April 2008
During the month of May, many of you will receive a check from the United States Treasury for at least $600 as a part of the federal government’s economic stimulus plan.
It is estimated that the 4.9 million members of the ELCA will collectively receive about one billion dollars.
At the last meeting of the Conference of Bishops of the ELCA in March, we agreed as a conference to encourage our members to tithe this one-time gift out of thanksgiving to God, and in support of those in need.
Read More |
February 2008
Traditionally, Lent has been a season during which we seek to repent our sins and move in a new direction in our lives.
Let me suggest that during this Lenten season, rather than asking what to give up, ask instead,
“How can I give myself away for the sake of others?”
Read More.
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December 2007
Christmas is a joyous season. We worship, we sing and we exchange gifts. We gather with friends and family in festive celebrations. At these gatherings there is always an abundance of good food…. that can lead to an expansion of our waistlines.
One of the carols of this season starts with these lines: “O Little Town of Bethlehem….” The word “Bethlehem” literally means “place of food.”
We could sing, “O Little Town of Good Food….” Or, better yet, we could sing,“O Little Town of God’s Good Food.”
For that is what is born on Christmas, THE BREAD OF HEAVEN, God’s food for life.
Read More.
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September 2007 |
As I write this article I am looking forward to completing my 75th Called2Connect congregational visit this weekend. What a joy it has been for me to visit with rostered and lay leaders of our congregations and hear how God’s mission is being done throughout the Indiana-Kentucky Synod!
What encourages me most about these gatherings is the energy and excitement I sense around the table as we talk. There is a genuine enthusiasm for the mission and ministry that we share as the people of God for the sake of the world.
This transition can only be attributed to the work of the Holy Spirit nudging us into a more hopeful future.
Read More.
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June
2007 |
At
the Friday evening gathering worship for Synod Assembly this year we ordained
our newest pastor, Joseph Faust, who will serve Trinity Lutheran in Linton, Indiana.
During the homily I said that the Spirit was about to “puff” him up
in a good way. The breath of God was about to come upon him so that he can be
more than he is.
This
is what the Spirit does for each of us, no matter what the calling may be.
Read
More.
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February
2007 |
As
I write this to you, we are in the midst of the Epiphany season when we remember
that we are called to make Christ known to the world. One of the ways the Indiana-Kentucky
Synod has been faithful in doing this has been through our Campus Ministries.
We
are in danger of losing some of these ministries because of the present financial
pressures we are dealing with as a church and synod.
What
can you do to support these vital ministries?
Read
More
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December
2006 |
Where
do you think the Christ Child would be born if he were born today…. in the
middle of New Orleans or Darfur?... in Bethlehem or Baghdad?… in you or in
me?
This
promise is the center of our Christmas celebrations.
And,
yes, it is a promise.
Read
More
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October,
2006 |
Spiritual
amnesia is the greatest issue facing the church today.
Recently,
in reading Professor Mark Allen Powell's book "Giving to God," I was
reminded why we are struggling as a church these days in the area of finances
and mission support. He was commenting on the words of Moses who viewed the affluence
of the Israelites as something to celebrate when he said: "You shall eat
your fill and you shall bless the Lord your God for the good land that he has
given you." (Deut 8:10)
But
then came the warning:
When
you have eaten your fill and have built fine houses and live in them, and when
your herds and flocks have multiplied, and your silver and gold is multiplied,
and all that you have is multiplied… Do not say to yourself, "My power
and the might of my own hand have gotten me this wealth." But remember the
Lord your God, for it is he who gives you power to get wealth. (Deut 18:12-18)
Read
More
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September,
2006 |
When
I was a candidate for the office of bishop in 1995, I naively proposed that if
I were elected I would purchase or rent a mobile home and travel throughout the
synod, spending two months in each conference visiting rostered persons and congregations.
I
felt this was the best way to get to know the synod and connect with the people
and ministries here. Bishop Kempski in his response commended me on the idea but
said it would be difficult to accomplish this due to the frenetic nature of the
bishop's schedule.
I learned what he meant three years later when
I was elected bishop and the first thing that Presiding Bishop Anderson did after
congratulating me was...
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June,
2006 |
I
offer what I have for the work of this church, and I ask you to offer what you
have for the sake of the Gospel. Together we trust that Jesus will take our meager
offerings and multiply them so that God's people may be fed with the Good News.
At
our recent synod assembly in Indianapolis, we heard wonderful and amazing reports
about all that we are doing together as the people of God.
From individuals,
congregations, conferences, churchwide representatives and others, we heard about... |
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Easter,
2006 |
...what
we do in ministry becomes very crucial for the people we serve in our congregations
and in the community. We have the Good News that no one else has and we need to
proclaim it for the sake of the world!
