Daily Bible Reading

This week marks the half way point of the launch "Living Discipleship." Of course, there is no end to actually living the life of discipleship for those of us who call ourselves Christian. Discipline is hard, though, so we shouldn't be too surprised when we fall off the bike now and then. We need to remember to get back on, though, too.

So - how's daily Bible reading going for you and your household? Are you reading on your own? Did you start with Genesis 1:1? Are you trying to do devotions as a family? Did you scoff at the suggestion?

Leave your comments - let's talk about what's working and not working for this community.



Personally - besides the Luther Seminary "God Pause" devotion that gets emailed to me every day, I am working through Matthew's Gospel during the day and at night doing a short devotion written by Eugene Peterson, and using his paraphrase of the Bible, called "The Message."

Daily Prayer

"Living Discipleship," our pastoral initiative for 2008, is now underway. My colleague, Brian, preached about Daily Prayer last Sunday. For those of you who are embracing the six marks of discipleship, I hope that your experience of this first emphasis on prayer this week is going well.
In addition to my own prayers, and shared prayer-time with my husband, there are several other resources I use each day. I find they help me get out of my own little life and expand my perspective. One of these resources is the ELCA's Prayer Ventures, which I have emailed to me every day. I'm also going to add Prayer Ventures to the sidebar to the right of these posts.
Today's prayer is very simple, and yet profound: Pray for the courage and strength to live in ways that honor the image of God in all people.
Imagine, remembering that ALL people bear God's image, and living accordingly. And then imagine if all of us managed to do that. The world would change. I know my life would certainly be different. And most probably better.

Real Justice

I haven't got time to write much right now...
BUT - today's God Pause devotion from Luther Seminary is excellent. Here it is:

Monday, 1/7/2008
Isaiah 42:1-9
In a post-Sept. 11 world, we may have a very warped view of justice. We expect the authorities to catch Osama bin Laden and make him pay for his crime. Television relentlessly airs stories about a search for someone who has killed an attractive female. We understand these "catching the criminal" efforts as doing justice.

But more than likely the prophet had a very different understanding of justice. His understanding was not "retribution" but "distribution." Around the world, in areas where the church is growing, people understand justice as fairness. Justice is distributing the goods fairly. Here the prophet's idea lives!

Isaiah's warning applies to us in this country, where the gap between wealthy and poor grows bigger. The servant community's task is to establish justice, not pray for retribution. A true justice department has as much to do with banking, business and trade agreements as with courts, jails and law enforcement.

O God, show us what fairness is. Amen.

Harry Mueller
Reformation Lutheran Church, St. Paul, Minn.
Master of Divinity , 1972


Isaiah 42:1-9 (NRSV)1 Here is my servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my spirit upon him; he will bring forth justice to the nations.
2 He will not cry or lift up his voice, or make it heard in the street;
3 a bruised reed he will not break, and a dimly burning wick he will not quench; he will faithfully bring forth justice.
4 He will not grow faint or be crushed until he has established justice in the earth; and the coastlands wait for his teaching.
5 Thus says God, the Lord, who created the heavens and stretched them out, who spread out the earth and what comes from it, who gives breath to the people upon it and spirit to those who walk in it:
6 I am the Lord, I have called you in righteousness, I have taken you by the hand and kept you; I have given you as a covenant to the people, a light to the nations,
7 to open the eyes that are blind, to bring out the prisoners from the dungeon, from the prison those who sit in darkness.
8 I am the Lord, that is my name; my glory I give to no other, nor my praise to idols.
9 See, the former things have come to pass, and new things I now declare; before they spring forth, I tell you of them.

