Christ wherever we go, and in all whom we meet. For Jesus Christ is not dead and gone… he is alive! Alleluia!! Alleluia!!  

Year A – Maundy Thursday – April 2, 2026 Pastor Megan Floyd John 13:1-17, 31b-35 Grace and peace to you from God and the Holy Spirit, and from Jesus Christ, who loves us to the end. Amen. *** This is a somber night… somber for us, because we know what's coming. We are bracing ourselves for the wave of grief… over what we have done… and what we have left undone. We are bracing ourselves for the final moments before the cross… and we gather this evening to willingly dwell in that place of grief with Jesus, our Savior. And yet, let us also remember… that our story with Jesus is ultimately… a love story. It's a story so personal… so intimate… a story of our God who created us in love… and refused to allow us to drift away… and so, our God emptied themselves into the form of a slave… being born into human weakness… into the person of Jesus. And at every turn of his life on earth… Jesus subverted the usual power structures. On this night… we gather… we gather with the disciples around the table… a table of celebration… they don't know what's coming, but Jesus does. We gather around the table with Jesus, as Jesus does his very best to say farewell to his disciples… to his friends… whom he loves… completely. Jesus is imploring them to understand what he has taught them through his preaching… and shown them with his actions. Jesus is intent… and they can feel the tension… the heaviness in the air… the importance of their meal together… even if they don't fully understand why. This night… it feels different. And yet… how could they have known it was their last night with Jesus as he was? And then… "Having loved his own who were in the world, he loved them to the end." …to the end… not only a great, heavenly love, but… he loved them to completion… Jesus loves them… and loves us… with a fullness that began with the creation of the world… and continues to the end of the ages… Jesus loves them to the end. And knowing that the Father had given all things into his hands, and that he had come from God and was going to God, Jesus took off his outer robe, and tied a towel around himself… He poured water into a basin… and began to wash his disciples' feet. I can imagine the silent wonder of those whose feet Jesus washed first… not daring to say a word. But I think… I think I would have reacted like Peter… horrified at the idea of Jesus lowering himself to wash my feet! Having our feet exposed… and washed by another… it's vulnerable and awkward…  and if you feel that way, too, you're not alone! And yet… this is what Jesus does. Jesus… our God incarnate… through his life and ministry… through his actions and his love… gives us a vision and an understanding of who God is. Our God is one who loves us enough to come close to us… who shows us how to love each other through humble service… but also… how to receive love in return. And as Jesus also washed the feet of Judas… he shows us how to even love those who would betray us… that is how deeply we are called to love. On this special night… we are called by Jesus… commanded… to not only love and serve others… but to allow ourselves to be loved… to both give and receive… service and care… and love. This life as a disciple… it's not all toil and suffering… it is a life of reciprocal love… and in that mutuality… in that holy community with others… there is joy! The kind of joy that bubbles up from the relief of bearing the weight of our shared need… of daring to be vulnerable with another, and being met with love, just as Christ has loved us. That is what Christ Jesus has shown us… this life of discipleship… is full of wonder… and love… and joy. And every day we live into this truth… every day we are made clean… and sent again by Jesus to walk in the world… to walk in the light of this commandment to love others as we ourselves are loved. However, the commandment to love others is not itself new… it is ancient and foundational for our relationship with God. But what is new… on this night… is how we now understand this command through the life, death, and resurrection of Jesus… through how he cared for others, especially those who were most vulnerable… the outcast… the sick… the poor… the widows and children. And how through Jesus, God revealed the depth and strength of this love that we both receive and share. For as we practice bearing one another in love, we also practice receiving love from God. And as we practice humble service for one another, we also practice receiving what we need from the Holy Spirit. As we practice bearing another's vulnerability with tender loving care, we practice allowing our spirit to be vulnerable and true with our Creator, who loves us to the end… who loves us… to completion. This is the beauty and joy in Jesus' commandment to love… that as we practice this love for others, we grow in love for both ourselves… and for God. And as we practice loving others as we love ourselves, we more fully recognize the presence of God in each person, and the light of Christ that dwells in ourselves. So on this night… this somber and beautiful night… let us remember that practicing the vulnerability of having our feet washed… is to practice the necessary vulnerability to receive love and care. …not only from others, but from Christ himself. And then later, as we gather around the table to share Christ's promised presence in the bread and wine… remember that we gather with amazement and joy as those who are loved beyond the violence of cross…  We gather as those who are loved… to the end. Amen.

Today, we had a special musical performance of Hosana, Hosana! by the Faith Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan. Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC

Today, we had a special musical performance of Jesus Walked this Lonesome Valley/Nobody Knows the Trouble I've Seen by the Faith Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan. Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC

Year A – Fifth Sunday in Lent– March 22, 2026 Pastor Megan Floyd John 11:1-45 Grace and peace to you from God and the Holy Spirit, and from Jesus Christ, who liberates us from our bindings, and redeems us through God's love and grace. Amen. *** "Lord, if you had been here, my brother would not have died."  …both sisters launch this statement at Jesus… this accusation… this plea. Did you not care… did you not love him enough? Did we not love you enough? Why… why did you let him die? Their words cut into my heart… I feel their grief… and I imagine you do, too.  None of us need reach very far to grasp the pain of a loss that we wished our Lord could have prevented. This past week, I learned that the father of an old high school friend died after suffering for many years with cancer. They are devastated and broken… and yet, clinging now to the promise that Jesus gave us… that her dad is now rejoicing with God, free of his earthly pain. But… four years ago… when he was first diagnosed, they were sure that their faith would deliver him from his illness. …and I was angry at their pastor for having the audacity to proclaim that if they prayed the right way… loved God the right way… that if they could somehow have the most perfect faith… that his cancer would go away. That kind of theology… is cruel and abusive… and I wish it wasn't so prevalent in our American spiritual culture… It adds a layer of shame and guilt on top of the bodily suffering that one is already enduring and creates impossible standards. …yeah, I was angry, and I grieved for them. But this text is tricky… Jesus is the resurrection and the life, and whatever he asks for will be given. So, the temptation is there… to hope that we can somehow compel Jesus to take away our illness… or to prevent the death of our loved one… or to reverse the accident… or to repair that which was lost. We focus on the sign… on the miracle that Jesus performed of bringing Lazarus back to life… something he did so that those who witnessed and testified to it would understand and believe that Jesus was sent from God. But if we are so focused on the miraculous raising of Lazarus… we may miss the beautiful truth that Jesus was there with them… he was with them in their sorrow… very much so… just as Jesus is with us in our pain… and in our grief… Jesus, in his compassion and empathy... weeps with us when we weep. Jesus, who is sent from God… who is God… came to share life with us… all of our life experiences… our joy and our love… as well as our pain and our grief. And we all know… that love and loss are intertwined, and that grief is a natural part of our lives. In the face of grief and loss, it is also tempting to rush into the promised joy of eternal life with Christ… to gloss over the pain of death and skip into rejoicing… but does that honor the source of our grief? At this point in Lent… in our steady march toward Jesus' betrayal and the cross… we, too, might be tempted to skip past the hard parts and move directly into our Easter celebration. …but does skipping the discomfort of Holy Week honor Jesus and the sacrifice he made for us? Does that honor the fullness of life that Jesus spent with us? Can we not dwell for a time with Jesus… in his grief? When Jesus went to Bethany, he knew what he was going to do… he knew that he would raise Lazarus… not so that Lazarus could have more earthly life, but so that we might believe in Jesus. And yet, even knowing what he went there to do… Jesus was still deeply moved… by their grief… and he wept with them. We don't know exactly why Jesus wept… I imagine it was complicated, as our tears so often are. Perhaps he was angry at death itself… and the pain it always brings… or perhaps he was feeling the weight of his own impending death, and how this sign of raising Lazurus would be the act that would set things in motion for his arrest. Just as the crowd speculated on his tears, we do not have a clear understanding of his grief… only that he grieved. But you know… grief does not need a clear explanation to be valid. Jesus, our God with us… grieves with us in the face of death and suffering… Jesus shares our sorrow that we must face this pain as part of the cycle of life. And yet… Jesus is still Lord over all that binds us, including death… but also… so much more. And so, just as Jesus calls to Lazarus to come out… he calls to us… Jesus calls to us not only at the end of our earthly lives, but he calls to us every day… to leave behind the things that bind us and chose life with Christ. Jesus calls to us who are dead and bound in our sin… calls to us when we are crippled with guilt and shame… he calls to us when we feel isolated and alone… he calls to us when we turn a blind eye to the pain of our neighbors… and invites us to actively participate in our own renewal. Hear the words of our Lord calling to you… come out… and… Unbind him… let him go… Unbind her… be free from the power of sin… Unbind them… be liberated to see the Glory of God at work in yourself, for you are deeply loved. Let your bindings go… so that you might be fully present in God's love and light… and feel it's warmth. Let your bindings go… so you are able to fully receive the grace and mercy Christ has freely laid before you. Let your bindings go… and know that you are always and forever, forgiven and redeemed. Christ is calling to you… to come out and join him. And yet, he knows… we all know… this life is a work in progress. Some days are better than others, and my friends… that's why there is grace. Jesus' love is not dependent on you praying the right way, or loving Jesus the right way, or having the perfect faith… Jesus loves you. Full stop. And because of that love, he calls you to come out and live your life with him… This world around us will still have brokenness and failing… we will still have pain and grief… and Christ weeps with us in our grief, and we place our pain in God's loving care and know that on the other side of death… there is life. It can be challenging to let go of that which binds us, for sure… to let the old pass away and trust our God who calls to us into something new. But hold fast to the promise that our journey is not just to the grave, but through it… and there is new life on the other side. Amen.

Today, we had a special musical performance of A Communion Meditation by the Faith Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan. Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC

Year A – Fourth Sunday in Lent– March 15, 2026 Pastor Megan Floyd John 9:1-41 Grace and peace to you from God and the Holy Spirit, and from Jesus Christ, who finds us where we are, and calls us to be his own. Amen. *** Just a couple of days ago, on Thursday, nearly 30 people from across lower Michigan came here to Faith for a mini retreat focused on ministry with youth and young adults. When we first started planning, I expected about eight people to come… so the fact that it became a room full of people was amazing and so incredible. These folks were pastors, lay ministers, and synod staff who chose to spend their day together because they value the place of youth and young adults in the church… and each of them knew, on some level… that this is work we need to do together. We are all aware that the programs and platforms from the 90s don't work like they used to… and that life together in a faith community is ever-changing… especially for our young people… and it's not always abundantly clear what shape it will take next. So, we came together, and trusted that God's Spirit would find us here… and guide us… and inspire us… to discern the way forward. It was really awesome! And God's Spirit did find us, and reminded us that we need each other in the body of Christ… We need to hear the testimonies and witness of our neighbors beyond our church walls, so that we can better equip ourselves… and our communities to recognize how and where God shows up… Because Christ is always seeking us… God's Spirit is always swirling around, so close, it's blowing our hair back… but if we are blind to it, we might just think it's windy. So… in our gospel story today… we are blessed to hear the testimony of a man whom Jesus found… He's a poor man, desperately poor – a beggar. It's all he can be… because he was born blind. And no one, in all of history, had ever managed to heal a person born blind. So this man is an outcast in his community. Jesus and his disciples are walking along. They walk past this blind man who is begging. The disciples are eager to learn from their Rabbi, so they ask Jesus… Whose sin caused this beggar to be blind? They don't really see the man... They don't address him… but they talk about him. They assume that his situation is a lesson on the consequences of sin. But Jesus saw him. Jesus saw that beloved man… and… he DID take the opportunity to teach his disciples a lesson. He applied spit and mud to the man's eyes and sent him away to wash. The man obeyed Jesus's command… and it was at that moment that this man became a disciple… the moment that he chose to trust Jesus… and do as Jesus commanded… and then for the first time in his life, he could see! So naturally, he's amazed and… not really sure what to do next except tell others what happened to him. But his neighbors can't believe it – some don't even recognize him. How could he possibly see? How could this possibly be the same person? No way. And the Pharisees… are blind to the miracle and solely focused on the fact that Jesus healed on the Sabbath, so Jesus must be a sinner. However, the man doesn't have a deep theological explanation for what happened… he only gives his honest answer… "I don't know whether he is a sinner. One thing I do know, that through I was blind, now I see." And the man… this guy that Jesus found, continues to tell his story. He continues to testify to what Jesus has done for him… and each time he does… he grows in his understanding of who this man, Jesus, must be. But the religious leaders are stuck… they can't see past that Jesus violated their religious laws… they are stuck in how things have always been. They cannot see that God is doing something new through Jesus… and showing them that God's kingdom is bigger than what they ever imagined. The man continues to testify… continues to give witness to his encounter… growing bolder in the dawning of his understanding. The religious leaders choose the dark confinement of the law over the light of the world shining around them. And yet, the man is working it all out, and finally… he confidently proclaims that Jesus could only be from God. …but unfortunately… that was so offensive, they cast him out of the community… again. And again, Jesus finds him. The Lord found him, and the man recognized his God! How could he possibly do anything but give thanks and praise… that he was found…he was claimed. …he was loved …and through Christ, he was given abundant life… grace upon grace. We also suffer from blindness to what the Lord has done. Not always, ok… but we're generally out of practice. We have these moments where we're sure that the Spirit just washed over us… but then we write it off… or …we marvel at the moment, and give our thanks… but then… we forget. We don't run through the town telling others what the Lord has done! But you know what? I wanna hear about it! I DO! …I want to know what God is up to in your life! I wanna know how Jesus is finding you day after day. Just like how I was excited to tell you about how God found us this past week in our retreat… How Christ found us… and blessed us with the guiding presence of the Spirit. When you share your testimony about the moments when Christ finds you… even if you don't have a full theological explanation… only that you feel it happened… that's enough… that is sharing the Gospel! Because the first step to sharing your witness with others is to acknowledge that Christ found you… that the Spirit showed up in your life! So… the Spirit blows your hair back, and you think it's just windy …but then you pause… maybe it's more. …Maybe. …maybe write it down… and pray over it later… see what God reveals to you. See what God might be doing …through you. Your testimony not only opens your eyes to see Christ, but your testimony opens the eyes of others as well, so they can see Christ. Just like our retreat this past week… this work is better when we do it together… when we trust that our God will find us… wherever we are… and we share those experiences and help each other understand them… This brings us all closer to God and closer to each other as the full Body of Christ. The good news today is that just as Jesus found that man… an outcast from his community… and brought him into the fold, Jesus will find you… call you and claim you… and bring you under his protection… and his love. It's not a one-time thing… it's every day… the Lord finds you. And each of us is here today because the Lord found us… and because we are found… because we have been given grace upon grace …we can go to those whom God sends us… and proclaim this good news! We go confidently with a word from the Lord. …a word of love. …a word of welcome… a word of invitation… to work together… to collaborate in our ministries and in our lives… and join together in God's abundance …of grace upon grace …that we ourselves have received from the Lord. It's too good not to share! The miracle that Jesus offers in our gospel today is an invitation into abundant life, and it comes to you exactly as you are. You have been found …and you are beloved and worthy. So remember that God continues to call us into this joy of sharing our testimony… the Holy Spirit continues to invite us to share our experiences of how God is showing up for us in our families, and in our faith communities. We can boldly trust that the Spirit will guide us… and that others need this word… they need to hear that God does, indeed, find us and love us. You don't have to have it all figured out… just trust your story… and rejoice in Christ's presence. Amen.

