"But about that day and hour no one knows, neither the angels of heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father." - Matthew 24:36 I have not preached on the First Sunday in Advent in the last 11 years. Since Arwyn’s father’s side of the family are descendants of the Mayflower (that’s right, my wife has a heritage right back to John and Priscilla Alden), we always spend Thanksgiving (the Pilgrim "holy day") in Massachusetts and consequently, for the last 11 years, I have sat in the pews of Trinity Lutheran Church in Fairhaven on the First Sunday in Advent. Though these 11 years have been supplied well with fine preaching (nine years by Pastor Paul Wheeler and two years by two of Trinity’s former vicars), this year, this First Sunday in Advent with Matthew’s gospel gave me a preaching itch.
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by Bishop Bill GohlThanksgiving is my favorite holiday. It’s not about the food (which I love), nor even is it about family coming together (which I love even more), I simply love the gift of a day set apart for thanks-giving. I grew up with rich Thanksgiving traditions. As a family, we often had pizza on Thanksgiving Eve with a trip to church for worship that evening. My mom started and sustained a tradition of baking small loaves of bread to give out at church, a small sign of thanks-giving shared at Thanksgiving tables, from the Lord’s table into the diaspora of God’s people. Lusty hymn-singing: Come Ye Thankful People, Come; We Gather Together; Before You Lord, We Bow; and Now Thank We All Our God were the spiritual prelude for food, family and football!
by Bishop Bill GohlThis will give you an opportunity to testify. So make up your minds not to prepare your defense in advance; for I will give you words and a wisdom that none of your opponents will be able to withstand or contradict. –Luke 21:13-15 I had the marvelous privilege of preaching this weekend at St. Paul Lutheran Church in Newark, Delaware. What made it such a “marvelous privilege” is that St. Paul and their pastor and staff are serious about being a welcoming congregation. Many of us think our congregations are welcoming, because we feel welcome – sometimes even like members of a family; however, what really became balm for my soul this weekend was how welcome was put into action.
by Bishop Bill GohlThe state and the religious conscience are not good bedfellows. The bed is too narrow and the blanket too short! –Martin Luther, as quoted by Dr. Eric Gritsch Worldly authority cannot force us to believe, it can only outwardly prevent people from being led astray by false teachings - else how could we oppose the heretics? Answer: That is the task of the bishops, to whom this task has been delegated, and is not within the sphere of the princes. Heresy cannot, after all, be opposed with violence: it must be differently handled, for this battle and striving may not be met with the sword. –Martin Luther, On Worldly Authority Love your neighbor, as yourself. –Jesus, Mark 12:31 Today is Election Day in a very polarized country and after a bruising election cycle. These words of Jesus and Luther echo in my head as I approach my civic duty to cast my own ballot. Since I turned 18, I’ve not ever missed the opportunity to exercise this right and duty, reminded often by my late grandfather, "I fought in World War II to protect that right!"
by Bishop Bill GohlPreach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. - II Timothy 4:2 (ESV) One of the privileges of this new call is that I get to preach – and experience the preaching of others – in many places. There have been weeks where I have heard others preach daily (over the eight days of the last Conference of Bishops) and there was a week where I had the opportunity to preach four times on three different texts (thanks to the Revised Common Lectionary, the Narrative Lectionary, and jumping into others’ sermon series!). It’s exciting to prepare a message for each place and people, each time and circumstance, though it is not quite the preparation routine in this office that I experienced as a parish pastor! Last weekend, I dictated my sermon to my cellphone, through the Bluetooth, in my car while driving to Sunbury, Pennsylvania; edited it on my tablet while staying with friends; and then preached it off of my cellphone at the joint Allegany Conference Reformation Celebration from the pulpit of St. Paul, Cumberland!
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