Karin Liebster, Associate Pastor

Revelation 7:9-17, Psalm 34:1-10, 22, (1 John 3:1-3), Matthew 5:1-12

COVID-19

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen.

The gorgeous days of fall in Houston with their bright sunshine and temperatures that actually let us enjoy the outdoors betray the feeling of this time which is for most of us hard because of the many unknowns: the Corona pandemic – will it get worse yet, when will it be over; the economic downturn – how will industries, businesses, our cultural venues survive, how will the landscape of our city change; the election – what will the outcome be, will we be able to speak with each other again assuming a common floor of decency on which we can rely and relate? Continue reading →

Senior Pastor Duane Larson
Based on Romans 3:21-26 and John 8:31-36

Today we celebrate Reformation Sunday. This is not a day of Lutheran nostalgia and triumphalism. It is a day to celebrate and reclaim indeed what Luther and reformers before him and after him reclaimed and recentered so that the Christian faith be celebrated and lived as freedom from authoritarian privileges and so for courageous love on behalf of the neighbor.
So, let’s start with a language lesson. Continue reading →

Sergio Rodriguez, Pastoral Intern

Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord, Jesus Christ. Amen.

“For it is God who is at work in you, enabling you both to will and to work for his good pleasure.” I struggled this past week to comprehend how and in what fashion God is at work among us. From the death of Justice Ginsburg to the grand jury ruling in the case of Breonna Taylor, I yearned to know how God is working now even as I continue figure out how to be church safely at this time. Continue reading →

Duane H. Larson, Senior Pastor                              

 Based on Genesis 50:15-21; Matthew 18:21-35

We are often inspired by true stories of forgiveness. Members of a black church publicly forgive a white young man for murdering several of their sisters and brothers at a Bible Study. An Amish community forgives the murderer of several of their children. In a Dallas courtroom a black man forgives the policewoman who killed his brother, testifying that he wanted her to know Christ’s own forgiveness of her, and then he crosses the floor and embraces her. Continue reading →

Duane Larson, Senior Pastor   

Based on Matthew 18: 15-20
Did you notice in the very first line of the gospel passage today that Jesus is said to have said this; “If another member of the church sins against you, go and point out the fault when the two of you are alone.” And so on. The thing is, Jesus could not have said that simply because the church had not been established yet. Continue reading →