Today, we had a special musical performance of Lord Jesus You Shall Be My Song by the Faith Chancel Choir with Ariella VanderLaan on oboe at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan. Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC

Today, we had a special musical performance of Lord, Who Throughout These Forty Days by the Faith Chancel Choir with Ariella VanderLaan on oboe at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan. Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC

Year A – Third Sunday in Lent– March 8, 2026 Pastor Megan Floyd Exodus 17:1-7 John 4:1-42 Grace and peace to you from God and the Holy Spirit, and from Jesus Christ, who is truly the Savior of the world. Amen. *** Many… many years ago, Bill and I had the privilege of attending my friend's wedding… she and her partner got married in the Valley of Fire in the Grand Canyon… at sunset. It was… spectacular!   Our little party was delivered to this magical location on helicopters, which flew us through the Canyon, across the incredible landscape that just… stretched on for as far as I could see.   As we flew, the walls of the Canyon were on either side of us, and yet, my brain couldn't make sense of the scale. Then the pilot pointed out a little dark spec that was way under us… he said, "That's the other helicopter."   Those four words… radically changed my perspective. I mean… sure, I could see that the place was well worth the title of 'Grand,' …but suddenly, 'Grand' couldn't even contain the full scope of where we were.   Nothing could… I don't think there is any word in our language that can truly encapsulate the landscape… the magnitude… of what we call… The Grand Canyon.   And the same is true… about God's love.   God's love is so grand… so deep and wide and never ending… that we bump up against the same inability to fully wrap our minds around the full scope… the full scale of what it really means… that God so loved the world.   On that helicopter… I didn't even begin to understand how big that landscape was until the pilot showed me what it meant… until he gave me a new perspective and showed me how Grand it really was.   And that's what's happening in our text today… Jesus is showing the disciples what it means… that God so loved the world.   Telling them isn't going to be enough… he must show them… which is why it was necessary for them to go through Samaria. Verse 4.   Our translation reads, "But he had to go through Samaria." …the Greek word is stronger than that, though… It was 'necessary' …it was imperative that he go through Samaria.   Why? …they were traveling north from Judea to Galilee… and Samaria is between those two places. But, as the text points out… something that everyone at the time would have understood… very clearly… the Jews and the Samaritans do not associate with each other.   It was an ancient family feud… they have the same ancestors… but different theology around the critical question of… where is God found?   For the Jewish people, God was found in the Temple in Jerusalem… in the Holy of Holies. That's where they went to worship.   For the Samaritans, God was found high on the top of Mount Gerizim. That's where they went to worship.   They had other differences as well, but this was the most pressing theological question of their time... the question that went back to the time of Moses, in the wilderness of Sin, when they were dying of thirst… Where is God? Is the Lord among us or not?   These are heavy questions… and modern denominations have split apart for less.   So, to avoid the tension and the feud, Jewish people traveling from Judea to Galilee would have taken the road that ran along the Jordan River Valley. They would not have climbed through the mountains of Samaria.   So why… why was it necessary for them to go through Samaria?   It was necessary… because Jesus needed to show his disciples the full scale and scope of his ministry… he needed to give them a new perspective.   Jesus needed to challenge their assumptions about who is in and who is out… he needed to widen their understanding of what sort of people Jesus was seeking… about whom he loved.   So he took them to the very place they would have assumed was excluded. Samaria.   Jesus needs to go there to find his first witness… he needs to find her… the unnamed, unmarried, powerless, Samaritan woman… discarded or widowed five times over… now living with the brother of her late husband in a Levirate marriage.   She is a nobody… an outsider among religious outsiders… visiting the well when no one else would have been there… at the hottest… and brightest time of the day.   Remember what I said about day and night in the Gospel of John?   She's there when the sun is at its brightest… and with this woman… Jesus proceeds to have the longest recorded conversation that he has with anybody… in any of the four gospels.   It was necessary for him to go through Samaria… to find… her.   Now, like anyone who talks to Jesus, she doesn't fully understand him at first, but she sticks with it… and she trusts him with her truth.   So, in response to her faith and her growing understanding around the coming Messiah… he shares his truth… He is… the I AM… the Great I AM… the same I AM from the burning bush and Moses…   I know our translation says that Jesus replies, "I am he" …but that's just added grammar for verbal flow. Jesus' response to her is only… I AM. …and his statement holds the power and weight of all the other I AM statements.   He reveals his true identity to her… before any of the disciples figured it out. And in her joy, she left her water jar at the well to run to share the good news with her neighbors…   She told them of her experience… of her encounter with this man… she shared her wondering… "He cannot be the Messiah, can he?"   And she invited them to come and see… come and meet him… come, and hear from him yourself. She shared her witness… her testimony… and then invited them to come and experience him for themselves.   And because of her witness, her town became followers of Jesus… and were the first to recognize that he was truly… the Savior of the world.   This… out-of-the-way place… in Samaria.   Its… incredible. And this is only chapter four! Jesus hasn't hardly done anything yet!   He was identified by John the Baptist as the Lamb of God, come to take away the sin of the world. …then he called his first disciples…   …and they enjoyed a party at the Wedding at Cana, where, thanks to some strong encouragement from his mother, Mary, Jesus ensured there would be plenty of the very best wine for the happy couple and their guests.   After that, Jesus went to the Temple, where he… caused a scene. The other gospels have this Temple scene happening at the end of his ministry.   John, however, has it at the beginning… it gives Jesus quite the reputation.   And then Nicodemus came to visit him… at night. That's really all that has happened until this point, when he started heading back to Galilee and said it was necessary for them to go through Samaria.   Jesus was still seeking someone he could entrust his identity to… so he went to find this woman.   She taught the disciples… as she teaches us… how to be a witness… how to share our stories of encounter with God… with our Savior, Jesus Christ.   We don't need to fully understand every moment of meaning… only that meeting Jesus is to encounter God… the Holy Spirit… the Divine among us… and to be in relationship with him brings salvation.   We don't have to convince others… Jesus can do that… we just need to invite people to come and see… come and encounter a love so pure and inclusive, that it's hard to wrap our minds around.   Jesus was also seeking to demonstrate to his disciples… to give them a new perspective of just how grand God's love really was.   He needed to push all the boundaries and prejudices they held… and choose the most unlikely person to be the first one with whom he shared his truth.   She was his first witness… the first evangelist… starting the first church… first worshipping community… who understood that the answer to the most pressing theological question of their time… Where is God?   …that the answer was, God is with us, wherever we are.   Jesus needed to give them all some perspective… and we still need that today.   We like to draw boundaries… we like to know who's in and who's out… We like to think that this is all something we can fully wrap our minds around and have some certainty about it. …especially when it comes to God's approval… and God's love.   But it's hard to hold that kind of scope and scale in our minds… so we need this constant reminder… this continual renewal of our perspective… this pointing out of those people that we might be tempted to exclude…   God's love includes them, too.   For God so loved the world… will always be so much bigger than we can imagine, which is good news… because it means that no matter what, everyone is in.   Amen.      

Today, we had a special musical performance of Lenten Meditation by the Faith Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan. Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC

Year A – Second Sunday in Lent– March 1, 2026 Pastor Megan Floyd Genesis 12:1-4a John 3:1-17 Grace and peace to you from God and the Holy Spirit, and from Jesus Christ, who came, not to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him. Amen. *** Can I just tell you… I deeply appreciate Nicodemus. He is a religious leader among the Jews… a Pharisee… he's a scholar of the scriptures… he knows the law of Moses through and through… the Pharisees were very strict in their law-abiding ways. He is well known with an excellent reputation… one whom others came to for advice and leadership. And yet… he is brave enough… he is brave enough to wonder… to ask… what if this man Jesus really is something more? Nicodemus has the courage to ask if maybe he missed something… he has the strength of character to observe what is taking place around him… and consider that he may have been wrong. We have all been wrong from time to time… we've all made mistakes… and we know that being wrong is no joke… …the realization that we are wrong about something… especially something really big… can actually trigger intense psychological discomfort… and sometimes even physical pain.   These feelings can manifest as shame or guilt… and lead to cognitive dissonance in the struggle to reconcile the reality around us with our long-held position on something … and it only becomes more difficult as that reality becomes increasingly unmistakable. It's why some people will double down on their position… on their interpretation of things… why they will insist that reality isn't actually what we perceive with our eyes, but only what they, instead, insist it must be. It's all about avoiding the pain of being wrong… maybe they think it makes them look tough… or strong… except… that avoidance is the weaker approach. Avoidance and refusal to take in new information may protect our psyche in the short-term, but it cuts us off from the potential to learn and grow. …And in strictly Christian terms, it prevents us from the healing that occurs when we face our mistakes or errors, and we confess them… and change our ways through repentance… so that we can receive forgiveness with a clean heart… and begin repairing the relationships that may have been harmed. I've always deeply appreciated Nicodemus… but in these times, when our country is so divided… when the testimonies of our neighbors to what they have seen and experienced go ignored… because their testimony challenges the positions that some will not allow to be challenged… …well, I find that in these days… I appreciate Nicodemus even more. I appreciate that Nicodemus is willing to leave room for wonder… leave room for new information… he's willing to allow his position to be challenged, even though his position is one around which he has built his entire life. Do you know anyone like that? …I do. I appreciate Nicodemus' strength… what must it have taken for him to come to Jesus to ask… to learn? …I certainly don't fault him for coming to Jesus at night! I probably would have as well, were I in Nicodemus' place… it was safer for him than to risk everything… to wonder enough to ask. Also… it's worth noting… because we're in the gospel of John now for the next four weeks…that in the gospel of John, the use of day and night is a thematic revelation of being in relationship with Jesus. Not to say that darkness is evil, because far too much modern bias has taken that wrong turn… but… Jesus is the light of the world, and so to be in relationship with him… to have an understanding of who and what Jesus is… in the gospel of John… is to be in the light… it is… to greet him in the day. I want you to hold on to that theme over the rest of Lent because we'll hear much more from John in the coming weeks… you'll find how often it comes into the description of a scene, and gives clues to where they are in relationship with Jesus. So… Nicodemus… he arrives at night… so he's not so sure… but he can't deny that what he has seen is amazing, and he knows that these wonders could only come from God. And in his secret conversation… we learn something very important about the nature of God through Jesus. We learn… that Jesus is going to meet us wherever we are on our spiritual journey… even if it is from a place of doubt. We learn that Jesus is going to come to us… to meet us in that space… he's going to receive our questions and our doubts with love and compassion… along with some healthy accountability… and he's going to guide us into a deeper understanding of who he is. It is a journey we all must take… a journey Christ invites us all to take. We don't hear about Nicodemus again in our lectionary texts, but his story continues… he's one of the few people, other than the disciples, whom we are blessed to return to and catch glimpses of his spiritual growth. In John 7, Nicodemus speaks up against his colleagues and peers to defend Jesus' right to justice under the law… a position that puts him at odds with those who just want Jesus gone. And then he shows up again… at the foot of the cross. In John 19, Nicodemus brings myrrh and aloes, weighing around 100 pounds… an abundance… and he, along with Joseph of Arimathea, wrapped Jesus' body with the spices in linen cloth, and buried him in the tomb. I take Nicodemus' actions to mean… he figured it out… he understood that Jesus was God, who came to save us, and that this salvation occurs through Jesus drawing close to us… and loving us. Because being in relationship with Jesus is the ultimate goal… not just for Nicodemus, but for all people… for the whole kosmos. "For God so loved the world that he gave his only son, so that everyone who believes in him may not perish, but have eternal life." John 3:16 …it's arguably the most famous verse in the Bible. But it is so incredibly important to hear the context, and to follow it up with the next verse… "Indeed, God did not send the Son into the world to condemn the world but in order that the world might be saved through him." John 3:17   God does not desire for us to perish in our unknowing… in our faults… our mistakes… or our sin.   On the contrary… Jesus, in complete love, will make space for us so that we can authentically open our hearts to him… not just for our sake, but for the sake of the world.   So that we, as part of the covenant God made with Abraham, our spiritual father… and in our obedience and devotion to Christ, we might become a blessing to others… shining the light of Christ… the light of the world… to all who need it, wherever they are…   …and sharing our testimony of the Good News of all that Jesus has done.   For God so loved the whole world… and that means everyone.   So as the world around us continues to be fraught with division and violence against those who disagree… and as we possibly face another war in the aftermath of our country bombing Iran… Lord, we ask you to meet us where we are.   Give us the courage of Nicodemus… to question what we are told if it feels contrary to how you call us to live. Let us be brave enough to admit when we are wrong, to stay true in our following of you, and to receive your forgiveness daily with a clean heart.   And Lord, give us your compassion and guidance to meet others where they are… to not hold them in contempt if they are just waking up to the reality we are in, or even if they remain asleep to it.   Help us to hold them in your love, as you love us… and to freely share the grace that you so freely give us. Guide us so that we may be daily reborn and transformed through your Spirit and your love.   We need you now, O Christ… in these challenging times. Amen

