Almost all of us have experienced a life changing event in our lives. It could be something full of joy…or it could be something tragic. But all of us at some point, have, or will experience something that suddenly, unexpectedly, causes everything to change. I’ve read interviews with people who worked at the World Trade Center on … More Holy Disruption
At the end of last week’s Gospel reading, Jesus seemed to be on the verge of starting a social revolution. He had just said, “Blessed are you who are poor, hungry, sorrowful and despised,” and then “Woe to you who are rich, fat, happy, and famous.” To the crowd who was listening, most of whom were poor…this … More When It Is Hard to Love
With heartbreak and horror, we have watched conflict and violence erupt in Israel and within the Gaza Strip. The destruction, death, and broken lives that we see in the news takes your breath away. There are no simple solutions to conflict that has, for decades, erupted in deep emotion and intense political debates. This conflict is complicated, … More Praying for Peace
I recently read about an art museum that was having trouble keeping its guests from touching, and damaging, its priceless works of art. The paintings and sculptures that were on display were all becoming dirty and damaged. The museum put out signs that said, “Do not touch!” They strategically placed security guards throughout the displays…they had cameras … More The Problem of the Heart
Our community is built on trust. We trust that our neighbors are going to look out for us. We trust that when our light at the intersection turns green, the light for the cross-street will turn red. We trust that our educators have nothing but the best interest of our kids in mind. We trust … More Choose to Trust
Tragedy most often feels distant. Bad things happen: Perhaps a hurricane, or a tornado, or an accident, or a mass shooting, and we feel sympathy, and we wish it hadn’t happened, and we talk about it and we think to ourselves “I wish there were a solution,” and then we go on with our lives. … More One of the shooting victims in Thousand Oaks sang at Trinity last year…
Kyle and Nancy Larson were members of the last congregation that I served. They are fantastic people. At the time, Kyle served as a police officer in the Maple Grove Police Department, and Nancy as a trauma nurse at North Memorial Medical Center. Since I left, they moved out to Spicer and live there now. … More Love is Greater: A sermon for the day Westboro Baptist showed up to protest at Trinity
On August 28, 1963, on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC, Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. stepped up to the podium and delivered his famous, “I Have a Dream” speech. It is a speech that has embedded itself into the DNA of American culture. At the very end of his speech, King … More Free
Last week, I watched a storm roll in. Our family spent a week together hanging out on St. George Island, on the Gulf Coast. It’s a place my parents used to love to go to, and we decided to give it a try. It was cloudy throughout the day, and several different thunderstorm cells rolled in at … More When Storms Roll In
During this time of year, I’m very aware of people’s postures. Have you ever noticed that there is a certain way that people in Minnesota walk during the winter? When the temperature drops, the sidewalks become slick and the wind comes up, we adopt a kind of a “duck walk.” Our steps shorten, and we … More Posture
Test Driving Theology 