Christmas Garbage

Happy Fourth Day of Christmas! If anybody receives four calling birds as a gift today, please let me know!
Friday is garbage day on our block, and Grant hauled the wheelie bin out to the curb last night. When I left the house this morning, the garbage truck had not yet arrived, so all the garbage cans were standing there like sentries guarding the houses, with their "mouths" open at varying degrees, black and white garbage bags peeking out at passersby. I couldn't decide if it looked like they were begging for me, or feeling overstuffed.
The American celebration of Christmas sure does make a lot of garbage! It's not that I'm ungrateful for my Christmas presents (Santa was plenty good to me) - but it feels a little funny, just a few days later, to see all the waste accumulated in our house, and down the street.
I'm very grateful that I set spending limits on gifts with my husband and sister this year - after all, there isn't a whole lot of new stuff that any of us actually NEEDS.
And we do have an ABUNDANCE of stuff. I know we're not alone in this - after all, congregations around the country manage to have well-stocked rummage sales year after year, gathering items from the same group of households.
(The SOV Rummage Sale in 2008 will be March 15th, in case you're wondering).
So - what's up with all our STUFF? Here's a great video that may help you understand the role each of us plays in the American love affair with stuff. It's about 20 minutes long, but well worth it. Please share it with those you know and love.

Belated St. Stephen's Day Greetings

The 26th of December is the feast of St. Stephen, Deacon and Martyr. You can read about Stephen beginning in Acts 6, where he is described as "a man full of faith and the Holy Spirit." He was one of the seven men the apostles laid hands upon after they had been chosen to serve widows and others in need.

Stephen was also a teacher, and eventually his preaching angered the temple authorities, so they ordered him to be put to death by stoning. You can read about his preaching and death in Acts 7-8. Stephen was killed in front of an approving Saul (who later became the Apostle Paul) and said the most amazing thing while he was being stoned to death: "Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. Lord, do not hold this sin against them." And Stephen became the first martyr of the church. How's that for "final words."

I am glad we remember Stephen (anad the Holy Innocents - their feast day is Friday) right at the beginning of the 12 days of Christmas - it keeps the nativity scene from getting too sentimental. After all, the baby Jesus didn't stay in that manger forever - he grew up to die, and to live again - to change the world.

Of course, the world doesn't always like the challenge very much. Perhaps those of us who strive to follow Jesus shouldn't be so surprised when, because of our Lord, we are not so popular. May we have the heart of Stephen to forgive even the worst done to us.

Christmas Eve

Well, it's Christmas Eve day, and things seem pretty quiet here at the SOV offices. I know that's not true everywhere else ( I saw the parking lot at Costco), and it won't be true here for long - we've got 4 services this evening, at 5, 7, 9 and 11pm.

I wish I had something profound to say, but I don't. So - Merry Christmas. May you find time to share with family and friends.

And may you have time to pause from the busy-ness, to wonder at the amazing gift of the incarnation: Emmanuel - God with us - born as a vulnerable baby, to grow up and die for us.

And then get up, and go tell it on the mountain!

In God's Name

This Sunday, December 23rd, at 9pm eastern and 8pm central, CBS is airing a 2-hour documentary titled "In God's Name."

The show will explore the complex questions and issues of our time (including the rise of terrorism, fanaticism, intolerance and war) through the intimate thoughts and beliefs of 12 of the world's most influential spiritual leaders, including Bishop Mark Hanson, the Presiding Bishop of the ELCA. I'm planning to watch it.

The 12 leaders featured in this special, in alphabetical order, are:

• Alexei II, Patriarch of Moscow and head of the Russian Orthodox Church


• Amma (Mata Amritanandamayi), a Hindu spiritual leader


• Pope Benedict XVI, head of the Roman Catholic Church


• The Dalai Lama (Tenzin Gyatso), spiritual leader of Tibetan Buddhists


• Ayatollah Muhammad Hussein Fadlallah, a prominent Shi'ite Muslim leader


• Bishop Mark Hanson, Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America and President of the Lutheran World Federation


• Michihisa Kitashirakawa, Jingu Daiguji (High Priest) of the Shinto Grand Shrine of Ise


• Yona Metzger, Ashkenazi Chief Rabbi of Israel


• Dr. Frank Page, President of the Southern Baptist Convention


• Muhammad Sayyed Tantawi, Sheikh of Al-Azhar and a prominent Sunni Muslim leader


• Joginder Singh Vedanti, Jathedar of the Akal Takht, the Sikhs' highest authority


• Dr. Rowan Williams, Archbishop of Canterbury and head of the Church of England