Trinity 18, 2023

There are many congregations, but one church. The one, holy, catholic and apostolic church finds its expression in local assemblies. That’s what the word church means: assembly. Today’s Epistle reading is a letter to one of those local assemblies: “To the church of God that is in Corinth.”

We tend to think of Christianity in individual terms, a private faith, a personal experience or decision. Certainly the individual is involved, but Paul writes to Corinth as he does to all the other local congregations: collectively…

Read More

Seventh Sunday after Trinity 2022

I’ve been listening to a lot of Miles Davis the last few years. He was a brilliant jazz trumpeter and composer who kept reinventing himself from bebop to cool jazz to funk to fusion. The seminal sound of film noir came from his score to Elevator to the Gallows, which he and his group played by just jamming while the film was playing. As far as music goes, he didn’t have many natural limitations.

I used to want to be a jazz musician. I can understand what’s happening, but to actually perform it like the pros, you need a mind that runs about 20x faster than mine. I spent years practicing, but I have too many natural limitations….

Read More

Holy Spirit, Holy People

Dear Brothers and Sisters: In the Divine Service we have received from our fathers, just before communion the Celebrant holds up the Body and Blood of Jesus and says, “The peace of the Lord be with you always.” Then we sing to Christ the Lamb of God and approach.

In the earliest recorded Divine Service, at that spot, the pastor says, “May grace come and may this world pass away. Hosanna to the God of David. If anyone is holy, let him approach; if anyone is not, let him repent” (Didache 10.6). “If anyone is holy, let him approach.” Who qualifies? Are you holy? …

Read More

Identity Politics & Identity Theology

Identity politics threatens civil discourse. Identity politics rips at the fabric of our society. Identity politics is finally dehumanizing, because it teaches people to find their identity in non-integral characteristics, instead of at the core of what it means to be human….

Read More