Earth Day: together with all creatures

Earth Day: together with all creatures


Earth Day: together with all creatures

I blog elsewhere about the adventures (and misadventures) of trying my hand with a small hobby farm. Most of the time, the joys and struggles of that life with some land do not intersect in any obvious way with my life and vocation at the Seminary. (Although there are hopeful signs that my worlds might be ..

Curiouser and curiouser

Curiouser and curiouser


Curiouser and curiouser

Coinciding with — I almost said “echoing” — the release of Tim Burton’s new take on “Alice in Wonderland” is a different kind of journey down the rabbit hole. A strange episode is reported from the Florida-Bahamas Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) in which a congregation in Florida voted to leave ..


Easter 7 · John 17:11b-19 · May 24, 2009


Easter 7 · John 17:11b-19 · May 24, 2009

By William W Schumacher The vocabulary, grammar, and syntax of this text are rather simple. In fact, a pastor whose Greek has become rusty would be well advised to return his attention to the original languages with this week’s Gospel lesson. The impact and rhetoric of the text are another matter. Embedded in the narrative ..


Proper 11 · Romans 8:18-27 · July 20, 2008


Proper 11 · Romans 8:18-27 · July 20, 2008

By William W. Schumacher, The previous text (Ro 8:12-17) presented us with “Life by the Spirit of Christ.” The present text, the second of three consecutive readings from this chapter, encourages us under the theme of “Hope in the Midst of Suffering.” Paul does not pretend that faith in Christ removes life’s difficulties. In fact, ..


Proper 10 · Romans 8:12-17 · July 13, 2008


Proper 10 · Romans 8:12-17 · July 13, 2008

By William W. Schumacher, The texts for Propers 10-12 are consecutive readings from the eighth chapter of Romans, closely related thematically, and therefore can naturally be grouped as a three-week sermon series. All three texts deal profoundly and realistically with a common theme: The struggle of faith in a fallen world. The first part, following this ..


Proper 6 · Romans 5:6-15 · June 15, 2008


Proper 6 · Romans 5:6-15 · June 15, 2008

By William W. Schumacher, This pericope is an interesting selection for a couple of reasons. For one thing, the assigned verses for this Sunday’s Epistle lesson combine two rather different thoughts. Verses 6-11 develop the theme of peace with God through justification, introduced in the beginning of the chapter. Verse 12 starts a new idea, vividly ..


Proper 4 · Romans 3:21-28 · June 1, 2008


Proper 4 · Romans 3:21-28 · June 1, 2008

By William W. Schumacher, It is always a challenge to preach on a very familiar text in such a way that people actually hear the message afresh. Familiarity breeds, if not contempt, then complacency and inattention. For Lutherans, these verses from the third chapter of Romans are perilously familiar, and both the preacher and his hearers ..