A thought: The difference
I’m looking out my study window this morning. The grass is green. The birds are flying from branch to branch. The robins are hopping on the grass to find lunch.…
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A thought: The difference
A thought: Imperfect world, imperfect life
This is my third or fourth try at this thought. The past months have brought all kinds of things to mind: first, COVID-19, then the protests, the violence, and the…
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A thought: Imperfect world, imperfect life
A thought: Joy and peace today and everyday
It’s been a test for us all. It included self-quarantine and social distancing. All the while businesses were closed, and contacts with friends and family became digital. Churches stood empty…
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A thought: Joy and peace today and everyday
A thought: Good job!
Good job and thank you! I thought this but couldn’t say it to everyone I thought should hear it. As I write this, we have been asked—mandated—to avoid unnecessary contact…
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A thought: Good job!
A thought: In God’s hands
As I write this thought, we are all concerned about the spread of a virus that has already killed thousands. Events and responses change day to day and sometimes even…
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A thought: In God’s hands
A thought: Outing death
“Don’t forget, you’re going to die,” the message on the screen read. It was from an app that sends five e-mails each day with the sober reminder that death is…
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A thought: Outing death
A thought: The Christ
Christianity is not just a label, a category, or a space to be filled in for some pollster. We are named after Christ. The shepherds heard the angels identify the…
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A thought: The Christ
A thought: Trusting what we cannot see
Seeing the little baby in the manger at Christmas fills us all with joy and wonder. It is a universal experience because we have all looked with joy and wonder…
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A thought: Trusting what we cannot see
A thought: Partners
I admit that sometimes when I read the epistles of the New Testament, I easily skip over the first couple of verses. In those verses, Paul, who wrote most of…
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A thought: Partners
Heirs of heaven
John A. Braun What does God see and know about us humans? We often think that he has forgotten us, but God sees all that we have done, all that…
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Heirs of heaven
Hope
John A. Braun The presence of Thanksgiving at the end of every November helps us to pause and count our blessings. That exercise will be repeated this year as we…
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Hope
The Avengers and two lions
John A. Braun Captain America; Thor; Iron Man; and of course, Thanos. Along with a host of other comic book heroes, they have helped Marvel create one of the most successful and lucrative series of films. This…
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The Avengers and two lions
Faith in Jesus
John A. Braun I believe. I say those words regularly with others as we confess what we believe. I believe in a specific God who has stepped into history for all humanity. When…
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Faith in Jesus
God’s policy of love
John A. Braun The song “Jesus Loves Me” has come from the voices of little children for as long as I can remember. Their voices move us to smile and to appreciate the lesson they are…
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God’s policy of love
Lord, have mercy!
John A. Braun On most Sundays, after we are reminded that we begin worship in the name of the almighty holy and majestic Triune God, we confess our sins. Together we begin, “Holy…
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Lord, have mercy!
Light in the darkness
John A. Braun The longest day of this year will be June 21—the day of the summer solstice. In the United States, we will have about 15 hours of light. The sad realization is that…
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Light in the darkness
Why?
John A. Braun From the beginning of his life, Jesus was the focus of opposition. Herod wanted to rid his little part of the world of this child whose birth had been…
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Why?
The shroud
John A. Braun On more than one occasion we have been delayed by a serious accident on the freeway. At some of those scenes, emergency personnel erected canvas tarps to…
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The shroud
A Lutheran Lent
John A. Braun On Ash Wednesday in some churches—some Lutheran churches too—ashes are placed on foreheads as a sign of repentance. For many, Lent is giving up some indulgence—like candy, greasy food, or even red meat—for 40…
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A Lutheran Lent
Where is God?
John A. Braun We were at a restaurant for breakfast with family after church. As we talked and waited for our food, I noticed two women in a booth nearby.…
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Where is God?
Turning pages
Our lives are a succession of pages filled with many events and people. At the beginning of each year we turn to a blank page and stare at it, wondering…
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Turning pages