Sunday Stretch: Vol. 18

Start off your week with a grounded take on Bible, prayer, the world, and your life ...

Today is my first Sunday morning after leaving the congregation where I was most recently called as Pastor. The past three years there shaped me so much as a pastor and as a person, and I appreciate your continued prayers for me and for that congregation’s transition process to a new pastor, who I believe God has already begun to call.

What’s kind of funny is that this Sunday is actually not a Sunday away from the pulpit for me. Prior to knowing my transition timeline, I had agreed to lead an event just about 15 minutes north of my previous congregation, in Hutchinson, Minn. So this morning, I will return to a congregation where I’ve preached before, to share a sermon and then a lunchtime forum about the most recent edition of Red State Christians.

A lot of people have wondered if my leaving this congregation without a new pastoral position in hand means that I won’t be a Pastor anymore. First of all, I’m so grateful for our Lutheran teaching about vocation — which remembers that all of us are called to be ministers of the Gospel, inside and outside the church. I am so grateful that my ministry will continue for the Gospel in my writing work right here on Substack, especially this Sunday newsletter focusing on Bible texts, as well as my work to engage the Gospel and spirituality with news, current events, and everyday life.

As for that particular ministry of Word and Sacrament in the Church, I’m so grateful for colleagues and congregations who invite me to preach and preside as a guest in their churches. This Sunday is another example of the ways that God - and my colleagues and fellow church leaders - are inviting me to continue to do ministry in a way that attempts to serve my gifts, the Church, and also help me be present for my family and young kids. I’ll continue to be a rostered minister in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, where I was ordained in 2013.

Thanks be to God! And if you’re interested in this Sunday’s presentation, here’s a link to the church’s livestream and social media.

I’m grateful again this week to be reminded of the ministry and fiery witness for justice, truth, and an end to oppression and white supremacy, especially in the church, preached by the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and by his siblings in the Civil Rights movement - as well as those who continue on today to work as activists in this space. The photo above links to the end of Dr. King’s final speech. Its power has not diminished one iota in all these years. May God give us all a tiny piece of the courage he had in his too-short 39 years.

Bible Stories

Here are some weekly readings (from the Revised Common Lectionary), and some reflection thoughts/questions: