A thought: Partners
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
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.…
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…