I’ve often read or listened to Jesus’ famous “Sermon on the Mount” kind of like I listen to background music: it’s pleasant. It’s pretty. It’s just… so… nice. Throughout most of the month of February (in most mainline churches around the world), we will be wading our way into the entirety of this profound sermon, […]
Read more "Musings on the Role of the Church in Such a Time as This."Wait for it… The season of advent is sometimes a hard one to wrap my head around, really; I noticed that carols were being pumped through the speakers at the mall weeks before Thanksgiving, while I was hunting for new wool socks in preparation for winter. We think of advent as a season of hope; […]
Read more "No Longer at Ease: Advent 2016"Feel free to listen along to the sermon, if you’d rather– click this link for the audio. Today’s gospel lesson comes from Luke 21: 5-19: When some were speaking about the temple, how it was adorned with beautiful stones and gifts dedicated to God, he said, “As for these things that you see, the days will come […]
Read more "Shifting our Gaze to Who God Sees: A Post-Election Sermon | Ian McConnell"Again, God weeps, and says “this is not what it means to be a neighbor.” I have to admit it: I’m feeling particularly fragile this morning. On Wednesday night, my wife Rachel and I heard about the shooting of Philando Castile only two miles from our home, and decided to stand with the grieving community that […]
Read more "Sermon: Come Near, Neighbor."The following is adapted from an email I received from Rozella White, the Director of Young Adult Ministries in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. As a person involved in ELCA Advocacy, ELCA Racial Justice Ministries, and ELCA Young Adult Ministries in various capacities, I am extremely excited about this initiative and proud of the cooperative […]
Read more "We Are Called To Do More Than Just Talk."The following is adapted from a statement I originally authored for a release by ELCA Advocacy, the arm of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America working on issues of public policy and advocating for justice. As an ally with people who suffer oppressive systems, and particularly after the death of Jamar Clark, a young black man in […]
Read more "For me to say that #BlackLivesMatter Shouldn’t be Offensive to You."The following is a sermon by Martha Schwehn-Bardwell, a former pastoral intern at Redeemer Lutheran from this past Sunday, reflecting on last week’s gospel message as well as on the documentary, “I Do Mind Dying.” “I do mind dying.” I do mind dying. This is the title of a powerful documentary that I recently watched […]
Read more "“I Do Mind Dying” – a sermon from Martha Schwehn-Bardwell"I just want to start this post with a simple idea: place matters. Where you live matters in significant ways. For starters, just take a moment to think about your answers to these questions: What do your neighbors look like? When was the area you live in built? Who moved there? When? Why? Who didn’t move there? […]
Read more "Place Matters, or, why you might not “get” that Some Deaths Demand Protest"Originally posted on ActToEndHate:
Today I went to the beach by myself. I am always surprised that freshwater lakes can have decent beaches. I got home from work about 3:45pm, then changed, packed, and biked down to the lake. I promptly got in the water, and was probably swimming-floating, etc., for about 20 or 30…
Last night was the 13th annual Redeemer Block Party: an end-of-summer celebration of all the ministries, programs, and partnerships we enjoy together. Each year, over 600 people from the church, the Harrison neighborhood, North Minneapolis organizations, and partner congregations participate in the ministries and programs offered through the church and Redeemer Center for Life, and […]
Read more "Walking the Walk Report: Redeemer Block Party 2015"
lingering in love 