Greetings Dear Church, Grace, Peace, and Mercy are yours from the Triune God. Amen. While this is undoubtedly not a sermon, I desired to begin with the same blessing that precedes the good news’s proclamation because we have indeed received some good news in these...

Blessings To You All Dear Church! I want to try out something new. It’s a brand-new idea that has come to me and to be completely honest, I don’t yet have it fully fleshed out. But dear friends, this was one of those idea sparks that once it hit, kindled a brainstorm...

Trinitarian Blessings Dear Church! We come into a weekend on the liturgical calendar that is rather difficult to give a definition for. It’s one of the true quandaries of the Christian faith; that we confess and believe in a trinitarian God. It is darn near impossible...

I really do like Pentecost dear friends. Not only do I think that red just seems to fit well as one of the best liturgical colors, but there are a number of fun things that can be done in the really big Pentecost church celebrations. I discovered one such thing while...

Always read the plaque. I used to be annoyed whenever I visited a museum while on vacation as a child because dad would take sooooo long to get through the exhibits. He would stop and read each and every little plaque that there was to read! But then a few years back...

“Sometimes when you’re surrounded by dirt, you’re a better witness for what’s beautiful.” Greetings Dear Friends! That quote is from the children’s book Last Stop on Market Street. It was the story I read as a part of the story time with the Preschool this week, but...

I always feel sort of strange whenever I say that Lent is my favorite season of the church year. Well, I guess I don’t necessarily feel strange but rather I get some strange and confused looks! Lent certainly doesn’t have the building anticipation or contain the...

Lent begins just next week as Ash Wednesday is this next Wednesday! And already the various clergy groups I am a part of on Facebook are in a collective frenzy of preparation, materials gathering, and occasional meltdown.  Now, I’ll always be thankful for the lessons...

Happy Valentine’s Day! One of the Valentine’s themed things I listened to recently started off rather suspiciously. It began by making the assertion that millennials, those born between 1983 and 2000 are the most murderous generation in history. I was taken aback at...

“Failure is not an option.” For me, this is the most memorable quote from the movie Apollo 13 and not “Houston, we have a problem.” (Even though the real Jim Lovell said something slightly different!) You see, I walked out of this 1995 film a certified space geek. I...

It may come as no surprise that I am a massive fan of all things Disney. And the reasons why are widely varied. From a completely surface level, from all of their output ranging from classic & feature animation, to Pixar, to now Marvel, ESPN, National Geographic,...

Another weekend is upon us and it is snowing once again! This seems to be a rather odd hallmark of consistency, especially for the weather. But into our new year each weekend has also brought with it celebrations or new events to look forward too. As we approach our...

“Look, here is the Lamb of God.” This phrase is a refrain that we will hear in our gospel reading coming up this weekend. We get to hear yet again from John the Baptist as his witness continues and his mantle now picked up by Jesus. Last week we heard the story of...

Happy New Year! I hope that the start to this new year and new decade for that matter has been a peaceful and a relaxing one. Like our various Christmas and holiday traditions, celebrating the New Year comes with its own wide mix of fun and exciting traditions. For...

“Let my prayer rise up like incense before you.” Advent has begun and so have our midweek Advent worship services! It was a joy to celebrate in worship and mark this season of waiting as the places of shadow and lingering night give birth to the light of the coming...

“Rivers know this: there is no hurry. We shall get their some day.”  (A.A. Milne Winnie-the-Pooh) That “some day” has arrived for Lutheran Church of the Master as we welcome our new pastor,  David Elliott, his wife Becky and their son August.  Pastor Elliott’s first...

On Saturday, October 19, the Rev. Yehiel Curry will be installed as Bishop of the Metro Chicago Synod by Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton. The installation service will be at 2:00 p.m. at the Tinley Park Convention Center, 18451 Convention Center Dr, Tinley Park. All...