Galesburg First Lutheran

God's Word is our great heritage and shall be ours forever.

Ten lepers healed, one turned back to give thanks.  When Jesus asked where the other had gone, I have this picture in my head of word getting back to the nine, and each of them turning to their family and friends and saying, "well, nobody else was doing it?!"  

God's grace is for everybody.  God's love is for everybody.  God's forgiveness and healing are for everybody. Whether to live in gratitude, well, that's a choice.  And the choice does make a difference in our lives and in our relationship to the living God.  

October 6, 2013

A riddle:  We are called to be stewards of something created by God, that we can't hold in our hands and can't possess.  What is it?

Answer:  Relationships

Christians are called to be "relational stewards."  We are stewards not just of time, talent and treasures, but also called to tend to all those relationships God has brought into our lives.  Why?  As always, because God first loved us.

Based on 2 Timothy 1:1-14

September 15, 2013  Luke 15:1-10

Did you know the word "Pharisee" occurs in the Bible 97 times?  All of them in the New Testament.  None of them ever get Jesus to agree with them.  Hmmm.  As Luther would ask.  "What does this mean?"

Fierce, comforting, capable of mass destruction, alleviating fears, singing praise and sounding trumpets.  Those are just a few of the things that the Angels of scripture are noted for. With nearly three-hundred references to angels in the Holy Bible, angels show up on the scene to help God accomplish God's purpose.

Scripture References for the Festival of Michael and All Angels:

Selected reading from Daniel 10 and 12:  http://bible.oremus.org/?passage=Daniel+7:1-18&vnum=yes&version=nrsv 

Revelation12:7-12:  http://bible.oremus.org/?passage=Revelation+11:19+-+12:10&vnum=yes&version=nrsv  Luke 10:17-20 http://bible.oremus.org/?passage=Luke+10:1-20&vnum=yes&version=nrsv

September 22, 2013

Sermon based on Luke 16:1-13 which presents with the parable of the dishonest steward.  It doesn't make sense. No real owner/employer is going to reward someone for giving away his stuff.  Not any more than a real shepherd leaves a whole flock to go chasing after 1 lost sheep.  Oh, wait, unless, it's THAT shepherd...THAT owner.

Jesus says "count the cost" if you want to be a follower.  It sounds like a big job.   What does the character of Christian discipleship look like?  And why would anyone want to commit their lives to serving God and neighbor? 

Because we are grateful that Jesus already paid it all.  We are disciples not to earn God's favor, but to show the world to whom we belong.