Redeemer Lutheran Church

Pastor Joel's Mid-Week Reminders for 1/30/2012

fred gargiulo — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:00:49 GMT

"Everyone is searching for you." St Mark 1.37

Human life could be described as a long search: a search for love, for relationships, for meaning and purpose, for the true and the beautiful and the good...and for the holy. Not everyone is searching for Jesus, but it is in him that we will find all that we most deeply yearn for in life.

This is not a time when the institutional church is prospering. Since the ...

February 2012 Spirit Call Newsletter and more

fred gargiulo — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 01:13:06 GMT

Pastor Joel's Mid-Week Reminders for 1/23/2012

fred gargiulo — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 13:51:51 GMT

'Praise the Lord! I will give thanks to the Lord with my whole heart in the company of the upright, in the congregation.' Psalm 111.1

Downward. That's been the big trend in worship attendance in all Christian denominations since the year 2000. The corresponding trend in American culture is an eclectic spirituality that borrows bits and pieces from many different religious traditions and leans ...

Pastor Joel's Mid-Week Reminders for 1/18/2012

fred gargiulo — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 14:59:44 GMT

'For God alone my soul waits in silence, for my hope is in him.' Psalm 65.5

Leaping forward 3,000 years from the time this Psalm was written, we see how astonishingly relevant the words remain. The Psalmist goes on from this verse to offer his wisdom: "Put no confidence in extortion, and set no vain hopes on robbery; if riches increase, do not set your heart on them. Trust in God ...

Pastor Joel's Mid-Week Reminders for 1/10/2012

fred gargiulo — Wed, 11 Jan 2012 04:29:46 GMT

'Nathanael asked Jesus, “Where did you get to know me?”' St John 1.48

How well does anyone know you? Marriage is the most intimate of relationships. Yet even after many years of marriage, spouses don't ever fully know their partners. Friends are important throughout life, but we never completely disclose ourselves to them.

Many people today are engaged in the age-old quest of discovering themselves. Youth in particular come to ...

Pastor Joel's Mid-Week Reminders for 1/3/2012

fred gargiulo — Wed, 04 Jan 2012 14:08:52 GMT

'Jesus saw...the Spirit descending like a dove on him.' St Mark 1.10

The Holy Spirit figures prominently in our readings for this coming Sunday, on which we celebrate the Baptism of Jesus. Wow! From a little infant in a manger to a grown man in just two weeks?? Well, not literally, but the seasons of the church year move us rapidly now from Christmas to Epiphany. During Epiphany season ...

January 2012 Spirit Call Newsletter and more

fred gargiulo — Fri, 30 Dec 2011 20:52:49 GMT

Pastor Joel's Mid-Week Reminders for 12/27/2011

fred gargiulo — Wed, 28 Dec 2011 13:43:57 GMT

'But Mary treasured all these words and pondered them in her heart.' St Luke 2.18

Christmas trees are stripped of their decorations. The nativity scenes are packed away again. The singing angels, running shepherds, exotic wise men are all relegated to the past as people say goodbye to relatives and Christmas celebrations are tucked into the mind as a memory.

Mary holds the newborn Jesus in her arms and ponders all that has happened to her. ...

Pastor Joel's Mid-Week Reminders for 12/20/2011

fred gargiulo — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 13:43:34 GMT

'The angel said...I am bringing you good news of great joy for all the people: to you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, who is Christ the Lord.' St Luke 2.10-11

"To all the people" God's gift of Jesus is not the possession of a select few. No, as God had promised, Jesus came for ALL people. No exceptions. Rich and poor, old and young, male and female, regardless of ...

Pastor Joel's mid-week reminders for 12/13/2011

fred gargiulo — Tue, 13 Dec 2011 22:45:42 GMT

'When the fullness of time had come, God sent his Son, born of a woman, born under the law, in order to redeem those who where under the law, so that we might receive adoption as children.' Galatians 4.4-5

Most of us adults are very conscious of time. Time is precious. Time passes. Time moves us from birth to death.

Children are not so conscious of time, and ...