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Keep Reading >>Manna
9/18/2013 10:37:59 PM
Something You Catch Only If You're In Church Every Sunday
Matthew Johnson
The Collect of the Day "collects" the major theme of a given Sunday morning running through the psalm(s) and Scripture readings. The major theme ought also be reflected in the hymns, especially the Hymn of the Day. A couple of weeks ago I noticed something that you could...
4/30/2013 8:35:27 AM
Joyful Hymnody
Matthew Johnson
In the Collect for the Week we prayed that God would grant us to fix our hearts where true joys are to be found. Joy and happiness are not the same thing. Christian joy is rooted in the resurrection of Christ. During this joyful Eastertide the joy given us by God has been given...
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Keep Reading >>1/23/2013 9:50:30 AM
Lutheran Malaria Initiative
Matthew Johnson
The link below is to a video showing the life story that could be repeated many times over in Africa and south Asia. Malaria cuts short an otherwise promising life of service toward neighbor and country. A person dies every 45 seconds from a totally preventable and treatable...
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Keep Reading >>1/16/2013 5:27:01 PM
Exciting Sunday
Matthew Johnson
Only every three years do we get to follow the traditional reading for the Second Sunday After Epiphany (this coming Sunday)! As LSB 399 makes clear ("The Star Proclaims the King is Here") the traditional order is Epiphany--January 6 has the visit of the magi from...
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Keep Reading >>1/14/2013 1:25:11 PM
Baptism of Our Lord
Matthew Johnson
Above is an icon of the Baptism of our Lord. It is a "modern" version, evident by the fact that the title is written not in Greek but in English. On one of Jordan's banks stands the Baptist, while on the other we see four angels (Greek =...
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Keep Reading >>12/17/2012 11:17:20 AM
Newtown and God's Wisdom
Matthew Johnson
Last week's tragedy at the Sandy Hook Elementary School in Connecticut stunned our whole nation and has called forth many efforts to understand what happened and how best to respond. I, for one, thought immediately of Job. He wanted God to address him in the midst of his...
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Keep Reading >>12/10/2012 10:52:31 AM
Sing to the Lord a New Song
Matthew Johnson
Yesterday our Sunday School students gave their annual Christmas program in lieu of the 10:30 a.m. Divine Service. We had readings from the Christmas Story (from Luke 2, our Gospel for this Church Year), costumed characters moving to and fro, and of course, wonderful singing. The...
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Keep Reading >>11/27/2012 8:38:37 AM
Endings
Matthew Johnson
We are in the last week of the church year. These last couple of Sundays have taken their assigned Gospel reading from the final discourse of Jesus, spoken during holy Week. The main topic of Jesus' teaching has to do with the signs of the end of the world and with promises of...
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Keep Reading >>11/6/2012 10:31:14 AM
All Saints' Day and Election Day
Matthew Johnson
On each United States coin there is the Latin saying "e pluribus unum"--"from many, one." It is the goal of every nation/kingdom/society to be united around common aspirations, common history, common language, and common defense. In the case of our country we...
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Keep Reading >>11/6/2012 10:20:47 AM
All Saints' Day Celebrated at St. John's
Matthew Johnson
Since I was preaching at a sister congregation (within our circuit) this past Sunday I missed our congregation's celebration of All Saints' Day (one of my favorite Sundays of the year). Below you will find a newsletter article I wrote for the month of November reflecting on some...
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