Pr. Cheryl Walenta Gorvie Sermon - blog

Last week, I spoke about our local Synod Assembly for the Central States Synod, which is the annual business meeting of churches doing ministry and stewarding money and responding in faith. There are rules and parliamentary procedures and I’m not especially jazzed about all that, and I would have skipped the explanation entirely except that the whole reason we bother with all the procedures is because we’re trying to govern the church within community. We don’t elect repres

John the Baptist promised fire—remember what he was preaching in the wilderness? “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” [1] He tells people that the one coming after him will baptize with the Holy Spirit and with fire. John is looking for a flamethrower, and what he gets is Jesus. Is John surprised by Jesus? Was Jesus not what he expected? Jesus didn’t show up with any of the fire that John had promised! Jesus simply shows up, demonstrating the humble si

Happy New Year? Just as we were ready to return to our routines, refreshed and exuberant, here comes the snow. And more snow. And we...

We are remembering who we are and where we come from—in baptism, we become children of God.

Ash Wednesday, in the year of our Lord 2021—who needs ashes right now after a year like we have had? Maybe it’s just as well that a polar...