Pastor’s Pen
“A Lady Who Leads” by Elder Barbara Janssen
"Remember your leaders, who spoke the word of God to you. Consider the outcome of their way of life and imitate their faith." As a third year Elder, serving on the Church Life Ministry Team (CLMT) I have been blessed with wonderful leaders. Laurie Uhl has so capably...
“Pray as You Can” by Rev. Jean Dow
One of the challenges of retirement for me involved vacating an office that had floor-to-ceiling walls of bookshelves. Moving to a much smaller office at home, I needed to do some serious downsizing of my library. Different books made the cut for different reasons, of...
“Seasons” by Rev. Beth Patton
While running errands today, I had my first sighting of fall colors. This is my favorite season of the year! Though New Year’s Eve is generally considered a time for reflection and renewal, this time of year equally draws me towards a time for discernment. Schedules...
“Lips Spilling Praise” by Rev. Scott D. Samuelson
“I will bless the LORD at all times; his praise shall continually be in my mouth.” —Psalm 34:1 There’s something about walking amid the beauty of creation that leads me to sing. Something stirs in my heart and suddenly I’m humming a tune. And soon the words of that...
“Motherly Strength” by Rev. Scott D. Samuelson
“As a mother comforts her child, so I will comfort you.” —Isaiah 66:13a Of all the images from this summer’s Divine Imagination sermon series, I think my favorite has been Christ as Mothering Hen. There’s a tenderness in this image but also a ferocity. For moms are...
“Building Connections” by Rev. Jean Dow
One Saturday morning a couple of weeks ago, instead of heading to the yoga studio as I usually do, I gathered my hammer and tool belt and a few other essentials and drove to the Milwaukee Habitat for Humanity warehouse in Milwaukee’s Riverwest neighborhood to spend...
“Irreplaceable” by Rev. Beth Patton
“I just saw about the flash floods in Milwaukee! Hope you are all OK!” a friend texted me this past Monday. She lives in North Carolina and had heard about the rain and flooding this past weekend. Having experienced the devastation of Hurricane Helene, she is...
“To Share God’s Glory” by Rev. Scott D. Samuelson
“The heavens are telling the glory of God, and the firmament proclaims his handiwork.” —Psalm 19:1 What is the glory of God? Our scriptures are full of references to it. The Lord’s Prayer we offer every Sunday ends with: “For Thine is the kingdom and the power and...
“Four Virtues of Eldership” by Elder Barbara Janssen
“I promise to pray for and serve the people with energy, intelligence, imagination, and love." These words resonated with me over two years ago when I began my Elder journey, and again most recently when we ordained a new slate of church officers. There is a lot...
“Coming Down from the Mountaintop” by Rev. Scott D. Samuelson
“When Jesus had come down from the mountain, great crowds followed him.” —Matthew 8:1 In my days as a youth pastor, Jenny was one of my favorite students. By 9th grade she’d already become a leader in our youth group. She attended every event we hosted, bringing all...
“On the Mountaintop” by Rev. Scott D. Samuelson
“Six days later, Jesus took with him Peter and James and his brother John and led them up a high mountain, by themselves. And he was transfigured before them, and his face shone like the sun, and his clothes became bright as light.” —Matthew 17:1-2 Who doesn’t love a...
“Finding Balance” by Rev. Jean Dow
The other day, a friend of mine and I were recalling the first time we remember having the breath knocked out of us at the playground. For me, it happened when a kid on the other end of the seesaw got off and I hit the ground with a thud. It was probably fairly benign...
