Christmas House gift drive

We are always looking for opportunities to be involved with our community, live out our obedience to God’s Word and be mission minded. With that being said, the Christmas/Caring House, in partnership with Stanwood Food bank and Our Savior’s Lutheran Church, would love...

The lost key to life

Yesterday, we began a sermon series on the book of Ecclesiastes, which notoriously begins: “Vanity of vanities! All is vanity.” The book is a journey to find meaning in life. It leads us to ask: Is there any point to this life? Is there any way to live a life that is...

Saying yes and no

But above all, my brothers, do not swear, either by heaven or by earth or by any other oath, but let your “yes” be yes and your “no” be no, so that you may not fall under condemnation. –James 5:12 This past Sunday, a man came up to me after the service and asked...

Distracted to our own demise

“Be patient, therefore, brothers, until the coming of the Lord.” James 5:7 This past Sunday, we looked at James 5-7-11, which exhorts believers to live with patient endurance. I began by noting how almost everything in our culture is working against us being patient:...

Who are you embarrassed by?

“Show no partiality as you hold the faith in our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory” (James 2:1) I recently witnessed an online conversation about COVID-19 vaccines, regarding a doctor who was advocating for the vaccines. One individual, who claims to be a...

Disruptive church

I’m currently reading a book called Disruptive Witness: Speaking Truth in a Distracted Age, by Alan Noble. It suggests that our “distracted age” of ever-present social media, news, sports, streaming shows, etc., keeps us from reflecting on the deeper realities and...

God gives a “messenger of Satan”?

This past week, I preached from 2 Corinthians 12:7-10, the passage about Paul’s thorn in the flesh. We focused on the role of weakness and difficulty in the Christian life, and God’s will to draw us into deeper dependence and contentment in him. As usual, there is a...

More than a political party or social cause

This past Sunday we looked at Jesus’ parable of the Pharisee and the tax collector (Luke 18). In the parable, the Pharisee’s disposition and attitude towards God is one of relief that he is “not like other men.” He considers those who are known to be sinners or at...

Committed to mercy

Something that we have seen repeatedly in our journey through the Minor Prophets is that God has committed himself to a course of action that depends on his extending mercy. From before time began, God set in motion a plan that would require his compassionate and...