I love a parade! I consider myself now, something of an expert in parades. With several years under my belt of having two sons in the Owatonna Marching Band; I’ve put in my time. We’ve driven all over southern Minnesota, sitting in our folding chairs in strange towns, shaking hands with politicians I’ll never have … More Reality Check
Right now, we are in the midst of one of my favorite times. It is the 18 days that make up the Olympic Games. In the Buegler household, we don’t watch a whole lot of TV, but during Olympic season, we watch. We watch: figure skating, downhill skiing, figure skating, snowboarding, figure skating, speed skating, … More Places Everybody
There is a whole series of psychological exams that students at our seminaries have to undertake. These exams dig deep into our family history, our personality characteristics and our sense of call to become a pastor in the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. When I went through this process, I had to go to a … More Right Here, Right Now
This piece first appeared in the “Pastor’s Perspective” column of the Owatonna People’s Press; September 17, 2016 “A leper came to Jesus begging him, and kneeling he said to him, ‘If you choose, you can make me clean.’ Moved with pity, Jesus stretched out his hand and touched him, and said to him, ‘I do … More God Chooses
“Even Jesus” Mark 1:29-39 Pastor Todd Buegler March 2, 2016 (Wednesday Evening Lenten Service) Trinity Lutheran Church Grace and peace to you from God our creator, and from Jesus Christ, our Lord and Savior. Amen. Even Jesus. Even Jesus had to get away. Even Jesus had to rest. Even Jesus had to take a … More Even Jesus
One of my favorite authors, Henri Nouwen wrote: Jesus is God-with-us, Emmanuel. The great mystery of God becoming human is God’s desire to be loved by us. By becoming a vulnerable child, completely dependent on human care, God wants to take away all distance between the human and the divine. I’ve always both dreaded and … More Paper Thin
In the last 48 hours, I’ve had four different conversations with people about the Islamic faith. Three of the four conversations all began with questions…good questions…about Islam and its beliefs. And the questions were, in all honesty, framed in the fear and nervousness triggered by statements being made in the media, most of which are … More It’s Not Us vs. Them
“Mercy and Unity” Mark 9:38-50 Todd Buegler September 26-27, 2015 Trinity Lutheran Church Grace and peace to you from God our Creator, and from Jesus, the Son of God and Savior of the world! Amen. This week, the news has been dominated by coverage of the visit of Pope Francis. This is admittedly a huge … More Mercy and Unity
“Child of God” Mark 8: 27-38 Pastor Todd Buegler September 12-13, 2015 (Rally Weekend) Trinity Lutheran Church My deep gratitude to Jessica Dant for singing the musical interlude that is woven through today’s sermon. Grace and peace to you from God our Creator, and from Jesus, the Son of God and Savior of the … More Child of God
“A Holy Touch” Mark 7:24-37 Todd Buegler September 5-6, 2015 Trinity Lutheran Church Grace and peace to you from God our Creator, and from Jesus, the Son of God and Savior of the world! Amen. I read an article recently about an accident in Stockholm, Sweden. A woman there was injured as she rushed to … More A Holy Touch
Test Driving Theology 