From Intern Ted’s Study, July 2010

A Church article with View Comments posted 18 July 2010.
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This article was written for the July 2010 edition of The Messenger, the newsletter of St. John Lutheran Church, Sterling, IL.

“For everything there is a season, and a time for every matter under heaven.” – Ecclesiastes 3.1

There is indeed a time for everything, and the time has come for Jennifer, Anneliese, and I to begin making our goodbyes. Goodbye doesn’t come easily for me – maybe it doesn’t for you, either? I hope that we’ll get a chance to talk to many of you in the last few weeks of internship to remember this year together. I’ve already been thinking about what I’m going to remember and take with me from internship. Here are just a few things:

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The Good Old Days are Right Now

A Church article with View Comments posted 17 April 2010.
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Sepia photo of rotary dial phone

This article was written for the April 2010 edition of The Messenger, the newsletter of St. John Lutheran Church, Sterling, IL.

I just celebrated my twenty-seventh birthday on April 8. Even though I haven’t reached my golden years, and many people would say that I’m entering the prime of my life, I still sometimes reminisce about the “good old days.” Am I even allowed to do that?! Do you ever do that? About work, church, or family situations? Do you ever long for the “way things were” or for the days when life seemed simpler and better?

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Earthkeeping

A Church article with View Comments posted 24 March 2010.
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This article ran in the February 2010 issue of The Messenger, the newsletter of St. John Lutheran Church, Sterling, IL.

We just finished an exciting four week long survey of environmental stewardship during the Sunday School hour, and I’m grateful for the large attendance and great participation I had from so many of you. We started with an overview of the expansive universe God has created for us, then spent a week looking at God’s work in and through creation, so that we could see that God is very close us in all we do. We also learned that an understanding of God’s care for creation and our responsibility to care for the environment is not a new idea, but one that goes back almost two thousand years to the founding centuries of the Christian faith. Finally, we spent a week thinking about what our modern-day response to ecological challenges ought to be. This last week’s discussion was especially fruitful, and I wanted to share our conclusions with the whole congregation so that the conversation can continue.

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Passion and Mission

A Church article with View Comments posted 23 March 2010.
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This article was written for the March 2010 issue of The Messenger, the newsletter of St. John Lutheran Church, Sterling, IL.

In the last month, I’ve been thinking a lot about passion. What is that we are truly passionate about? What motivates us? What gives us zeal for life and a willingness to serve?

The English word “passion” comes from the Greek word “pascho” (PASS-ko) meaning “to suffer” or “to endure.” Notably, when we refer to the sufferings of Jesus on the cross, we call that the “Passion of Christ.” In short, the word passion points us to what we are willing to suffer for. If we are passionate for something, we are willing to suffer or endure many things for it. Especially as we send this newsletter just around Easter, we ought to remember that the passion of Christ was for us – that Jesus was willing to suffer the cross for our sake. So my larger question is: since Jesus endured so much for us in his Passion, what will we be passionate about in thanks to God?

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New Year’s Resolutions

A Church article with View Comments posted 26 December 2009.
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This article ran in the January 2010 issue of The Messenger, the newsletter of St. John’s Lutheran Church, Sterling, IL.

As we look past Christmas and into January, many people are thinking about New Year’s resolutions. Maybe you’re thinking of losing weight, eating more healthily, or exercising more. Perhaps you are going to read more books or take a night class. I even know people who are thinking about giving up late night TV in favor of more sleep. What all of these goals have in common is self-improvement. The fresh, unblemished year stands before us, and we naturally want to make the most of it – and the most of ourselves.

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Advent Waiting

A Church article with View Comments posted 1 December 2009.
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This article ran in the December 2009 issue of The Messenger, the newsletter of St. John’s Lutheran Church, Sterling, IL.

As you read this, we have entered the season of Advent and the time in the church year where we wait with expectation for the birth of Christ at Christmas. I don’t know about you, but waiting doesn’t come naturally to me. I want things done, done right, and done right now. The idea of waiting stirs up for me notions of impatient foot tapping and watch glancing. Most of us don’t wait because we want to wait, but instead because we have to wait. We don’t choose waiting, waiting is chosen for us.
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Beyond Justice

A Church article with View Comments posted 1 October 2009.
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This article ran in the October 2009 issue of The Messenger, the newsletter of St. John’s Lutheran Church, Sterling, IL.

In September, I attended the Tri-State Forum at Wartburg Theological Seminary, where I had the opportunity to hear Prof. Kathryn Koob of Wartburg College in Waverly, IA speak on the topic “Love your enemies… expect nothing in return.”

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Church World Service and CROP Walk

A Church article with View Comments posted 18 September 2009.
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This article ran in the September 2009 issue of The Messenger, the newsletter of St. John’s Lutheran Church, Sterling, IL.

This month I want to share with you an organization and event that I am passionate about: Church World Service, and their annual CROP Hunger Walks. I first found out about CWS as a college student, where the campus ministry I was a part of sponsored a CROP Hunger Walk in the Kirskville, MO area. When I heard all about the amazing things that CWS does around the world, I was hooked – and I’ve been actively involved in CROP Hunger Walks ever since.

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