Today, we had a special musical performance of O Love, How Deep, How Broad, How High by the Faith Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan. Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC

Year A – First Sunday in Lent– February 22, 2026 Pastor Megan Floyd Matthew 4:1-11 Grace and peace to you from God and the Holy Spirit, and from Jesus Christ, who loves us and claims us as his own. Amen. *** I grew up watching Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood… Looking back over my life, I'm pretty sure that's what radicalized me. In Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, you knew you belonged, and that who you were… was good… and that… the other people around you… well, they might be different from you… look different from you… but… they were good, too. In that neighborhood, there was an overwhelming sense that we belonged to each other… there was shared love and respect for other people, even when they made mistakes. In Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, each person… or character… was valued… seen… and supported. This is something that everyone of us needs, not just children… and we need this throughout our whole lives. Mr. Rogers was not just the face and creator of the children's show… he was also a Presbyterian pastor… so it's not surprising at all… that his neighborhood intentionally reflected… the beloved community that we, who are followers of Jesus, work to build. Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood was a little taste of what God's vision for us might look like when we take seriously the ways of living that Jesus called us to practice. It was a little sample of living in the promised kingdom of God… for 30 minutes at a time. Those of us who were raised in Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood know that a better, more beautiful, and beloved neighborhood is possible… if we choose to live that way. Growing up with a show like this… it's no wonder that I feel so strongly that compassion for others is healthy… that empathy can heal divides… and that love and support should not have conditions. It's no wonder… that I don't want to bend to the unjust power systems in this world… in this country… even though… I could work the system to bend in my favor. I could! …it is, after all, set up for me to do so… it's tempting to take advantage of that. Case in point… I am a white, cisgender, heterosexual woman, wife, and mother, from a middle-class family… and my husband does not suffer from the delusion that I am merely an accessory to his lifestyle. I have a world-class education that was mostly achieved without debt, I do not suffer from debilitating diseases like addiction or depression, and… at least at this moment, I am still able-bodied… most of the time. It is tempting… it's tempting… to sink into the power structures that privilege nearly all of my life's characteristics. But to do so… would mean to accept an unjust and unequal community… it would mean giving up on the better way that I know is possible… not just because Mr. Rogers showed me that way when I was a child… but because Jesus was super clear about it. Embracing a privilege that marginalizes others is not part of God's vision for us… for humanity… it does not ask us to become the best version of ourselves… or call us into a more beloved community. But… when power and privilege are laid out before you for the taking… it's tempting… to reach out and take it, no matter who it harms. This is, of course… what Jesus himself… faced in the wilderness immediately following his baptism… immediately after hearing the voice of God claiming him as God's beloved, in whom God was well pleased. The Spirit led him out there…  into the desert… where he fasted for 40 days… facing spiritual and physical challenges… he was famished, and weak… and at his most vulnerable moment, the devil stepped in… as the devil is wont to do. We all have experience with the devil… with the voice of the accuser… whether you believe the devil to be an actual being… or the shadow side of our own human self… it doesn't matter. In whatever shape it takes on… the accuser… the devil… is the one who whispers lies in our ear… lies about ourselves and others. It's the voice of shame… the voice that isolates and diminishes… That is the voice of the accuser. God's voice is the one who declares us worthy and loved… while the voice of the accuser, on the other hand… is the one who pulls us away from God's purpose… and from God's vision for us. The voice of the accuser is the one who would have us forget our identity as beloved… as children of God… and who offers only empty promises. It's what the devil tried to offer Jesus… he tried to entice him to reject his identity and grasp at empty promises… to wield power that would serve only himself… instead of those he came to serve. Because… Jesus does have the power to do what the devil suggests… but he chooses not to use it. He chooses not to become an agent for the accuser, because he knows that he is… an agent of God. And Jesus knows… that empires are not eternal… and nations are not sovereign over God… and earthly power is not permanent. What the devil offers are false promises and lies, and what is built on false promises will fall… but what is rooted in God's love and in God's vision… will grow. Jesus, in this most vulnerable moment, holds fast to his identity… and to his purpose… and calls us to do the same, even though it's tempting to follow the lies. Our God, who was made human in Jesus… knows this temptation we face. God's unconditional love for us is grounded in a personal experience of the temptations and suffering that we experience all the time. So when we cry out… in our moments of weakness… when we face temptation… whether we falter or hold fast… we remain beloved… we are still washed with grace, redeemed, and claimed as God's own… We are always being made new and always being called into a vision for a beloved community that is bigger than our own wants and needs… a vision that includes flourishing not only for ourselves but for all our neighbors. This time in the season of Lent offers us the opportunity for our own spiritual growth… a time for reflection, repentance, and renewal… a time to practice resilience in the face of temptation… a time to remember who we are as followers of our God in Christ Jesus. This is a time to reestablish our footing… to ground ourselves in God's love and grace and mercy… and in our place of belonging in God's community… God's kingdom… God's new creation that is arriving but not yet here. It is okay… to be tested… it is okay to face temptation… to face our devils… we all do. It is part of the human experience… there's no shame in it. The devil will tell you to isolate… to pull you away from others…because when you are alone, it's easier to forget who you are, and whose you are. But when we are grounded in God's neighborhood… God's loving community… that calls us each to be our best selves… rooted in the body of Christ and committed to living in ways that reflect that love… then we know we will not have to try and overcome those lies alone. The season of Lent calls us back into God's love… back to that which sustains and supports us on our spiritual journey. This vision of beloved community that Jesus invites us into… well, it may sound like the land of make-believe from Mr. Rogers' Neighborhood, but truly… this beloved community… God's neighborhood… comes a little closer each time we live into God's vision for us… …each time we honor the inherent value and dignity of all our neighbors, as well as our own… and hold them, and ourselves, with the same love that God holds for us. It's not the land of make-believe… it is who we are created to be. Amen.

Today, we had a special musical performance of Heavenly Sunlight by the Faith Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan. Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC

Year A – Transfiguration– February 15, 2026 Pastor Megan Floyd Exodus 24:12-18 Matthew 17:1-9 Grace and peace to you from God and the Holy Spirit, and from Jesus Christ, who reveals to us God's glory. Amen. *** In 2012, I had the privilege of leading my congregation's youth group to the ELCA Youth Gathering in New Orleans. The week was filled with joys and challenges, and stories that still make me laugh. But one of the most incredible, mountain-top experiences I had there… was a story of divine encounter… a story of being washed over by the Holy Spirit. It was the night of closing worship, so all of the more than 33,000 participants were gathered in the Superdome to sing and praise God, to listen to inspiring speakers, and to hear the word of God proclaimed. We worshipped each night we gathered, but this one was special… It was special because during the closing worship, we would share holy communion together… as one church… 33,000+ members… one body of Christ. I don't know if you've ever been inside the Superdome in New Orleans, but it is very steep, so there's really not a bad seat in the house, so long as you don't mind heights. My youth wanted to sit at the very top of the arena for this worship experience, so we made our way up the mountain of levels and escalators and found some seats where we could take in the entire scene below. Once we settled in, we were treated to an incredible view… a view of the church… thousands of teenagers and their adult leaders sat below, all eager to begin worship. The excitement and the buzz were intoxicating… as we watched the tiny people way down on the floor bring us together in song and worship. Now you would think that communing over 33,000 people would take all day, but… the organizers have this down to a science, and it actually runs quite smoothly and quickly. Given our location, we watched below as people moved to receive the elements, and then to be anointed… they all received a cross of oil on their foreheads to remind each and every person that they were sealed by the Holy Spirit and marked with the cross of Christ forever. I watched this all take place, and at some point, our group moved to receive the elements as well, and to be anointed with oil… and then we sat back down to wait while the rest were served. And as I sat, I recall feeling a shift in the air… almost like a fullness surrounding me… as when a heavy fog rolls in and you can sense the weight of the space around you. I recall feeling this shift in the air begin at my feet, and then start moving up my legs… I could feel the new air rising, until it suddenly washed up and over my head, and… I just wept. I felt so completely surrounded by the Spirit… so completely held… claimed… and loved… so completely assured of God's faithful presence. It was remarkable… and it is an experience that has stayed with me for all these years. I know… that it changed my relationship with God to one that was no longer distant, but now… more personal… close. We call these kinds of moments… these encounters… mountain-top moments… moments of encountering God… moments of profound closeness with our Creator and source of everlasting love. And of course, we call them mountain-top moments… because in scripture, God's people often seem to meet God on the mountain… as with Moses in our reading from Exodus… and, of course, the Transfiguration of Jesus. Encountering God's full glory is disarming… scary even… and can leave us unsure of exactly how to respond. For me… it left me weeping, which really alarmed the youth. Peter, James, and John head up the mountain with Jesus, and are witnesses to a dazzling display and blinding light… and Moses and Elijah, together with Jesus… And Peter… sweet Peter… he thinks this is great, and offers to set up tents for them… he assumes this is a moment they'll dwell in for some time. We can hardly blame him. And then the voice from God thunders out… with the words we heard at Jesus' baptism. "This is my son, the beloved… with whom I am well pleased…" …but then God adds… Listen to him. Listen. Peter… man… stop talking and take in the moment… just absorb the light of God for a second… let it change you… let it alter your understanding of who this Jesus really is. I understand Peter's desire to stay in that moment… I really do… it's normal. But we don't live on the mountain… we don't get to spend all our time in those incredible moments of clarity with God. We can, and should, bask in the glory of God's light when it is there, but we can't stay there all the time… life continues… and so… warmed from the light of those experiences, we keep moving… And yes, of course, we allow our mountain-top experiences to transform us, to shape our hearts, but then we make our way back down the mountain, to live our lives of faith in the day-to-day. I've asked Raymond to share this photo with you… Last week, I was at a preaching retreat in a little place near Phoenix, and on the property, there was this massive labyrinth. My colleagues and I joked that walking a labyrinth is to intentionally take the most inefficient path toward a destination… but I suppose that's only if you consider the center to be a destination, and not simply part of the journey. I spent some time praying my way through the labyrinth and marveling at how each turn gave me a new perspective on my surroundings… pointing me toward new plants and new views… how each path brought me toward a new understanding of the landscape. In the background, though… was this mountain, with the sun shining so incredibly brightly over it. It felt so present and so close… like I could reach out and touch it… even though it was in the distance… it was an ever-present backdrop for the whole weekend. As I worked my way around the labyrinth, I was sometimes facing away from the light of the sun and from the mountain, but then I would follow the curve of the path and turn a corner… and suddenly the sun would be shining in my face, blinding me… and I would continue walking and soaking in the warmth of the light… and the glory of the mountain, and I felt so incredibly close to God. Peter faced this bright light around Jesus, on the mountain… and he wanted to stay there. We can hardly blame him. Leading up to that moment, they had been climbing through Jesus' liberating ministry of teaching and healing… it was all so amazing… and then Jesus hits them with the shocking revelation that he must suffer and die. …and that any who want to become his followers must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow him. They must be prepared to lose their life for his sake… in order to save it. So yes… I understand why Peter wanted to stay in that glorious moment, soaking in the light and warmth… he was not ready to face the ashes and sorrow that awaited them as they turned toward Jerusalem and the cross. Are any of us ever really ready for that? And yet, they must descend… but that is the blessing of this life of faith… we get to carry God's light forward… we get to experience these moments of encounter… of revelation… these mountain-top moments… and carry them out into the world around us. Remember, you are the light of the world… and it is the light of God's glory with which you shine. This is what it means to walk with Jesus… to walk in the highs and lows and of this life of faith… we have these moments of profound encounter… like at the Superdome in New Orleans… and like this labyrinth at the foot of the mountain… these moments fill us with God's Holy Spirit and shape our lives around God's glory. They help us remember who we are and whose we are… and remind us that we are claimed and redeemed through grace and mercy… and they give us strength for the journey, when the journey takes us through ashes and sorrow. When we find ourselves walking through the shadow of death, these moments help us to keep walking… keep walking… because on the other side is resurrection and new life. And to stay on the mountain… would mean to miss out on all the ways that God continues to show up. If we only ever lived for the grand, mountain-top moments… we would miss all the ways that God reveals God's self to us in small ways… the everyday, ordinary ways. So, we must remember… that mountain-top encounters with God are amazing… awe-inspiring… but we don't need to stay on the mountain… because the promise of transfiguration is that the glory of God transforms every corner of our whole world… and us… along with it, everyday… and always. Amen.    

