March 25, 2026 Today is the Annunciation. It is a recognition of the moment when the angel visited the Virgin Mary and announced to her that she would give birth to the Christ Child. This is a later addition to the church calendar and was made after December 25th was declared the birthday of Jesus…
March 24, 2026 One of the great stories in the Bible is the story of Esther. In this story there is a time where Esther wishes she wasn’t around for this, she wishes that she hadn’t been born to have to live through these times. The task of being a queen and of saving her…
March 23, 2026 I have a smartphone and every now and then I install an app to make the phone do more of things that I want it to do. One of the big things about the Christian faith is that it installs a conscience. A conscience is an awareness that there are others and…
March 21, 2026 The Gospel lesson this weekend is about the raising of Lazarus from John chapter 11. This is the game changer as they say. As a matter of fact, what Jesus does in Bethany among all the losers of Bethany is prove that death does not have the power we think it really…
March 20, 2026 I must confess that as an observer of human nature I take pleasure sometimes in observing petty conflicts. These conflicts are mostly harmless and are born often of stubbornness and pride. Coon Valley Lutheran Church had had an anniversary for which they had spruced the place up quite a bit, including the…
March 19, 2026 I was at Camp Wapo this last summer and I was observing things which is something I get to do when I am by myself. If you see me by myself do not feel sorry for me because I am actually enjoying myself because I love observing people. A high school youth…
March 18, 2026 In college I took a counseling class and its basic understanding was that counselors were problem managers. The basic premise of the course was that problems could not be solved – they could only be managed. It is an interesting admission to say that problems won’t necessarily go away and that we…
March 17, 2026 Today is Saint Patrick’s Day, the patron Saint of Ireland. It’s not much of a genius statement to say that Ireland does not like England and for some very, very legitimate reasons. But it is also fair to say that Ireland and people of Irish background embrace St. Patrick and Saint Patrick’s…
March 16, 2026 One of the things in studying the Bible is that this character King David keeps showing up in one way or another. And as I look at King David I notice that he has this characteristic that is unique. All of us can see the big problems: it doesn’t take much effort…
March 14, 2026 This weekend we will read about the Man Born Blind from JOHN. This story exposes how people so easily want some angle in which they can feel superior to others. “Who sinned, this man or his parents……” Who can we blame so that we can look down on them? We do this…