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Showing posts from September, 2015

Parents are the MOST IMPORTANT PEOPLE in Children's Faith Formation

This article is similar to one posted on our Youth and Families page because that article was my first draft. This is a second look at this topic because it is of vital importance to our children. Some people brought children to Jesus so that he would place his hands on them and pray. But the disciples scolded them. “Allow the children to come to me,” Jesus said. “Don’t forbid them, because the kingdom of heaven belongs to people like these children .” Then he blessed the children and went away from there. – Matthew 19:13-15 When I was called to serve Emmanuel and Our Savior’s, one of the areas that I was asked to focus on was youth ministry. I have done my best to make that an area that I focus on. This summer, at one of the continuing education events I went to, I read a quote that got my attention. By the time our children are ten or eleven years old, they have figured out if faith practice is really real and important to their parents, or if they do it only for the s

Forgiveness

This is the manuscript for my sermon for Sunday, September 6. The text is Psalm 146. This Sunday, the Bishop Eaton asked ELCA churches to join with churches of the AME for " Confession, Repentance and Commitment to End Racism." We used a form of the confession and prayers that were provided as resources, and I included that theme into my message. This psalm starts and ends with a word we don’t say often enough, hallelujah. So, say it with me, hallelujah. Shout it with me, HALLELUJAH!! Hallelujah comes to us from Hebrew and is the joining of the words “Praise” and “God.” Saying hallelujah means to praise God. So let us praise God, hallelujah!! But what are we praising God for? The Psalter tells us that we should hymn to my God while I breathe , singing a holy song as long as we are alive. In this instance, we are celebrating that God is not human or mortal, because people offer no rescue. (Their) breath departs, (they) return to the dust. Next Sunday, w