As
I write to you on Easter Monday with the Good News of the resurrection ringing
in my ears, I am thinking of all of you and the partnership we share.
What
a privilege it is to share the Gospel with a world in need of hearing this message.
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April,
2006 |
"Our
true identity is as followers. We don't decide what the future will be. We don't
decide where we are going. We cannot control what will happen. We are simply called
to follow and trust the promise."
During
this Lenten Season we remember what God has done for us in Jesus, the Christ.
As the first disciples journeyed with our Lord to Jerusalem to witness his suffering
and death for us on the cross, so we do also in this season.
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February,
2006 |
"Unity
is a gift given to us in Christ. When we join with other Christians in worship
we witness to that oneness we share in Christ."
Unity
is a gift given to us in Christ. We are all sisters and brothers because of what
God our Father has done for us in our brother Jesus. When we join with other Christians
in worship we witness to that oneness we share in Christ.
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December,
2005 |
"This
will be a sign for you: you will find a babe wrapped in swaddling clothes and
lying in a manger."
"How
could a baby be a "Messiah?"
But
this is exactly how God works in the world. Not through the powerful and mighty,
but through the weak and lowly.
As
disciples of the Babe born at Bethlehem, we are being called, as never before,
to speak "truth to power" in order that there might be peace on earth.
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"When
we are in Christ, I don't see a limit to our generosity. From the heart of God
comes all that we need in order to be the loving arms of God reaching out to a
suffering world." |
Even
though we have witnessed the devastation and destruction caused by Hurricanes
Katrina and Rita, we have also seen a nation struggle to respond in a positive
and life-giving way. We
watched with horror and a sense of helplessness when nothing was being done for
days to relieve the chaos and suffering. As a nation, we have prided ourselves
in being able to respond to such tragedies. But this time seemed different. |
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August,
2005 |
"We
will be forced to set aside our agendas and whatever political tendencies we might
have to hear God's agenda for us and the world. We need this action of God in
our midst so that what we do will be to God's glory and reflect God's love for
all people." |
| Do
you remember the first time you received Holy Communion? The first time I received
the Eucharist was on Palm Sunday, 1961, at St. Peter's Lutheran Church in Columbus,
Ohio. I was thirteen years old. I had been through two years of every Saturday
morning catechetical instruction leading up to my Confirmation and First Communion
on that Sunday. |
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April,
2005
"We
need this message. The world needs this message because it is often easier to
face death than it is to face life." |
Please
don't misunderstand me! Death brings certain assurances. I know that
I will be in the arms of Jesus and that my life will be fulfilled as a child of
God as I enter into God's hands. I know that my struggles will be over and that
I will confidently be able to say, "Into your hands, I commend my spirit."
There will be healing and reconciliation and all things will be made new and there
will be great joy and peace.
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Winter,
2004 |
"Opportunities
and Challenges for the Coming Year"
December, 2004 |
We
give thanks to God for the opportunity to share with you in the mission and ministry
that God has given us. Our mission is to empower, equip and encourage the people
of God to make Christ known. With the whole Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
we believe that we are claimed, gathered and sent for the sake of the world.The
year 2005 promises to be a year of growth for us as we continue to endeavor to
fulfill the mission God has given us in the world. |
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Fall,
2004 |
"We
Need to Talk" |
As
we look forward to a new church and calendar year, I have been thinking and praying
about what that year will look like and what God is calling us to do. I am reminded
that since it is the year of Matthew we will once again hear Jesus' emphasis on
our call to "baptize and teach" as seen through the eyes of the evangelist.
As a synod we have heard God's call for us to make Christ known, and we have committed
ourselves to "empowering, equipping and encouraging" one another in
this work.... |
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Summer,
2004 |
"Reluctant
and Grouchy Partners in Mission?" |
...Most
have interpreted this parable as an encouragement for us to be persistent in our
prayer life being assured that God will listen and answer. I have always had trouble
with that interpretation because it makes God a reluctant and grouchy partner
in mission. |
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May,
2004 |
"This
Journey Continues" |
For the past six years, I have had the honor and the privilege of serving as your
bishop, and of working with you so that we might respond to God's goodness in
our lives, hear God's call for our synod and our congregations, and say yes to
God's plans for our shared future.
I am grateful for your partnership
in this work, and I am grateful for the vote of affirmation I received during
our assembly. Thank you.
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Lent,
2004 |
"Giving
something away for Lent" |
During
this season of Lent you may be asked, "And what did you give up for Lent?"
I think it's a good question, but that's not the question I would ask of you.
Instead, I would ask, "What are you giving away for Lent?" The
difference in prepositions is the difference between sacrifice and grace. |
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