Today, we had a special musical performance of Offertory by the Faith Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan. Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC

Fourth Sunday after Epiphany February 1, 2026 Faith Lutheran, Okemos Micah 6:1-8, Psalm 1, I Corinthians 1:18-31, Matthew 5:1-12   Your Kingdom Come, Your Will Be Done, On Earth as in Heaven…   Our Father in heaven, in each moment, in each day we pray your kingdom come, your will be done on earth as in heaven.   Your kingdom come, your will be done…  I been thinking about our sister congregation, Immanuel Lutheran in Grand Ledge.  Their pastor, Chuck Forrester, has been on leave from call for several months because of a serious medical condition.  For the last five months, God provided Pastor Chrisy Bright to serve Immanuel.  Chrisy, a young pastor, most recently served as an assistant to former Bishop Satterlee, and now for at least the next three months is Immanuel's contracted pastor.  In this present moment this morning she is preaching the good news of God's love in Jesus Christ to the people of Immanuel. God provided both work for a gifted pastor now without a letter of call, and pastoral leadership for a congregation whose called pastor's return remains uncertain.  An answer to most powerful of all prayers: Your kingdom come, your will be done…   One year ago today, Pastor Megan was ordained, and the very next day, she served as our pastor.  Surely, in this moment in the story of Faith Lutheran Church, God provided for us a shepherd abounding in compassion and joy in a time in our society when so much is uncertain.    Both Immanuel and Faith have been blessed too with exceptionally wise lay leaders and brilliant musicians, so reassuring during this past tumultuous, fear-filled year in our country when the foundations of our democracy seem very tenuous.  In ways we may not have readily recognized, our praying the Lord's prayer week after week did not go unheard.  In both congregations, in this fragile time for all of us, signs of the kingdom, signs of the reign of our Father and his Son, signs of God's steadfast, faithful, loving presence…  We are so blessed.   [In a Zoom call on Wednesday with three other former bishops, Floyd, Marcus, and Jerry, Floyd proclaimed that, for him. these readings for today from Micah, Psalm 15, I Corinthians, and Matthew were maybe the best ones in all of our three-year cycle of biblical texts.  Surely, they all are very beautiful and challenging and powerful as such a time as this.]   Many of us know by heart, or have at least heard these famous words from the prophet Micah, plain-spoken words we are called to live out until we take our last earthly breath: He [God] has told you, O mortal, what is good, and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice and to love kindness and to walk humbly with your God?     Less familiar, but no less powerful and reassuring are the words of Psalm 15, words for each of us in each moment of each day, for all of us who are daily bathed in God's forgiving love.  Please read them with me in their entirety:  LORD, who may dwell in your tabernacle… [vs.4b:  They are willing to do the right thing, to stand by their oath even to their own hurt.]   And then these opening words from I Corinthians 1:18 revealing the  seemingly contradictory way God has chosen to save us:  The message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us [most of whom are probably not all that worldly wise or powerful] to us who are being saved it is the power of God.  How ludicrous to worldly wisdom and worldly power and might to believe that a man accused of treason, who dies on a cross, would thereby takes away the sin of the world.  But it is God's wisdom that Jesus' cruel death would be the very way God would save us from our deep brokenness and alienation from each other and from the One who so loves us, so heals us, so day by day rekindles our faith in and hope and love for our Maker and Redeemer and for our friends and enemies alike.        And then, even more, the beatitudes in Matthew 5 as Jesus sat down and to his disciples long ago and to us this morning began his sermon on the mount.    Hear the beatitudes, these blessings in a translation, a rendering by Steve Garnaas-Holmes, a friend of Pastor Megan's:   Blessed are you who have nothing to offer,         for you are offered everything. Blessed are you who are broken-hearted for the world,         for God weeps with you, and will rejoice with you. Blessed are you who do not seek to dominate,         for love dominates your life. Blessed are you who sacrifice for the sake of justice,         for you will know victory. Blessed are you who are gentle,         for God's gentleness enfolds you. Blessed are you who seek only love,         for God will be everywhere for you. Blessed are you who remain peaceful in conflict,         for so you reveal God. Blessed are you who are treated harshly,         for God treats you to the entire realm of God. Blessed are you who are punished for your compassion,         for this is the way of the cross.  These beatitudes are not commands. They are not orders for how we should live our lives.  Rather they are promises to us when our spirits are weak and pretty much exhausted, when we mourn the injustices and the acts of violence in words and deeds against our brothers and sisters.  The beatitudes are promises that when we hunger for, yearn for, work for respectful, kind, and honest relationships in our own lives and in our communities and in our country, they are promises that already God has begun to fill our hearts with hope.  We see God already exposing the abuses of power and the violation of basic human rights so contrary to the way of our gentle Lord, even now calling tens of thousands of protesters to speak up for those who are treated harshly.    "Your kingdom come, your will be done."  It is already coming, our Father's will already being done.  So, blessed are we, members and friends of Faith, when in each moment and each day, the Holy Spirit moves us to perform simple acts of kindness, simple acts of gentleness, simple acts of mercy.  Blessed are we when that same Holy Spirit enables us to see injustices to the poor and to boldly resist in words and actions those in power who would crush and destroy the lives of those the Bible calls "resident aliens."  And blessed are we if we "take a hit," if we a maligned for the simple acts of compassion we are called to take for the oppressed in our midst, the acts of compassion we take for Jesus who was maligned for all of us, who will always be our Immanuel, God with us, God in the very depths of our hearts…   Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name.  Your kingdom come, your will be done, on earth as in heaven…in each of our lives, in each of our hearts, in each of our actions, in each moment of each day.  Amen.                                                                                                                         JDS     *or "kindom," the latter word, recently coined and offered in the Apostles' Creed as an understanding of God's kingdom as a beloved community of siblings, all of us as beloved sisters and brothers with Jesus as our Lord.

Today, we had a special musical performance of We Are A Rainbow by the Faith Chancel Choir (with the Congregation as well) at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan. Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC

Matthew 4:12-23; RIC Sunday; January 28, 2024 Rich Weingartner Grace to you and peace from God our parent, Jesus our Savior, and the Holy Spirit. Amen. Living in a world where politicians want more and more power. Minorities are treated as "others" and are not safe. Children aren't valued. The hungry are told to fend for themselves. Being judged by where you were born or grew up. Being condemned if you aren't the right religion. Dangerous to hang out with the "wrong crowd." Religious people who seek more power and control. A world where people cry "O God, How Long?!" Before we look more at that world - let's take a look at our readings for today. First, the people of Zebulun and Naphtali receive a message of promise and hope from the prophet Isiah. A promise that God will provide a glorious future. To learn more about this promise, if we read a bit further in chapter 9 of Isiah, we find a familiar text starting at verse 6: "For a child has been born for us, a son given to us; authority rests upon his shoulders, and he is named Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace." This isn't just a message of promise and hope for the people of Zebulun and Naphtali, but for us as well. Our psalm today is considered a Trust Psalm.  There are different types of psalms, like songs of thanksgiving, hymns of praise, prayers for help, and trust psalms.  The Lutheran Study Bible says that the "trust psalms express faith and confidence in God amid great difficulties, threats, and dangers." (Lutheran Study Bible, page 776) The psalm is a story of the psalmist expressing desires to God and knowing that God will deliver on the promises. So far we've had a message of hope and promise, and then a reminder to trust in God.  I don't know about you, but these are certainly messages I need to be reminded of on a daily basis. Today's new testament reading was picked specifically to tie in with today's RIC Sunday's theme of "Celebrating Diversity as God's Children." Once a year we celebrate RIC Sunday to remind ourselves of the public promise and commitment we've made as a congregation through our public welcome statement. Just like God constantly reminds us of God's love, we need to be constantly reminded of our commitment to our LGBTQIA+ siblings, our black and brown siblings, people of every age, marital status, neurodivergent status, political leanings, and people of all abilities. It can be easy to get into a routine and forget about the work we do as a congregation of being radically welcoming and inclusive. I remember back to our Diversity Sunday service when we received official recognition as an RIC congregation. It was so wonderful to see everyone celebrating what makes them unique as a diverse child of God. To be featured as the lead story on the 6 o'clock news and, based on the comments on Facebook, see people get riled up about our radical message of inclusive love. So, in case you haven't heard it today or in a while, here is your reminder.  You, yes you, are a vital part of God's diversity - you are a beloved child of God - exactly as you are. You don't need to change to receive God's love - God loves you unconditionally. Through this love you will find yourself changing in ways that bring you closer to the fullness of God's vision for us and the cosmos - the vision of radical and inclusive love. While we may feel lost in the world and not seen as important - remember that God sees us and we will see God's glory revealed. When I read today's Gospel, I started thinking about how this is the launching point of Jesus' ministry. If the Gospel was a TV show like the shows that had theme songs and images that basically set the scene for the entire series - a quick montage of how it all began, I think this would be the imagery that would be used for the TV show of Jesus.  Of course, the TV show "Jesus" would be the much more successful spin off of the prior series "John: Locust Eater". There are two parts of today's Gospel that I want to focus on.  The first is the phrase "fishers of people".  A phrase that many of us are familiar with and have heard many times - but have you thought about what it really means?  Putting a cookie at the end of a fishing line in hopes that someone will eat it and then you can reel them in? This may be an interesting way to try to bring people to the church, but probably not very effective.  When Jesus called his disciples, they weren't people out fishing as a hobby and catching a few fish for themselves or their family, no, they were in the business of fishing, bringing in large quantities of fish. To do this they used nets. When they used nets, they weren't selective in what fish ended up in the net - no, it collected a wide range of fish. The Lutheran Study Bible shares this comment about this passage: "This odd metaphor plays on the notion of a net collecting different types of fish. These disciples will become founders of a church that 'catches' people of all sorts (that is, attracts people who are diverse with regard to nationality, ethnicity, and social class.)" (Lutheran Study Bible, p. 1526)  Sound familiar?  It should - it is very similar to our welcome statement about who we welcome, or hope to "catch" with our work as a congregation. We don't want to selectively share the message of God's love to only certain select people - no - we want to share that message with the world as we celebrate the diversity of God's children. This is where the phrase "cast a wide net" comes from - the wider your net, the more fish, or people, you can "catch" or reach to share God's message with. Speaking of sharing God's message, the next part of the Gospel I want to look at is verse 23, where it states that "Jesus went throughout all of Galilee, teaching in their synagogues and proclaiming the good news." The "good news" or looking at the Greek –  "gospel".  So often we hear "preach the Gospel" or "share the Gospel".  After all we are part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America - Evangelical meaning to share the Gospel or the good news.  I don't know about you - but often when I think about sharing the gospel, I think about sharing the story OF Jesus - about his birth, death, and resurrection.  However, here we have Jesus starting to proclaim the gospel, the good news.  Now certainly Jesus made references to his birth, death, and eventual resurrection, but that wasn't the core of his teachings. No, Jesus mainly preached the good news of God's inclusive, radical, and counter-cultural love and belonging. That is the heart of the gospel, the message Jesus brought, not about Jesus himself. So, back to the world I described at the beginning.  A world that sounds pretty bleak and depressing. A world that might be struggling and losing hope. A world with downtrodden that are struggling against the government, or as Pastor Megan referred to it last week, the empire. Is this world I describe the world of today?  Is it the world at Jesus' time?  Yes.  And just like back then, we too continue to need the message of Good News that Jesus brings.  A message that runs against the norms, a message that brings a unique perspective to the world, a message that provides a promise - a message I know I'm longing to hear and need to hear these days - yes, Jesus' message brings A New Hope. After events of the past week and yesterday, it can be hard to want to hear a message of hope.  I know it isn't easy preaching about hope and good news amidst what is going on in our world, in our country, in Minneapolis and Minnesota. So be assured, that while I'm preaching on the message of hope - that doesn't mean that feelings of anger, fear, despair, and sadness aren't valid - those are valid and know that God is with you in all your feelings. Also know that the message of hope is there as well - just as the message ran counter cultural during Jesus' time - it does now as well. Back on Christ the King Sunday in November, the service spoke to me and I immediately knew I had to include part of it in my sermon today, as it summarized the message of Christ very well.  This was the Sunday when we were taken on a tour of the church calendar, exploring each of the seasons of the church year.  We are currently in the Time after Epiphany. Here is part of what was shared about Epiphany and the time after. In Epiphany, we look to that ancient star, and we see that the message of God's love knows no bounds: it is a message for people of every color and every tongue, every race and every nation. In the time after Epiphany, we remember that because of Jesus, the divisions that you and I create in our lives will someday be erased by God, who comes to make us all one. Love has come to let us know that there is no such thing as a people from the east or west or north or south. There are only people of God, all created by God, all loved by God, all within the realm of God's redemption through Jesus Christ. The light of the star brought the sages to Jesus, and Jesus is the light that brings God's love to all - to the poor, the lame, the sick, the hurting, the sorrowful, the outcast, those rejected by the world - even to you, in your own joy and sadness, goodness and brokenness, hope and challenges. That is Epiphany. It is the fulfillment of God's love-filled promise extended beyond all human boundaries. It is the light of God that breaks down walls and unites the human family. So, like Jesus, we are called to proclaim this Good News. Part of that Good News is that preaching the message from a pulpit isn't the only way to share the Good News. Just as Pastor Megan has shared, and based on what the Bible says, we are all called in our own diverse ways, based on our own diverse skills, to share the Good News in wide diverse ways. Simply being an RIC congregation is a way we show God's radical love - by emphatically stating that God's love belongs to all, to everyone, especially those that society wants to call "other" or "less than". You help proclaim the Gospel by simply being here - as part of a church that proudly proclaims to our queer siblings, our black and brown siblings, and anyone that society calls "others", that God loves them and they are part of the beautiful diversity of God's children. Some of the other ways we declare God's love include filling the micro pantries every day - where people have access to what they need - with no questions asked, no tests to pass - just God's love through food and personal care items. And it isn't just the people who actually put the items in the pantries, but everyone who buys or donates the items, those who package oatmeal to be ready to go out, those who coordinate it all.  Everyone who works with the young men in the parish house - you are proclaiming God's good news through your actions. Donating items or money to support them, driving them to where they need to go, providing connections in the community so they can get jobs, praying for them - all are part of being a proclaimer of the good news. When society might want to call them less than or unwanted - we, at Faith, proudly say that they are welcome and are loved by God and are part of the wonderful diversity of God's children.   There are so many ways we all partake in proclaiming the gospel - whether you do it through music, through education, through a hug or a meal to someone who is struggling, through just checking in with people to see if they are OK. So while often, we hear of people doing more noticeable or newsworthy things like being part of a large protest in Minneapolis, skipping school or work, or being clergy that go and take action to bring awareness and end up getting arrested for civil disobedience; we have to remember that all ways that proclaim the radical message of God's all inclusive love and redemption to all people, the message of A New Hope, are not only valid, but much needed in this world that is struggling.  So while "we are God's children now; what we will be has not yet been revealed" (1 John 3:2) we strive to continue to live into the message of hope and promise. We work together, as God's wonderfully diverse children, to proclaim the message that Christ shared, until we can all revel in the fullness of God's love revealed to us. Until then, we work together, as fishers of people, to cast a very wide net to proclaim and live into God's radical message of all-inclusive love and redemption for all people. We do all this through the freedom given to us by the death and resurrection of Jesus. Since God has declared that we are fully loved and included and nothing we can do can separate us from the love of God, we can boldly be proclaimers of Christ. We must always remember that when the Empire gets us down, we need to cling to the message of A New Hope, and even when the Empire strikes back because of our radical message of inclusion for the entirety of the diversity of God's Children, that in the end, we can rely on The Return of the Jesus to carry us through.  Amen.  

