This time of year, my thoughts turn to baseball, and I have fond memories not only of playing catch in the backyard with my dad but also doing the same with my kids.

If you are a college basketball fan, this is a great time of year with the NCAA men’s and women’s tournaments going on. Every year, there are the “Cinderella stories,” the teams from relatively small schools who made the tournament but were not expected to win a game yet end up knocking off the bigger schools everyone assumed would win.

Have you ever replied to someone giving you advice, “That’s easier said than done.” Jesus ended the Beatitudes in the Sermon on the Mount this way: “Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when people insult you, persecute you and falsely say all kinds of evil against you because of Me. Rejoice and be glad, because great is your reward in heaven, for in the same way they persecuted the prophets who were before you” (Matthew 5:10–12).

I want you to pretend you are going on a forty-day backpacking trip in a very remote wilderness area in a place about which you are totally unfamiliar. While packing the right supplies for the trip would be very important, perhaps the most important thing would be to hire a guide who knew the area and could safely lead you to your daily destinations. 

During Lent, our Wednesday services and daily devotions will take a closer look at Moses and Elijah and other mountaintop experiences they had to see what we can learn from them as we seek to walk closer with our Lord and grow in our love for Him.

This week’s Gospel reading from Luke 6 gives us challenging words from Jesus concerning how we are to love and forgive. It sounds great in theory, but what about when we’ve really been hurt by someone – someone who isn’t even interested in admitting and confessing his or her sin and asking for forgiveness? 

I once saw a cartoon that said, “You can’t take it with you, so eat it now!” It’s a humorous piece of advice that can make us stop and think about a challenging balancing act: How do I enjoy the material blessings of life without making them my ultimate source of joy?

This weekend our school ministry is hosting the 2nd annual Comet Classic Basketball Tournament. I love watching each team try its hardest and to see the skill levels of those 5th and 6th graders, but what I really enjoy…

During February, we will be supporting the work of Lutheran Hour Ministries. As is noted on their website, “Lutheran Hour Ministries began at the grassroots level as the Lutheran Laymen’s League, a group of 12 laypeople who came together to support the church in word and deed. What began with 12 has become a movement of tens of thousands of volunteers and supporters around the globe.

If you’re still in the workforce, have you ever thought about what you would like to do if you weren’t doing your current job? For instance, if I were not a pastor, what would I see myself doing?

Perhaps, like me, you’ve been watching the news reports on the devastating wildfires in Los Angeles County. I watched one report from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation that included an interview with a woman who asked people to pray but then added, “But so far God has not stopped the winds.” When terrible disasters happen such as the fires, earthquakes, hurricanes, flooding, volcanic eruptions, and so forth, people may wonder why, if He is a God of love, God allows various things to happen that hurt “good, innocent people” as well as the “bad.” On the other hand, there are some who look at these events as signs of God’s impending return as Judge of the living and the dead.

I always enjoy watching our school ministry students share the Christmas Gospel during our special Advent family worship services. It is amazing how such a profound message of the Son of God becoming also true man, born of the Virgin, can be retold even by the very young who accept the truth without question. They share their lines and sing their songs with great enthusiasm. I will say, however, that there is always one thing that kind of disappoints me. It’s the lack of singing when the adults present are asked to join in singing.

This weekend the third candle of the Advent wreath will be lit along with the first two. On our wreath in the sanctuary, the ribbon below it is pink. Why the different color? The theme for the third week of Advent is: “Rejoice!”

For some young girls participating in Christmas pageants, portraying the Virgin Mary may be a dream role with all the attention on them. But for Mary who is told by an angel that she will go through a pregnancy that will come about in a truly unique fashion and that the Baby to whom she will give birth is the very Son of God… talk about pressure (not to mention all the attention she will get from those who want to know the “real story” behind her being with child).

Have you ever felt guilty for being frustrated by things which, compared to what others are going through, are more of an annoyance than anything else?

Last Saturday, I spent a good portion of the day removing fallen leaves from my yard (a process that will have to be repeated since some trees are stubbornly refusing to drop leaves at the same time as others). While outside, the sounds of leaf blowers and lawnmowers filled the air…