Acts 17:22-31 ~ Psalm 66:8-20 ~ 1 Peter 3:13-22 ~ John 14:15-21 Read online "If you love me, you will keep my commandments.” Jesus makes this statement in the Gospel reading for Sunday. Less than a chapter earlier, in the same speach in John 13:34, Jesus says “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another”. This is the only time in the Gospels that Jesus gives a “commandment”. He gives other instructions, but he doesn’t command. In the other three Gospels, he su

Acts 2:42-47 ~ Psalm 23 ~ 1 Peter 2:19-25 ~ John 10:1-10 Read online The Fourth Sunday of Easter is also known as Good Shepherd Sunday because on this Sunday, every year, we read Psalm 23 and part of the 10th chapter of the Gospel of John, where Jesus says “I am the Good Shepherd”. He also says, “I am the Gate”, but “Gate Sunday” doesn’t have the same ring to it. When we talk about Jesus as the Good Shepherd, our minds are filled with bucolic paintings in soft tones where

As we prepare to gather for Synod Assembly, our Synod is inviting congregations across the synod to take part in a special Million Penny Offering! The idea is simple: Find a one-gallon milk jug and start filling it with pennies. Invite members of your congregation to drop in their spare change and watch the jug slowly fill up. If your congregation fills more than one jug, even better! Our goal is to collect a million pennies across our synod! Once your collection is complete,

Acts 2:14a, 36-41 ~ Psalm 116:1-4, 12-19 ~ 1 Peter 1:17-23 ~ Luke 24:13-35 Read online During the Middle Ages a tradition began on the 2nd Sunday of Easter to have a bit of fun. On that day, the court jester would dress up as the Priest and lead worship as only a jester could do. It was a way to have a bit of fun, but there was also a message in the fun: Jesus had triumphed over the greatest threat to humanity, death. What could be more important to celebrate than that?