Mindful Leader

Youth Mission Report Sunday

Noah Haight is reading the Scripture.  Short excerpt of the Summer Singers.  Melissa Doloff introducing the speakers.  Lindsay Blanchett, Jaimie Olson, Isaac Reese, and then moi.  Youth went to Mescalero, New Mexico.  Scripture is from Sermon on the Mount and not putting our lights under a basket.  

Forgotten Women of the Bible -- Hannah

1 Samuel 1 -- I read the end here -- verses 20 to 28 but the liturgist had read all of the big (and hard) words earlier.  The Youth had sung an anthem that included the words "I believe in God, even when God is silent."  We had new members coming in and I cut the sermon a little short.  Not a lot.  Think I got the "key points."  Hannah starts the story of moving from chaos to order (depends on who's definition of order I think).  She is the mother of Samuel.  But the first two chapters focus on Hannah, not Samuel.  

Forgotten Women of the Bible -- Abigail

1 Samuel 25 -- and we look at Abigail.  Three main characters:  David, Nabal, and Abigail.  One shows true hospitality.  The others are more "meh" in their roles.  

Forgotten Women of the Bible -- Devorah

This is from Judges 4.  We would in English call the heroine here, Deborah, but I have a friend named Devorah, and I felt that saying her name, in Hebrew, was the right thing.  Devorah stands on behalf of being courageous.  She is a fiery woman or maybe a woman of lightening or woman of the torch.  She stands like a beacon, and deserves to be remembered.

Creeds -- Week 2

The Sunday after the shootings in Louisiana, Minnesota, and Dallas.  Deuteronomy 6: 4-9 (read by liturgist) and 1 Corinthians 8: 1-6.  Yes, I revised the sermon after the events of last week.  

We are speaking to the Nicene Creed -- and this is the passage on God.  

1st Thessalonians 1: 1-10 Reacting to External Pressures

This week the primary scripture is not part of the podcast.  The title shows the primary preaching text.  

Two scriptures make up the discussion/proclamation.  One is Acts 17: 1-9 and the other is 1st Thessalonians 1 with a primary emphasis on the elements of 1st Thessalonians that focuses on faith, hope, and love.  Interesting that at both services I didn't record the 1st Thessalonians reading.  Not sure what went on.  

April 3, 2016 -- Acts 1: 1-14 "Be a Witness"

This sermon came together quite late.  I had all the piece parts by Saturday evening, but it had no shape, no contour, no real flow.  Marilyn and I sat down and worked together on this for an hour and this is what came out.  Michelle Starcher, our accompanist, also provided a musical offering that I didn't know about until I got to church, so that element, was woven in late.  God surprises us.  

https://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/Kolbe.html is a good link to a bio on the Roman Catholic Priest mentioned in the Sermon.  

Year End Report

Setting a bit of the stage for Mark but this is more of a year end report.  This particular sermon is at the 9:00 AM service.  

Advent 1 -- Putting Scripture Front and Center

Text is from 2 Kings and Josiah's finding of the scripture.  Most of the "exegesis" (reading out) is during the reading itself.  Sermon contains elements of restatements from July ("Why") and earlier in November (David moving Ark to the center of political authority).  

Using suggested scriptures from Luther Seminary -- Narrative Lectionary.  

Who Picked This Scripture ? God Did!

Thanksgiving week and the Narrative Lectionary gave me Isaiah 5: 1-7 and Isaiah 11: 1-9.  I think the key to this reflection is the Henri Nouwen in the middle.  It is the bridge ... but it is also the fact that this is week 52 of the church year (as it relates to the calendar).  This is Christ the King Sunday.  

The title comes from how I open the sermon -- a scene of death and brokenness and devastation and then we have to preach on Thanksgiving?  Huh?  

But to return to the Nouwen ... we are who we are as a result of the lives we have lived.  We need to get away from this idea of selecting this and rejecting that.  All of it is makes us who we are ...