Christ the King Sunday, November 25, 2018, First Trinity Lutheran Church – Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood was one of my favorite shows when I was growing up. This children’s television show aired on public television from 1968 to 2001 and was viewed by millions of children, probably some of you in this room remember him. Many Read More …

Thanksgiving Eve Service, November 21, 2018, First Trinity Lutheran Church – Is anyone here completely free of worries? Like nothing is weighing on your mind? Or you’re not feeling anxious about your job, family, home, the nation, climate change, or the Thanksgiving meal you may be preparing? Yeah, I thought so. I can see we’re Read More …

Twenty-Fifth Sunday After Pentecost, November 11, 2018, First Trinity Lutheran Church – Our Gospel text for today is a story that many of us have probably heard many times. A poor widow goes into the temple and gives all that she has to the treasury (which isn’t that much – the two coins mentioned were Read More …

All Saints Sunday, November 4, 2018, First Trinity Lutheran Church – Eight men and three women were martyred in a synagogue four hours northwest of us eight days ago. They were not Christian martyrs, and they did not set out last Saturday morning, to give their lives for their faith. They went to Shabbat, Hebrew Read More …

Twenty-second Sunday After Pentecost, October 21, 2018, First Trinity Lutheran Church – Every once in a while, the lectionary text for the day directly lines up with what’s going on in the world or in a congregation. So here we have it today – a text about serving on a day when we are committing Read More …

Twentieth Sunday After Pentecost, October 7, 2018, First Trinity Lutheran Church – One of the joys of being a pastor is being involved in conducting the wedding service for a couple, who at the time of the service, are very much in love. It is almost a fairytale moment with beautiful dresses, tuxedos, flowers, candles, Read More …

Nineteenth Sunday After Pentecost, September 30, 2018, First Trinity Lutheran Church – There’s a lot going on in today’s passage from Mark’s Gospel. To recap, Jesus had just finished teaching his disciples about what greatness means in the Kingdom of God – whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of Read More …

Eighteenth Sunday After Pentecost, September 23, 2018, First Trinity Lutheran Church – “Whoever wants to be first must be last of all and servant of all.” These words spoken by Jesus reminds me of Gordon Cosby the Pastor and Founder of the Church of the Savior here in Washington DC. Gordon founded this church in Read More …

Seventeenth Sunday After Pentecost, September 16, 2018, First Trinity Lutheran Church – Are any of you familiar with the “what I really do” meme? It’s a series of images that goes around Facebook every now and then. The title of each meme is an occupation or identity group, like accountant, or runner, or lawyer, and Read More …

Fifteenth Sunday After Pentecost, September 2, 2018, First Trinity Lutheran Church – In the Gospel lesson for today, Jesus is arguing with the Pharisees about what is really important in life. There was a basic theological difference between Jesus and the Pharisees because Pharisees believed that obeying the complex rules for piety were what it Read More …