Lutheran Church of the Resurrection

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The season of Advent is about the arrival of the king to his kingdom. The Church's Advent season begins today with the arrival of Jesus on a donkey to the cheers of the crowd. Not to be upstaged or overshadowed, the city of Waterville got the jump on the church and began it's season of Advent two days early with the arrival of Santa Claus on a fire engine to the cheers of the children. Clothes and branches laid down at the feet of Jesus. Check books and Visa cards laid down at the feet of Santa. Two questions begging for our answer. The one asks, "what's in your wallet?" The other asks, "what's in your heart?" The one has done all the clever marketing surveys and offers us just what we want – on sale. The other knows us better than we know ourselves and offers us just what we need – for free. Two voices vying for our attention. The one voice says, "Behold, the X-Box." The other, "Behold, the Lamb of God." (more…)

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The cry went out, "Here is the bridegroom! Come out to meet Him." And you showered and shaved. Put on some make-up. Got the kids up and dressed and got a little breakfast in you to hold you over and here you are. Welcome to the wedding reception of the bride and her groom. Where Jesus is the groom and His bride is you – His beautiful bride – His holy, Christian Church – beautifully adorned in pure white robes of unblemished righteousness, radiant holiness and vibrant love.

You have come here to meet the groom – your groom – your Lord. And He has not been delayed in His arrival. His presence was formally announced, "In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit." And just as He has promised, "wherever two or three gather in His name, there He is present." He is present with us here- at this place – at this time. And bride and groom united together in love – as one flesh. He uniting Himself to our flesh – we being united to His Spirit. United as one – and nothing can separate us. Where He goes, we go. What He suffers, we suffer. His house is our house. His food is our food. His joy is our joy. His peace is our peace. His victory is our victory. (more…)

Evolution vs. Intelligent Design Dr. William Dembski vs. Dr. Michael Shermer November 16, 2005 – Colby College, Waterville, Me.

I spent two-thirds of this past summer reading William Dembski’s book “Intelligent Design – The Bridge Between Science And Theology” with more than a few brain cramps along the way. (The other third was spent reading Michael Behe’s “Darwin’s Black Box. Next summer I’m reading comic books.) So when I heard that Dembski was going to be live at Colby debating Michael Shermer, I was there. As it turned out, the debate was rather a mismatch between a heavyweight and a welterweight – Shermer the lighter of the two by far. (He could have furthered his credibility significantly if he had just worn different shoes. Who wears black and white leather shoes for an academic debate?) Each speaker was given 20 minutes to present his argument either for why ID should be considered a legitimate science or not. Questions and answers followed.

Here are a few thoughts I left with. (more…)

Landslide kills 26 in Columbia

Deadly bird-flu confirmed in Turkey

East Asian Earthquake death toll passes 79,000

Palestinian woman hides grenade under her baby.

Three children dropped into Bay – Mother arrested.

Wilma hits Florida

Al-Zarqawi builds his terror network

Suicide bombers strike Lebanon – 46 killed.

2000 US troops dead since start of war

1 Killed in Tennessee school shooting

France declares state of emergency.

What's this world coming to? There's a question that screams for an answer. How do you answer a question like that? It's a question that forces you to take a position. Are you an optimist or a pessimist? A realist or an idealist? What's your worldview? We tend to get so wrapped up in our own little world that may not like that question. "Worldview – schmorld-view. I'd just like to know what my life is coming to." (more…)

All Saints Sunday made it’s entrance onto the Church’s calendar a recently as the 4th century. On this Sunday were read the names of all those who had died in the faith over the past year. Actually, and I’m very pleased to say this, and I take no credit for this, we did not have members of this congregation die since last All Saints Sunday. It’s not a good thing when there are no baptisms or confirmations or new members joined the congregation in a year but that there have been no deaths in a year is a very good thing and we give thanks to God for that. “Lord, we’ll take another year like it please – yet thy will be done.” (more…)

“Speak to all the congregation of the people of Israel and say to them, ‘You shall be holy, for I the Lord your God am holy.’” Leviticus 19:1-2

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

I don't follow the cartoons in the paper very closely, although I suspect that there is a great deal of wisdom in them. I used to read Any Capp and I remember one cartoon where Andy meets his friend Julie outside the front of the church.
Andy: Hi, Julie.
Julie: Hi, Andy. Andy: You belong to this church?
Julie: Yes, You too? Andy: Yes. Julie: Strange, I've been going here for three years and I've never seen you. Andy: Well, I didn't say that I was a fanatic. (more…)

“For the word of the cross is folly to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God… For since in the wisdom of God, the world did not know God through wisdom, it pleased God through the folly of what we preach to save those who believe. For Jews demand signs and Greeks seek wisdom, but we preach Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and folly to Gentiles, but to those who are called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God.” 1 Corinthians 1:18-24

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

While a guard was taking a prisoner from prison to the courtroom to be arraigned, he noticed a small cross around the neck of the convict. The guard took a closer look at the cross because something about it made it look unusual. When questioned, the prisoner said that it was a good luck charm. But the policeman was sure that cross looked strikingly similar to a handcuff key. By experimentation he found that the funny shape of this cross was not so funny. It would in fact open most handcuffs. The discovery led to the exposure of an attempt by prisoners in the jail to make a number of these "cross keys." (more…)

We Are More Than Conquerors – Romans 8:31-39

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

Ours is a time that is filled with anxiety. The war against terrorism seems to have no end in sight because the terrorists refuse to give up. Kidnappings, murders, drugs, theft – right here in Maine. Add to that, illness, accidents and lost jobs. And the people of God are not immune to any of this. In fact we share in this discord. We also experience many of the dead ends that the people of this world face in the anxiety of these times. Where the people of the world turn for comfort and hope, I’m not sure – but I do know where the people of God turn! It is for such a time as ours that St. Paul could well have written the great words of Romans 8. They ring true and clear, sending out a word of hope and assurance to the people of God in his day and in ours.
(more…)

“Come, follow me. I will make you fishers of men.” Matthew 4:19.

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

It is a gracious invitation that Jesus makes by inviting us to, “Come, follow me. I will make you fishers of men.” I call it a gracious invitation because it is not one that we deserve in the least – yet one that Jesus issues simply because He loves us and wants the best for us. The invitation is quadruple grace. (That grace x 4 for us non-math types. I saw a bumper sticker awhile back that read, “There are only three kinds of people in this world. Those that can count and those who can’t.”) (more…)

“Jesus said to [Martha], ‘I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will never die.’” John 11:25-26

Dear Brothers and Sisters in Christ,

When we’re young our life is like a ship that is viewed from the shore that it departs from. As we watch the ship move away from the dock out into the open seas it gets smaller and smaller until it’s just a small dot on the horizon. And all during this phase of our life, the theme that characterizes our attitude about our life is summarized in the words, “There she goes.” (more…)