by Peter Christ | Nov 17, 2023 | Devotions, From Pastor Peter
I’ve spent my fair share of time in vineyards and wineries; each one is different. In the big business of winemaking, there are so many beautiful facilities, funded by big-monied interests eager to promote a high value experience with their gleaming tasting rooms and temples to the finer things in life. But I have always preferred visiting the wineries willing to show an altogether different side of winemaking, the side that is messy with dirt and leaves and spilled grape juice.
by Peter Christ | Nov 13, 2023 | Devotions, From Pastor Peter
God’s vision for the world, over and over in scripture, is linked to the thriving of the generations that follow. And the capacity of this flourishing is rooted in their care and concern for the youngest. This is something that our evangelist Mark helps Jesus to underscore as he is teaching his disciples. These curious children that are coming close to Jesus, need to be centered not shushed or shunned. “The kingdom that God is creating belongs to them!” teaches Jesus. At once, the disciples and we know exactly where God’s imagined future will be planted.
by Peter Christ | Nov 3, 2023 | Devotions, From Pastor Peter
Mark Glaeser & Donna Hanna led the music ministry of Christ Lutheran Church in Charlotte, North Carolina when their pastor asked them to write a hymn for an upcoming capital campaign. Like the practice of many campaigns, a theme was taken from a relevant piece of scripture. The campaign at Christ Lutheran that year would rely on the New Testament letter to the Colossians.
by Peter Christ | Oct 30, 2023 | Devotions, From Pastor Peter
Can two, seemingly opposed, realities be true at the same time? In a world as complicated as ours, is it any wonder that we prefer the clarity of simple binaries? It’s day or it’s night. It’s black or it’s white. It’s water or it’s dry land.
by Peter Christ | Oct 27, 2023 | Devotions, From Pastor Peter
While studying his bible, Martin Luther, could not square what he read about God’s unconditional love for us with the practices of the church at that time. The church was overly focused on teachings that emphasized human works as the pathway to salvation and in particular those works that benefitted the institution of the church, its leaders, and its gilded cathedrals.
by Peter Christ | Oct 13, 2023 | Devotions, From Pastor Peter
“Thou shalt not…” this is how the King James Version of the Bible translates the beginning words for seven of the ten commandments. This stylized language has an enduring quality, and I suspect when asked to recite a commandment or more, many would begin with these same words. I’m also fairly certain that the tablets Charleton Heston carried down his soundstage mountain were first inscribed in the KJV.