Today, we had a special musical performance of My Shepherd Will Supply My Need by the Faith Bells at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan. Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC

Today, we had a special musical performance of Precious Jesus by the Faith Lutheran Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan. Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC

Year A – Second Sunday after Epiphany– January 18, 2026 Pastor Megan Floyd Isaiah 49:1-7 John 1:29-42 Grace and peace to you from God and the Holy Spirit, and from Jesus Christ, the Lamb of God, whose light and love we follow. Amen. *** Behold, the Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world! Look here! Here is the Lamb of God! We hear this story now… today… in the season of Epiphany because Epiphany is a time to illuminate God's revelation to us through Jesus. And God is being revealed to us… here… and now… as God was revealed to John the Baptist when he saw Jesus rise from the waters of baptism. John the Baptist, who heard the voice of God tell him to watch for the one on whom the Holy Spirit would descend as a dove… that he would be the one who baptizes with fire and the Holy Spirit… watch for this one… he is the Son of God. Behold… the Lamb of God who has come to lift away the barriers between you and God… Behold… the Lamb of God who has come to stand between you and evil… Behold… the Lamb of God who has come to liberate you from the sin of the world. Yes! Behold… Jesus has come to liberate the oppressed… to free them from the sin of the world that has held them in shackles… Behold… Jesus has come to liberate the hungry… to free them from the sin of systems that uphold inequality and imprison people in their poverty. Behold… Jesus has come to liberate those who are wounded and hurting… to free them from the violence that harms. Behold… Jesus has come to liberate us from our brokenness… to bring healing to our hearts and to our land… to rebuild the nations and bring peace. Behold! God is revealed to you… through this man, Jesus, who has come to liberate you from your sin and from the sin of the world… so come and see… follow him… and abide with him. How does it feel in your body… in your heart… to hear this call from John to behold Jesus… and to hear the call from Jesus to come and see… to follow… to abide with him? How must it have felt for those who were there… those being crushed by Empire… trapped in poverty… bound to systems of discrimination and oppression. To hear this good news as one who is being crushed… it's a lifeline… a ray of hope and a cause for rejoicing! Yes, I do want to come and see… I do want to follow… and I do want to abide with Christ! And yet, when we look out at the world today… I sometimes wonder how much has really changed. Jesus calls us to join him in the mission and ministry of liberation, but …Lord, there is still so much suffering. It's not lost on me that we hear this call to us… this call to join in the work of liberation… on the eve of Martin Luther King Day… a disciple of Jesus and a prophet who gave his life for the work of liberation. Like all prophets, Martin Luther King held up a mirror to his country… he showed us the sin of our society and challenged us to confess… to repent… to change our hearts and minds… and to rejoin Jesus in the work of liberation from the oppression of our sin. Martin Luther King held up that mirror… and he was killed for it. He was killed because facing our sin is painful… and liberating the oppressed means disrupting systems of wealth and power and privilege… it means disrupting systems of Empire. …and when you strike at the Empire, the Empire strikes back. Jesus calls us to come and see, but what we find might make us uncomfortable. And in the face of discomfort, far too many run and hide. In the face of discomfort, they turn away from the liberating message of Jesus… they focus solely on the individual salvation they hope to receive, and they challenge the prophets and preachers that hold up those mirrors. Unable to sit in the discomfort of the good news of the Gospel's liberating message for the poor and oppressed, they turn away, and they cry out that politics has no place in the pulpit! …as if it were truly possible to separate Jesus' call to welcome the stranger and love your neighbor… from the salvation that comes from abiding in and with Christ. You cannot… you cannot abide with Christ… while ignoring what he came to do, and how he calls to us to join him. Truly following and abiding with Jesus… true discipleship leads to liberation for ourselves and others… but it does not always lead to comfort and material blessings. It cannot… because truly following Jesus and abiding in him means standing with him in his mission and disrupting systems of sin. Behold! The Lamb of God who has come to take away the sin of the world! …but my friends, Jesus didn't come to wave a magic wand. No, in fact… Jesus came preaching this good news and calling us to join him. Jesus came to invite us into God's grand mission of love… for loving others is the only path toward liberation for us all from our sin. This is the path on which we follow Jesus. Dr. King preached this for us when he said… "Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate… only love can do that." To abide in Jesus… is to abide in love. Every generation has these crisis moments…moments when our sin against others… our sin against our neighbors… is illuminated to a point where it can no longer be ignored. These are moments when it becomes so blindingly clear that the harm being done to the least among us… the harm perpetuated against the very people Jesus called us to love and care for… is also causing incredible harm to our entire society. Our sin is harming everyone around… and it is this kind of sin of hatred and fear and abuse that holds us apart from God …apart from our Creator who loves us beyond measure. I do believe we are living in our crisis moment right now. Witnessing the terror and the atrocities being committed is enough to drive good people into despair. …but we must not despair. We must not despair because God is still being revealed to us through Jesus, and Jesus is still calling us to abide in his love… to disrupt systems that perpetuate sin and to show up for those in need wherever we can, and however we can. Showing up… won't look the same for everyone… and that is good and right, because God calls us all, across the full diversity of Creation… to show love in as many different ways as there are people. And Jesus does not call us for our sake alone… Jesus calls us to abide in his love for the sake of others… and ultimately for the sake of creation. If we focus only on ourselves, we miss the point. Through the prophet Isaiah, God says, "It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to restore the survivors of Israel; I will give you as a light to the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth." God's liberation… is like ripples of water on a pond… expanding outward beyond ourselves… reaching to the ends of the earth. And God is faithful and true and will not abandon Jesus' mission of abiding love. So behold, the Lamb of God, who comes to take away the sin of the world… to lift away the barrier that keeps us apart from God, and invites us into abiding love. But also… hear this now… this is important… your salvation does not depend on you getting this right. We will all mess it up… none of us are perfect, and God knows it. However, you are already claimed, redeemed, and beloved by Christ, in all the messy ways we do life. Jesus knows you fully… knows all of your joys and sorrows… all of your virtues and your flaws… and loves you as you are… and still calls you… as you are to join him in his mission of love and liberation. However, faith and discipleship are not meant to be passive… because the joy of this life of discipleship is found in seeing how the way of Christ brings light to the world and heals others through love. The way of Christ has the power to transform the darkest corners and flood them with light and love… so we cannot keep this way of Christ to ourselves. This is the good news… it must be shared, especially… in times of such darkness. We need Christ's light for the sake of the world. We need disciples who respond to hate and fear by drawing on the strength and love of Christ, and flood the darkness with light and love. That is the only way forward for us. This is the way of Jesus. We don't join with Christ to earn our salvation or become worthy of God's love… but we answer Jesus' call to abide with him… because we are already loved. And because we are already loved, we can look upon our neighbor with love… and we can see clearly that our liberation is bound up with theirs… and only together can we work to break the chains that bind, and set the captives free. Jesus, the Lamb of God, calls us in love to come and see… come and see this work of liberation… come and see how our lives are connected to all others… come and see… and follow… and then abide with him in his love… for the sake of the whole world. Amen.

Today, we had a special musical performance of Make Me A Servant by the Faith Lutheran Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan. Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC

Year A – Baptism of our Lord – January 11, 2026 Pastor Megan Floyd Matthew 3:13-17 Grace and peace to you from God and the Holy Spirit, and from Jesus Christ, the beloved, whose light and love we follow. Amen. *** I knew this boy many years ago… he was kind of a goofball, and no one took him very seriously. He struggled in school, and he blamed his low grades on not being very smart. I don't think his family, his teachers, or even he himself… expected much from his life. He was entering his teenage years when I first met him, and he was already getting into trouble… apparently, no one was surprised. His family had a lot going on… health problems, which caused money problems, and so it goes on down the line. There was a lot of instability… and I think this boy was just falling through the cracks. He was living into the story he was told about himself… that he was a screw-up and not much more… so why expect more? We have several educators in this congregation, and so I suspect that many of you are familiar with both the Pygmalion and the Golem Effects. These opposite effects describe how either positive or negative expectations and words affect our self-image… our confidence… and the standards we hold ourselves to. As much as we would like to believe we build our self-image independently, the truth is… how we see ourselves is a story that is written in collaboration with others. That's just human… And so, I think it matters greatly that Jesus begins his ministry on earth with an act of solidarity with humanity… by entering into our human need for repentance and renewal by entering into John's baptism… and that we then hear God's voice from the heavens… "This is my son, the Beloved, with whom I am well pleased." He is called… the beloved. That's a powerful word. Jesus came alongside us… alongside humanity… in his choice to share in our baptism. I think we all agree that, as the son of God… Word of God incarnate… he didn't need to experience a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of personal sins. And yet, Jesus insists… he must do this… this was not an action he needed for his own forgiveness, but rather, to be in solidarity with us, who do need it. And to acknowledge that our sins are not only personal, but also communal. John the Baptist was calling Israel to repentance… to repent of the sins of the community… that we are all, either directly or indirectly, complicit. Jesus entered the waters of baptism to be what he is… God with us… and to show us that, motivated by grace and mercy, God chooses us. And so, we also enter the waters of baptism to receive this beautiful gift of renewal and adoption into God's family… a gift freely given by God. This is a gift given without qualifications, conditions, or demands… It's not a reward for our actions… it is not given because we are good… but it is given only because God is good. And it is a gift given in love… because God is love. We are always on the receiving end of God's mercy and promise… and that through water and the words of God's promise… we, too, are called beloved… and we, too, are claimed as God's children. Through the water and God's holy words of our baptism, we enter into life with Christ…  and in Christ… we are made new through grace. Jesus is a teacher who leads by example… Jesus shows us the way of love, humility, and solidarity… and then invites us to accompany him on that way. People become… we become… what we are called. God called us into existence with God's words… God spoke and breathed life… and so we became living, breathing humans… And now… through water… and God's word… we are washed clean, and claimed as children of the most high… and we are called… beloved. God calls you… beloved… so you are… beloved. This is an important and beautiful description of who you are… it's why I remind you every week… to become aware of God's gaze of love upon you. And yet, even as we know this word… defines us… we understand that it also invites us to live up to… and live into our belovedness. It sets love as the standard by which we live. We know that being claimed and loved by God, and holding that in the forefront of our minds… always… helps us to live, and act, and love our neighbors in a way that is befitting of one who is themselves… beloved. The words of God's promise… the words of God's love… go to work on us… these words and this promise give us the strength and courage to confess and repent of that which holds us apart from God… they help us to change our hearts and minds daily and to turn back toward Jesus… and toward love. Jesus' powerful act of solidarity with us… his choice to enter into our baptism as one of us… calls us to live as beloved members of the full body of Christ… and it means we can rise to the expectations of one who lives their life for Christ… and in Christ. To live into our belovedness means that each day, we work to live lives, not of presumption or arrogance, but of humility… and solidarity… and companionship… lives of unassuming generosity, not looking down on others, but seeing them as Jesus would see them… as siblings in Christ… who are also beloved. That boy I knew all those years ago… I was fortunate to watch him connect with an incredible mentor who refused to let the story he had heard before be the only story that boy ever heard. This mentor made certain that a better, more positive, and loving story became louder than the old one, and I saw this boy start to believe in himself. I saw him start living like one who was loved… like one who belonged, who was valuable, and who was worthy of love… and I saw how it shaped his interactions with others. I saw his kindness and humor shine through, his patience while helping others, and his compassion for those who were suffering. His life was reset and renewed… he was reminded that he was a child of God… and that he was beloved. God calls us all beloved… and so… we become beloved. It's a powerful word. My hope and prayer for you today is that you remember your baptism… as often as you can… remember the words of love and promise that God spoke to you… The promise that you are a beloved child of God. And if you aren't baptized, then know that God's invitation is always open… God's arms are always open wide, longing to receive you in love. Because our baptism… is not a transaction with God… it is an acknowledgment of what God is already doing in and through you. Remember that through the water and word of God's promise, you are part of the full body of Christ, and that you will never look upon another whom God does not love. Remember that you are so loved… and let that go to work in you this day and all days… let it be what you live into each day, for yourself and those around you. Author Maria Popova wrote, "…love… is the work of mirroring and magnifying each other's light. Gentle work. Steadfast work. Life-saving work in those moments when life and shame and sorrow occlude our own light from our view, but there is still a clear-eyed loving person to beam it back. In our best moments, we are that person for another." Remember that you washed clean in the waters of baptism, and that you are beloved… and that to be one who is beloved… means to reflect love into the world. So let it be that we all might shine with this love. Amen. _______________________ Maria Popova, The Marginalian, https://www.themarginalian.org/2022/01/31/james-baldwin-nothing-personal-love/

Today, we had a special musical performance of Still, Still, Still by a Handbell Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan. Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC

Year A – Epiphany – January 4, 2026 Pastor Megan Floyd Isaiah 60:1-6 Matthew 2:1-12 Grace and peace to you from God and the Holy Spirit, and from Jesus Christ, our savior, whose light and love we follow. Amen. *** The crazy beautiful thing about light… is that it shines on all it touches, without judgment or discrimination, and it can also be reflected to shine into places that would otherwise remain in darkness. There was a movie I saw many years ago… with a scene in a dark cave. There was a hole in the cave's roof where a bit of sunlight shone through… and by adjusting a few mirrors, they were able to illuminate the whole room. I thought that was a cool effect… even though I later learned that the abundance of light they were able to produce was not entirely logically possible. It still felt pretty magical. But then, more recently, I learned about a real-life Norwegian town called Rjukan (Roo-Khan), situated in a mountain valley that runs east to west. From about September to March, the sun doesn't rise high enough over the northern mountain range to shine on the town, and so for six months, the town is in shadow. About 100 years ago, when the town was founded, they dreamt about putting large mirrors on the southern mountain peak to reflect and shine the sun's rays down into the valley and onto the town below… but they didn't have the technology to pull it off. But then… 100 years later, in 2013… they built those mirrors! They have three large mirrors that follow the sun all day, powered by… solar energy. They illuminate and warm the town square in a bright pool of light that's about 80-90% as strong as direct sunlight. There were lots of people who were skeptical about these mirrors, but they have changed the town… warming the people along with the town's square… and bringing cheer back to their community during the dark winter days. It is amazing what light can do… even when it is only a reflection of the original source of that light. And today… as we celebrate Epiphany… we celebrate the light and love of Christ! Epiphany… is a celebration of illumination. It's a celebration of a holy light that guides us… a light that puts us on the path toward knowing our Savior… and invites us into the greatest story of love… that world has ever known. And on this celebratory day, we hear again… the story of the Magi… those exotic astrologers from the east who saw the great light rising over Bethlehem, and were so moved by its appearance, they set out on a long journey to find the source. We cannot see, today, the star that they followed… but the light from that holy star is reflected forward in time for us by their courage and curiosity… these magi have sent that brilliant light forward to us so that we, too, might be guided by its light as we seek our savior. Epiphany is also a celebration of illumination through reflection… for though we are not the original source of light and love, we know that by reflecting that light into the world around us, God's holy light continues to shine and sustain the spirits of our neighbors. We know… that the light of Christ guides us in our living and our loving, and draws us close to our Creator, the source of all love. And yet… we might wonder… how do we know we are on the right path? How do we know that the light we follow is the true light of Christ… and not the false glow of a tyrant king? After all… the Magi, who were considered wise… followed the star that rose over Bethlehem, but instead of making their journey directly there, they stopped in Jerusalem… that is where they assumed the king would be found. But instead of a savior, they found a tyrannical strongman who grasped at power that was not his for the taking… they found a selfish ruler who was more concerned with surrounding himself with gold and splendor than with caring for his people's needs. These Magi… were drawn in by what felt like strength, but what they found was an insecure and irrational leader that could be won over with bribes, and whose rantings would be comical if it weren't for his tendency to indiscriminately destroy those who stood in his way… They found a man who used flimsy excuses to capture and murder innocent people and caused those under his rule to live in terror, or to have to flee for fear of persecution or worse. You know the man… I'm talking, of course… about Herod. Herod consulted the scribes and learned the place where the Messiah was to be born, and sent the Magi there, to Bethlehem… he thought they could be used in his scheme to destroy the competition… But when the Magi found the child Jesus, they were overwhelmed with joy… basking in the true light of God, they knew… they knew that the light of the star had guided them true, and they were, indeed, in the presence of the only true King… they were in the presence of a savior. And so, still guided by God's Holy Spirit, they went home… by another road. How do we know we are on the right path… and that the light we follow is the true light of Christ… and not the false glow of a tyrant? How do we know that our good intentions aren't being used by the selfish whims of those guided by evil? How do we know that the light we choose to reflect out into the world around us… is the light and love of our Savior? It's an important question to ask… as there are plenty of false lights in the world that clamor to hold our attention and our loyalty, and many that do so with alarming success. How do we know? …Well, we know the light we seek, and the light we reflect, is from Christ… when we see how much love it shines onto our neighbors. We know that the light we are following is the true light of Christ… when we observe how it shines onto those who are hurting… those who are suffering… those who have been pushed aside… When we reflect the light of Christ onto those from whom others would turn away, and we see how that light warms them… warms them like the sunlit town center in Rjukan (Roo-Khan)… and we see how it cares for their humanity and restores their dignity… When we reflect that light onto our neighbors, both the ones we like… and the ones we don't… and we watch how that light draws us together as community… and how it heals… then we know that we are reflecting the true light of Christ. The false glow of tyrants like Herod will always draw people to their corrupt light… some are drawn because they prefer the darkness to cover their sin… and some are drawn in through misunderstanding, or false promises. But we know that light is not from Christ because the reflections of it cause so much pain and heartache… and celebrate selfish ambition and greed, with no consideration for those in need, or for the connections of community. But the true and pure light of Christ… brings joy… and love… and compassion… connection… and empathy… the true light of Christ brings healing to a hurting world… and oh… how much our world is hurting… and how much pain has been caused by our societal and systemic sins. So, in this season of Epiphany… when we celebrate Christ's light and how we reflect that light as best we can into our world, let us also be as wise as the Magi in discerning between a false, dim, imitation…  and the true, bright glory of our God. And know that your discernment doesn't happen alone… for joyfully bearing Christ's light is the work of community, with Jesus himself as our guide. But still, these are challenging times… so now more than ever, we turn to our Savior to guide us… Let us pray… Lord, have mercy on us… how we need your light. Even if we are mere reflections of your pure, true light… we know that your light has the power to warm us… and to draw all people to your healing arms. Heal us, Lord, and help us to lift up our eyes so we might behold your glory! Help us to lift up our eyes, so that we might see you… in our neighbor… and that our neighbor might see you… in us… and that, together, we understand that we are divinely connected to each other through your love, regardless of race, nationality, or creed. Guide us always, O Lord, to your light. Amen.

Year A – Christmas Eve – December 24, 2025 Pastor Megan Floyd Luke 2:1-20 Grace and peace to you from God and the Holy Spirit, and from Jesus Christ, our savior, who is born this day for us… who is God with us. Amen. *** Merry Christmas, friends… this is truly a night for wonder. Christ is born this day for you… for us! …What an incredible proclamation! Our Creator God has come to dwell with us… to share joy and laughter with us… and… to suffer and cry out in pain… with us… and for us. Through the newborn Jesus, God has revealed God-self to us … arriving in the form of pure love… for only true and perfect love is as vulnerable as a newborn child. To you… is born this day… a Savior… born into a world full of pain and sorrow… of war and greed and corruption… born into a world that is weeping… a world that is being crushed by Empire. To you… is born this day… a Savior. Amazing! It is no wonder… that Mary pondered all these things in her heart. Stories of babies always bring me around to remembering my own children when they were young… young enough for me to hold in my arms. And I think about those times when they were sick… when they were crying out in need… as parents, if we could have… we would have taken on their sickness just to ease their pain. Even when they were bigger… too big to carry… as parents, the most natural reaction to your child's sorrow is to draw close to them… wrap your arms around them… and remind them that they do not face their troubles alone. We draw close to our children when they are suffering, and we share the burden of their pain… and on this night… on Christmas night… God, our holy parent… does just that. Our God, who loves us beyond measure, cannot bear our sorrow from afar, and so our holy parent draws close… and takes on the pain and brokenness of the world… by being born among us… as a child… arriving to humble humans, surrounded by animals… and placed in a manger, for there was no bed. To you… is born this day a Savior… It's a birth story so humble and ordinary; it takes your breath away. …So ordinary… that we may overlook the incredible circumstances that brought Mary and Joseph so far from their home in Nazareth, so near to the time of her baby's arrival… It was the audacity of Empire, seeking to control the whole world… compelling all people to be registered for the purpose of exploitation… that's what brought them to that stable… to that manger, in the city of Bethlehem… the city of David. But what Empire forced for the purpose of control… God chose to use for the purpose of salvation. Control and conquest forced them into such a precarious situation… but from amid that brokenness, and from under the pressure of oppression, rises the green shoot from the stump of Jesse… …as the prophet Isaiah foretold, the savior would come from the royal line of Jesse, father of King David, whose lineage seemed to be cut off like a dead stump after the downfall of Israel… This impossible new life shines a great light in the darkness… bringing love so powerful that it can overcome cruelty… offering hope so secure that it drives out despair… and breaking the chains of oppression for the sake of justice and mercy. This is the power and promise of God, who comes to turn the world upside down, by drawing close to us… by arriving among us… God arrives, not amid wealth and power… not with military might or gold and grandeur… but in complete vulnerability, to those who are poor and lowly. Christ arrives on the margins… to those who are considered disposable… this is where our God… Word of the Father… is born. …this is where Christ is found… Christ arrives, always, where good news is most needed. It is… almost too wonderful to behold. And then, as if daring our God to be even more subversive to earthly powers… the angel of the Lord announces the arrival of our Savior… to shepherds, tending their flocks by night. It was to those who were even further in the margins of society… literally on the outskirts of the community… to them, the angel appears to proclaim the good news of great JOY… And those shepherds went to see the child, and saw that it was as the angel had told… and once they saw the promise of Love incarnate… they went on their way, glorifying and praising God… They proclaimed the good news for all to hear! TO YOU is born this day in the city of David… a Savior, who is Christ the Lord. God has heard your cry… God feels your sorrow and longs to take your pain… and so in pure Love, your holy parent has drawn close to you to bring comfort… and peace. O Holy Night! …indeed… except Christ's arrival is so much more than one holy night… it is so much more than that first, humble Christmas… all those years ago. The arrival of Jesus Christ …the incarnation of our God… is not a one-time event… it is… eternal. Christ is arriving… every day… to the poor… the needy… the lonely… Christ is born every day for those who are marginalized and oppressed… to those for whom justice has been too long delayed and denied. Our world is still broken… and so our God is still arriving… still coming among us… choosing to show up for us and walk alongside us, ever faithful to the promise of Emmanuel that began on that first Christmas… God with us. To YOU… to US… a child is born, who is Christ the Lord… ever inviting us to take notice of those in need as if they were Christ himself… to embrace empathy, and act with compassion and love for our neighbor. Because Jesus Christ is born this day! …and therefore, we are born into the holy truth that God's love and grace and mercy are so much greater and deeper than we can ever understand. To us, a child is born… humble and lowly… so that we might understand that power is made perfect in weakness, and love is the greatest force of all. Jesus Christ has brought salvation to the world, but we still live amid brokenness… we live in the truth that the healing of the world… will not be achieved in a swift, dramatic movement. And so, the coming of our Lord teaches us… that Christ is born wherever love is shown and wherever light shines… Christ is born in humble acts of kindness… and born when we choose to live with integrity and seek justice and mercy. Christ is born when we honor and value those who are in the margins, and when we seek to heal the sin that pushed them there. Christ is born when we draw from the strength of God's love, and seek to heal our world. And so to us, a child is born, who is Christ our savior… inviting us to share the good news… and to keep the wonder that is the miracle of Christmas… that Christ is born in love… this day, and every day. Amen.

Today, we had a special musical performance of He Shall Be Called by the Faith Lutheran Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan. Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC

Today, we had a special musical performance of Gentle Mary, Tender Mary with a solo by Jane Durga at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan. Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC

Today, we had a special musical performance of Some Children See Him with a solo by Emily Brown and accompanied by Kathy Richardson at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan. Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC

Today, we had a special musical performance of Waiting For Bethlehem's Light by the Faith Lutheran Chancel Choir with a flute solo from Gwynne Kadrofske at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan. Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC

Year A – Advent 4 – December 21, 2025 Pastor Megan Floyd Matthew 1:18-25 Grace and peace to you from God and the Holy Spirit, and from Jesus Christ, our savior, who is God with us. Amen. *** There is this beautiful portrait of the Holy Family by Matt Chinworth… it's called Newborn King. I saw it for the first time a few years ago… and it was so different and gorgeous, it took my breath away. Instead of the typical depiction of Mary and Joseph looking clean and serene, both gazing down at the child Jesus between them… this one is more real. In Chinworth's Newborn King, Mary is exhausted… and resting in the background… She is not the main subject of the image. This portrait… is of Joseph… calm and steady, gently holding the newborn Jesus… and loving him, the miracle that he is. In his face, you can see amazement and awe… …It is the look you have when you are overcome with love. Joseph's quiet devotion… and his attentiveness… is such a pure expression of love… love for a child that he had chosen to accept as his own. And yes, it was a choice… a very difficult and complicated choice… for this righteous man. If he had called attention to Mary's pregnancy, she could have been stoned to death… that is, after all, what the law prescribed. And if he dismissed her quietly, she could have been shunned and left to beg – or worse – just for her and her child to survive. And yet, even the choice to marry her is not without complication, for in doing so, his reputation could be marked by scandal. Her child would become his heir, and he would relinquish his lineage to a child who is not his blood. So, he decides the most righteous thing to do is to dismiss her quietly, but then God shows up… and turns his life upside down. The angel of the Lord appears to him and says… Joseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife… you have a role to play in God's plan, so have courage and trust in God's word. What is a righteous, God-fearing man to do? Given the circumstances, I think his trust and faithfulness to God are remarkable… he is the model of quiet obedience and commitment. And yet, it must have been terrifying, despite the angel's opening instruction not to be afraid. Being a new parent is scary enough… but to take on the parentage and protection of God's divine presence in human form… well, I expect that adds to the pressure. But Joseph is steady, and he obeys God's command, even though he only knows the next step… and not where it will all eventually lead. He trusts God. It's easy to trust the process when you know the end of the story… but Joseph… kind, supportive… righteous Joseph… is a model of courage and strength in the face of the unknown… in the face of the preposterous. But Joseph, this compassionate, earthly father of Jesus… only gets a few mentions in our Bible, and he never speaks a single word. He is there with Mary at the birth of Jesus, and later, under Herod's threat of violence, he takes his family, and they flee to Egypt as refugees… ever the protector. His last appearance is in the background when Jesus is 12 years old and has wandered away from his family, only to be found teaching in the temple. That's all we ever hear about Joseph… but it is enough to know his character, and to honor him for his steadfast and faithful support of his wife, Mary, silently supporting her in following God's call on her life to bear the child of God. And in that moment… in a dream… in humble obedience, he chooses to trust in God's word and call for his own life… to stay with Mary… to claim and name the child Jesus, meaning, God saves. He chooses to claim the child as his own, adopting him into his family lineage and thereby fulfilling what was foretold. The Salt Project commentary said this: "The angel calls Joseph to a love that doubles as a kind of courage. Courage to commit – though the neighbors may whisper and judge. Courage to nurture – though the child you raise is from the Holy Spirit. And courage to love – though the child you love is none other than Love personified, none other than 'The God Who Saves is With Us.' We often think of Christmas as a time to celebrate Love becoming incarnate in Jesus. But the season is also a time to celebrate how love becomes incarnate in Joseph, acting with compassion, courage, and grace. And what is the source, the wellspring of such courage, in Joseph… or in us, today? …It's none other than God's love… the love made flesh, the love that came to dwell with us, and save us… and love us back to life." This righteous man from the line of David trusted in the whispers of God's holy word and allowed those words to alter the course of his life… to take on the holy and challenging task of being a father to Jesus… a choice that continues to shape our lives today… through a love that endures forever. Joseph's trust in God inspires us to trust in God… he teaches us to listen to the whispers of Love in our lives, calling us to seek the good and to allow our lives to follow paths of righteousness… Meaning… allowing our lives to follow along paths that lead to being in "right-relationship" with God and with all of Creation, paths walked in humility and marked by God's justice and mercy… that is righteousness. And Joseph chose to adopt Jesus as his own… to embrace him as his own child, doing for the Christ child what God had first done for us, indeed, for the whole world… embracing us… and claiming us all as God's beloved children. This is the holy family to which we belong… a family bonded by God's love and trust… the kind of love that casts out hate and fear. This is the love we, who are followers of Christ, have the joy to share, even though we do so imperfectly… when we get it right, this love changes the world around us. So, hear now the angel's words for yourself… Do not be afraid, for you are children of the most holy, and the God who saves is with us, now and always. So have courage, like Joseph, to love others as Christ loves you. Amen. ____________________________ View Matt Chinworth's work, Newborn King, here: https://www.inprnt.com/gallery/mattchinworth/newborn-king/ Commentary citation from the Salt Project Blog:  www.saltproject.org

Today, we had a special musical performance of Carols Around (And a Round) by the Faith Lutheran Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan. Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC

Year A – Advent 2 – December 7, 2025 Pastor Megan Floyd Matthew 3:1-12 Grace and peace to you from God and the Holy Spirit, and from Jesus Christ, who invites us into repentance, so that our lives may bear good fruit. Amen. *** You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? That's such a great line… it's one of my favorite lines… you brood of vipers. John doesn't really mince words, does he? But I get where he's coming from – he's calling out the hypocrisy of the religious leaders who are just showing up to cover their bases. You see, John the Baptist, who proclaimed in the wilderness that the Messiah was coming and that God's glory would be revealed… he was very much like the prophet Elijah… with his camel-hair clothing and leather belt… and his diet of locusts and honey. …a bit eccentric, if you will, but very popular! Isaiah's vision was that a voice in the wilderness would proclaim the coming Messiah, and John shows up on the scene like a new Elijah! …and the people are coming from all around to hear him preach. So, I can't blame the religious leaders for being curious… they know their scripture, so it is possible this guy might be the real deal… and if he is, they'd want to be sure they kept their place of privilege among the religious elite. And yet… John calls them out. You brood of vipers… who warned you to flee from the wrath to come? Judgement is coming… you think you can avoid it by going through the motions of baptism, even though you remain unwilling to live lives that reflect God's love? To our ears… we hear the words judgment and wrath and fire… and it conjures up images of Hell… at least, Hell according to Dante's Inferno. I won't go off on this tangent now, but most of our ideas of Hell come from Dante, and not from the Bible. And yet, there are so many in our modern day who, like the Pharisees and Sadducees… they cling to ideas of wrath and judgment as some kind of cosmic punishment for not going through the motions… for not checking the boxes for all to see. …wrath and judgment that will come to others, of course… certainly not them. I'm thinking of those who claim the name Christian in one breath… and then with their next breath… turn away the stranger, the refugee, and the immigrant… how easily they forget that our Lord and Savior was himself, a stranger and a refugee, and we are commanded by God to welcome them as one of our own. And those who sing about God's love for them in one breath… and then turn around and spew hate and spread violence against those whose love they disapprove of… how easily they forget that God shows up, again and again, on the side of love. Or those who feel so satisfied in their eternal future because they have stated publicly that Jesus Christ is their personal Lord and Savior, but have never considered that becoming a follower of Jesus means actually following the actions of Jesus… namely feeding the poor, clothing the naked, visiting the sick and imprisoned, and causing a right scene by turning over the tables of greed and injustice… How easily people claim a personal and individual salvation… while forgetting that Jesus came to save the entire world… forgetting that a true life of faith can only be lived in community with others, working to make sure everyone is provided for… that no one is forgotten… So yeah… John the Baptist… doesn't have much patience for hypocrisy… and truth be told… neither do I. …and I doubt you do either. But there's a lot of it in our world today. And yet… here's the thing… John is harsh… but he's still offering them… the brood of vipers… he's still offering them good news. …Therefore, bear fruit worthy of repentance… John says… don't rest on your heritage and your position… What God wants from you is for your life to bear good fruit. He's not turning them away… he's inviting them in… his words are harsh, but he presumes that they, and we, have the capacity to rise up and meet the challenge… to bear the good fruit that God created us to bear. It's not about going through the motions so others can see how holy you are… it's about what's in your heart. Do you truly want to be a follower of Jesus Christ? When you come to the waters of baptism, are you ready to die every day to your sin, and to rise every day, washed clean and ready to live according to God's will? When you come to the waters of baptism… are you willing to confess the times you have fallen short of God's will… to release your sins and repent… and receive God's forgiveness so that you can start again? When you come to the waters of baptism… are you willing to let your life be shaped by Christ? Jesus longs for you to say yes… yes to all of it… so that you might be part of the joy that is living in the light and love of Christ. John invites his followers to be baptized with water… just as we still do today… A tangible sign of being washed clean and renewed… paired with the eternal promise of Christ's forgiveness and faithfulness. The action of baptism is only needed once, but the remembrance of baptism is a daily practice… a daily practice of confession and repentance… a practice that re-aligns our lives back to God and Christ Jesus. Repentance means to literally change your mind… your heart… your direction. John, in the wilderness, says he baptizes with water for repentance, but the one coming after him will baptize with the Holy Spirit… and with fire. "His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor …he will gather his wheat into the granary, and the chaff he will burn with… unquenchable fire." To quote Deb… Daaaannnng. There's that fire again… judgment and unquenchable fire… mixed with images from Dante. It's terrifying… but let me swap out those images from Dante… for something different. So, my friend Paul is retired, and his passion is working with conservation efforts and protecting the environment. One of the things he does… is he helps with controlled burns. Controlled burns are fires that are intentionally set and managed, and they actually improve ecosystem health by reducing the amount of hazardous fuels like dead and dried undergrowth, which reduces the risk of extreme fires. They also restore habitats, control invasive species, and promote native plant growth by mimicking the natural fire cycle. We think of forest and prairie fires as bad things… but they are actually necessary for clearing away the stuff that accumulates and harms the ecosystem… they are necessary for clearing away the chaff… if you will. When we hear John the Baptist preaching of the coming judgment that will separate the wheat from the chaff… and that the fate of the chaff is to burn in an unquenchable fire… We are inclined to think that the wheat are those people who are right with Jesus… and the chaff are those who aren't… those who are going to Dante's hell. Except… We might forget that wheat and chaff are all part of the same plant. (x2) The Salt Project commentary states, "What the wind and fire remove are the husks that get in the way: the anxieties, self-absorption, apathy, or greed that make us less generous, less just, or less respectful of others. There is a line between good and evil, but it doesn't run between groups; it runs through the heart of each person. What each of us requires is restoration, liberation from whatever "husks" are holding us back." So yes, indeed, through Jesus, we are baptized with the Holy Spirit and with fire… not a fire that destroys, though, but a fire that purifies… that cleanses us of our junk… a fire that restores us to good health… This is not a fire that we should fear… this fire is a gift… a gift that we receive when we open our hearts to confession and repentance for our sins. When we step into the fire of the Holy Spirit, it cleanses our hearts, washes us clean… and makes us new… it makes us capable of producing good fruit! John's invitation to fully and truly receive the gift of repentance is the key to his challenge that our lives bear good fruit. …and this invitation is open to all. And Christ longs for all people to accept. John's language and mannerisms are harsh… but his message is sound. Repent! For the kingdom of heaven has come near! Christ has come near! Repent… and allow the fire of the Spirit to cleanse your heart. Take comfort in the promise that the winnowing fork is in Christ's hand… Christ, who is full of mercy and grace… and with wind and fire, Christ will not destroy… but refine… restore… and empower you as a child of God, to bear fruit worthy of repentance. Amen.

Today, we had a special musical performance of Sing of the Lord's Goodness by the Faith Lutheran Chancel Choir and Bruce Williams and Megan Nyquist on Piano at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan. Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC

Sermon 11-16-25, Lk 21:5-19 Pastor Megan asked me to lead worship and preach this Sunday while she's attending the youth gathering, I checked my schedule and agreed. Later when I read the text I thought "ugh… I don't like this one" It's hard to preach on something I don't particularly like And maybe that's actually the key to today's Gospel message Similar to the disciples, We don't like what Jesus has to say sometimes        /        /        / I love the Gospel of Luke and his focus on social justice And when I zoomed out of this particular passage to what's happening in Luke's narrative, it clicked for me So let's zoom out together    /        /        / Jesus has been sitting in, teaching and preaching in, the temple since the end of chapter 19 when he entered the temple, caused a scene and said "My house shall be a house of prayer; but you have made it a den of robbers"… This disruption inspired the leaders to continue to look for a way to kill Jesus And he remains within the temple through the rest of chapter 21 until chapter 22 when the Passover begins, starting his journey to the cross We're in the midst of Jesus' speed round to get his point across before he's gone And he's intense about it Jesus' focus in the temple is one of redirection Stones and destruction aren't unique to his warning today Back in 20:17 He said "the stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone… everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces" The religious leaders' desire to kill Jesus fueled their questioning of him They kept challenging Jesus, trying to trip him up on technicalities about taxes and marriage Jesus continued to warn and redirect the people Toward issues he saw as more important Beware of the scribes who dress all fancy and look powerful Look at this poor widow giving all she has to this oppressive system But the disciples get uncomfortable and attempt a redirection of their own They say – oh, but look how pretty and incredible and awesome this temple is! Let's take a break from all of these hard conversations and admire the centerpiece of our community and place that honors the one true God Surely Jesus will agree with us on this topic! Jesus doesn't falter -- and says: well, guess what, it will be destroyed! so let's focus on something lasting /        /        / Jesus' message reminds me of the Buddhist teaching of impermanence, and releasing attachment The Buddhist teacher, Ajahn Chah, said: "You see this goblet? For me this glass is already broken. I enjoy it. I drink out of it. It holds my water admirably, sometimes even reflecting the sun in beautiful patterns. If I should tap it, it has a lovely ring to it. But when I put this glass on a shelf and the wind knocks it over, or my elbow brushes it off the table and it falls to the ground and shatters, I say, 'Of course.' When I understand that this glass is already broken, every moment with it is precious. Every moment is just as it is, and nothing need be otherwise." The glass is all ready broken The temple is all ready destroyed /        /        / But the disciples are alarmed and want to be prepared for this horrible destruction They cling to the temple and the comfort and security it offers So they ask, how will they know it's coming?! What can they do?! And Jesus doesn't answer them directly, as he never does But he instructs them to: "Beware" "Do not be led astray" "Do not be terrified" and leaves them with "By your endurance you will gain your souls"   /        /         / The Jesus we see in Luke is not cozy or comforting He's on a mission He's provocative in the way he is trying to make us see the ugliness of the world and human nature He's frustrating in the way he keeps pointing out the things we'd rather look away from Like the impermanence of the solid places where we rest our assurance - like these stone buildings Like the uncertainty of societal structures of power and wealth that we benefit from Like the particularities of taxes and marriage that distract us from the real focus of loving God and loving our neighbor Like the cruel and violent actions of powerful leaders masked by the fancy veneer of wealth and beauty Like the oppressive systems that benefit from the poverty of others /        /        / The disciples want to escape this doom and gloom Don't we? They attempt a distraction, admiring the awesomeness of this enormous and gorgeous temple that is dedicated to God At least we have this common ground, right? But Jesus won't give them a break He's on a mission – then -- and now To challenge our view of the world and guide us toward seeing clearly Whatever you see will be destroyed The glass is all ready broken /        /        / I wonder about the metaphorical "temples" of beauty and distraction today? What are our "temples" of escape? What are the places in which we find reassurance that will eventually crumble? What are the "temples" to which we're attached that are actually impermanent? /        /        / I'm sure we could compile a long list… I think of the saying "my body is my temple" How preoccupation with a body too large or too small distracts from loving that body as a gift from God And adorning that body – with clothes, jewelry, tattoos, -- can be consuming of our precious time, energy and resources I think of the ways we resist acknowledging and embracing our aging bodies  /        /        / I think of our places… Our homes and even this sanctuary and the amount of energy we expend maintaining and improving our spaces /        /        / I think of the "temples" within our minds… The striving and achieving parts The protective and defensive parts That prevent us from resting and loving our whole selves And render us unable to fully love and be loved by others /        /        / This is hard. . . We could go on, but that's not really Jesus' point, is it? It's not Jesus' point to identify our faults and distractions No, we do that well enough ourselves The disciples did that themselves Jesus' point is to redirect us toward God and what is everlasting Jesus' point is to remind us of what we can really cling to /        /        / Jesus' message is "Beware" "Do not be led astray" "Do not be terrified" Jesus calls us to focus on what's real and true /        /        / He says these messages today in the negative sense But within these warnings I also hear: "I am the truth" "The truth will set you free" "Come, follow me" "Set down your burdens, I will give you rest" "My yoke is easy, my burden is light" These messages of Jesus' love and healing and safety are directly connected to the warnings we hear today It's all the same message /        /        / All that you see All that you count on All that you take comfort in Is destroyed The glass is all ready broken But what remains? When the literal and metaphorical temples crumble When the glass is broken What is left? Where is the good news?     /        /        / It comes only from remembering the truth that we worship a crucified God who loves and knows us completely and continues to remain with us in the midst of destruction and even death. God's love is permanent God's redemption is permanent /        /        / We have a big task in supporting one another in remembering this And in being witnesses to this truth in this world /        /        / Restoration comes after destruction This is a truth we so desperately need to cling to Remembering that new life will come after death Knowing that God is bigger than all of it This promise isn't just enough It's the main thing God is always making us new! /        /        / By our endurance we will gain our souls. Amen.  

Today, we had a special musical performance of Down To The River To Pray by the Faith Lutheran Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan. Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC

Year C – 22nd Sunday after Pentecost; Lectionary 32 – November 9, 2025 Pastor Megan Floyd Job 19:23-27a Psalm 17:1-9 2 Thessalonians 2:1-5, 13-17 Luke 20:27-38 Grace and peace to you from God and the Holy Spirit, and from Jesus Christ, in whose promise of eternal life we trust. Amen. *** A mailbox… should not leak. And while this is true, it was not my first thought on a certain day, many years ago, when our mail carrier brought our outgoing mail back into the church. The mail was soaking wet… dripping water everywhere. He'd brought it back to us because he couldn't mail it in such a water-logged state. It seemed that there was a hole at the top of the mailbox, and during the long, torrential rainstorm we'd just had, the water had dripped into the box from the top, but had no way of exiting the otherwise secure box… So, when the mail carrier opened the box… the water poured out… along with our letters. Most of the mail just needed to be laid out to dry… but included in the stack was a letter that I'd written to a member whose husband had just died. It was a consoling letter… one that I had written from my heart… acknowledging her sorrow and sharing that space with her, so she wouldn't feel so alone. She was important to me, and I shared her grief. Except now… my letter was no longer a letter, but an abstract puddle of blue ink… like a watercolor painting… with only the hint that there had once been words on that page. I was upset. Understandably, I think. But then… a man who happened to observe this exchange, and my now-erased letter, started criticizing my choice of pens. Clearly, I should have used a ball-point pen because then it would only need to dry out… obviously, I hadn't thought this through when I'd written in a gel pen, or whatever it was I used. He carried on like that… on and on… and I just stared at him… because… like my now soggy letter… I had no words. Until I did… Mailboxes should not leak. …he stopped talking after that. We could have debated all day about the best pens for writing, but the pen was not the point… that thinking was too small… mailboxes should not leak. I admit, I was annoyed… but I know I have fallen into the trap of narrow thinking before. It's human. And in our gospel today, that kind of narrow thinking is what has the Sadducees stuck. Now, of course, they don't think they are stuck… they think they've landed Jesus in the perfect rhetorical trap. They are angry at Jesus, and probably a little afraid of him… I mean… he showed up at the temple and started flipping tables and driving out the merchants, causing a huge disruption… and then every day he was teaching there… and every day, they were looking for a way to kill him… but they knew they needed to be cautious because the people were so spellbound by his teaching. So, they kept trying to trap him… to trick him into saying something that would turn the people against him… and today, we heard their attempt to trap him with a debate on the resurrection. You see, the Sadducees only acknowledge the Torah as authoritative – that's the first five books of the Hebrew Scriptures… Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy – and they don't believe in resurrection. So, their example of the childless woman being married to each of the seven brothers, and still dying childless, for them, proves that the idea of resurrection is ridiculous… Because if resurrection were really a thing… then whose wife would she be? To which man would she belong? Which man in the afterlife gets to claim her as his property? The practice of a widow marrying the next brother was an ancient patriarchal custom known as levirate marriage. If a man died childless, his brother would marry his widow and have children with her, and the firstborn son would be counted as the dead man's child and carry on his name. It is true… that in a culture where a woman had almost no rights, this practice helped to ensure her protection and future… but it did so by effectively treating her as property, passed from brother to brother. The Sadducees think they've trapped Jesus… because, if resurrection is a thing, then which man gets to claim this woman as his property? When they all have an equal claim, whose wife will she be? Jesus shuts down their narrow thinking… she won't belong to any man… because she already belongs to God… for she is already, and always has been, claimed as a beloved child of the one who created her in love. Unlike her earthly life… her vulnerable, earthly life that is dependent on men… her resurrection does not rely on who she is to others… it's only about who she is to God. So, Jesus responds to the Sadducees using the Torah as his evidence… that Moses himself experienced evidence of the resurrection… when God said I AM the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob" …not I WAS, but I AM… "…for to God, all of them are alive." …alive in the presence of God. Resurrection is not about a continuation of earthly life… It's not just… more life in the same roles we played on earth… that is narrow thinking… it's too restrictive…  and it misses the point. Resurrection is ultimately a promise… that after we die, we will rest in the presence of God. And the truth is… the finer details of our resurrection will remain a mystery until we get there… but the promise of God with us… is assured. From Job, we hear… for I know that my redeemer lives… and after I am gone, I know that I will again see God. (paraphrased) And from 2 Thessalonians, we hear that God chose you… and called to you through our gospel so that you may obtain the glory of our Lord. (paraphrased) God chose you… you are already God's beloved. And from our Psalm, we hear this language of being known by God… "Show me your marvelous lovingkindness, O Savior of those who take refuge at your right hand… Keep me as the apple of your eye, and hide me under the shadow of your wings…" You are fully known by God, who loves you just as you are… and God's promise to us is that we will eternally rest in that love, because… God is love. Even so… as I think about the resurrection, and about God's incredible and wondrous love… I think about the people here on Earth, in my life, whom I love. I am very fortunate to live thousands of years after the time of levirate marriage, and I am certain that my husband does not consider me his property… Without getting too mushy, we might say we belong to each other… a belonging that has grown through decades of mutual love and respect. And so, because God is love… and God is very clear throughout scriptures that God is on the side of love… then I anticipate that, of all the emotions… the love we have shared on earth will be with us in our eternal life. This is my hope… of course… and I know I share that hope with so many others. And given the larger picture of God's relationship with us, and what we know of God, I don't think we'll be disappointed. I think love will persist. But I also suspect that being in God's loving presence when all else of my earthly life has fallen away… will be even more than I can imagine with my limited, human perspective. And… I'm ok with letting that be a surprise. But truthfully, we know that God is with us now… so thinking about the resurrection, and of the promise that we will be in God's presence after we die, is still thinking too narrowly. Resurrection is something that we can only know through hope and faith in the living God… and the living God… is the one who meets us in the baptismal waters… and in the shared meal of bread and wine. The living God is the one who is faithful and true… and is continually inviting us back into a shared relationship. The living God meets us in our joy and celebrates with us… and the living God meets us in our sorrow, and ministers to us through the consolation and compassion of our community. Our living God… is not waiting until after we die to be with us! We are in God's loving presence now, just as we will rest eternally in God's loving presence in the resurrection. And yes, the promise of resurrection matters because it reveals and reminds us of our primary identity as God's beloved children… and that God will never let us go. But the afterlife is not the point… because the heart of resurrection is the same now as it is in our eternal life with God. The heart of resurrection… is God's promise to be with us always… now and forever… no matter where we are or what we are going through. For our God is not God of the dead, but of the living, and to God, we are and always will be… alive. Amen.

Today, we had a special musical performance of Praise His Holy Name by the Faith Lutheran Chancel Choir with a solo by Bob Nelson at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan. Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC

Megan Floyd Year B – All Saints Sunday – November 3, 2024               Luke 6:20-31 Grace and peace to you from God and the Holy Spirit, and from Jesus Christ, who calls us into holy living for the sake of the world. Amen. *** We are gathered here today on All Saints' Sunday… the day the Church sets aside to remember those we have loved and cared for, who have died during the past year.   We gather to celebrate them… even though it may stir up the grief within us… we know… that our grief honors their place in the story of our lives…   And we take comfort in the promise that our dear ones are resting in the embrace of our Lord.   We, as a community of faith, trust in the Good News that Jesus has defeated death… so that death is no longer the end…   And we trust in the Good News… that we are a forgiven people, called and claimed by God and redeemed through God's love.   We trust this Good News… this promise for us as disciples… as followers of Christ… because we know that God's enduring faithfulness is forever and ever, Amen.   And yet we know… that while the goodness that God offers is free to all people… we know that being a disciple… a follower of Christ… still comes with a cost.   The cost of discipleship… is that it must change your life… it must change how you live… how you love… how you treat others, especially the poor and hungry.   The cost of discipleship is that it transforms your whole being… when you allow your life to become one with the life of Christ…   It's not a change that we make so that we can receive the promised goodness of God… those promises are already ours.   It's a change that comes in response to what Jesus offers when we take seriously what he calls us to do…   It's not easy… this life of discipleship… which is why we need God's grace and forgiveness every day.   It's not easy… but this life of following Christ… this challenging and difficult life… this holy and beautiful life… this is the life that Jesus calls us into.   Because this kind of life… this way of living… is what brings closer the kingdom of God and allows us to be co-creators with God in the ever-unfolding new creation.   We hear this call today into a holy and loving, yet challenging and difficult way of life…   We hear it in the blessings and woes… and in the call to love those who are against us, and to turn the other cheek.   And these words from Jesus today might make us uncomfortable… and that's ok!   My friends… the truth is, if the Gospel of Jesus doesn't make you uncomfortable, at least sometimes, then you aren't reading it closely enough!   I know these words make me uncomfortable… but I know that they are still Good News, and so I stick with them because I trust Jesus.   Presiding Bishop Curry once said that Jesus is always on the side of the poor and oppressed, and so whenever we read scripture, we should strive to hear it from their perspective…   because when we do… we can't help but to hear Christ's words as Good News.   And what sounds like Good News for only the poor… and only those who are persecuted… really is Good News for all people.   This way of life that Jesus calls us into, for both the rich and the poor, calls us into lives of equality, dignity, and love…   It disrupts the social hierarchy that those on top cling to with fervor, and it demands that they fully recognize the inherent value and worth of all human life… but again… especially the lives of those who are on the margins.   This way of life calls us to overthrow systems that depend on the suffering and struggle of many to support the few…   And Jesus is not preaching about theoretical concepts… he is calling us to recognize the real human lives of those around us who are hurting… and to understand that we are connected.   This way of life… this life of discipleship… it calls us to be accountable for our actions… it shines a loving light onto our sin, so that we might repent, and be reconciled with those we have harmed.   Listen… We know that Christ lives in us, and so when we honor the light of our God that is present in all people… then working to repair broken relationships also reconciles us back to God… and puts us back into right relationship.   And I know that I want to be right with God, and I'm sure you do, too. This really is Good News for all people!   Jesus calls for a reversal of the usual way of responding… and instead calls us to the more difficult path of making room for repentance, forgiveness… and reconciliation.   This is most certainly… Good News! …it's so good, and so important, that it actually comes up multiple times in our lectionary.   During our Bible Study this week, I thought I was having déjà vu, until I realized that I preached on this same text about loving our enemies and turning the other cheek back in Epiphany, on February 23…   But for today… we are hearing this call into a loving, yet difficult way of living… under the shroud of All Saints' Day…   And, given the day… these seem to be a strange selection of readings to hear as we remember our loved ones.   Except that this Good News… is not only good for all people living… it is good news for those we have loved and lost.   Because this difficult life that Jesus calls us into is full of grace and forgiveness, and it is marked by the ever-present opportunity to turn back…   to hold each other accountable… in loving and non-violent ways, for the purpose of healing the relationship and restoring the community.   …and it is marked by the continual invitation to be reconciled with God. And I believe God will succeed in God's promise to reconcile all of creation.   Because God's desire for us, more than anything… is that we get this right… because love… is so very important.   This life that Jesus calls us to… this holy and beautiful, challenging and difficult… life of discipleship… is so important, because it is a foretaste of the kingdom to come.   And the joy that we have as disciples… is that we get to live in this glory now… and celebrate all the ways that God's love shines through us.   And so, as I hear these words from Jesus today, I know that God's desire for us to be reconciled in this life is also… only a foretaste of the full reconciliation with God that will come after we die.   After all… that is God's promise to us… for ourselves… and for those we love.   That death no longer has the final word… that we, who set our hope on Christ, are claimed and redeemed as beloved children of God, in this life and beyond,   …and that we will be raised anew with Christ on the last day.   And so, the hope and celebration of All Saints' Day lie in our trust that this life Jesus calls us into… this beautiful and difficult life, grounded in God's enduring promises of renewal…   …will be for the praise and glory of Christ now and always, forever and ever. Amen.  

Today, we had a special musical performance of Peace Is Our Prayer by the Faith Lutheran Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan. Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC