It seems to me that there's a natural human instinct to look at our lives, to see all the ways in which it doesn't make us fulfilled, and to say, “If only...”
Author: Pastor Ken
Ken Ranos serves as the pastor of Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Indianapolis, IN, a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. He blogs at https://ecumenicallife.com/ .
The Light Shines in the Darkness
This is who we are. This is what Christmas reminds us: that we, too, have seen the light, that it enlightens us, that through it we have received grace upon grace. This is not the light that comes up every morning and goes to sleep at night without us noticing. This is a light that penetrates down to the deepest, darkest, collapsed mines of our hearts, a little spark that bores its way into a wide tunnel that lets the light in and our new selves, our new lives, back out into the world. What has come into being in this is life, the light that is the light of all people.
We Are Not Alone
But into that fear, that heart of darkness, there is another voice, another message. It's hard to hear, amidst the cries of danger, especially those that call for overreactions to those things that scare us. It's a small voice, easily buried and forgotten, but it's there. And it's the reason we are gathered here tonight.
2015 Year in Review
It's a few days early, but as I might get only a few more posts done this year, I figured, why not! Let's share this year's Year in Review! Some highlights: Over 8400 views by over 6300 visitors. The vast majority of visitors were from the United States, followed by Brazil and Canada. Most viewed … Continue reading 2015 Year in Review
All of the Hype
I wonder how many things we miss getting caught up in the hype surrounding Christmas. What other stories do we not hear because we are focused solely on the gifts, the parties, the stuff of Christmas? What other important things in life are we ignoring? For Americans and Christians, December 25 is Christmas Day, the day we celebrate Jesus's birth. But for everybody else, it is just Thursday, a Thursday like any other, full of work and stress and hopefully play and rest. What else will happen in the world that day that no one will ever know about because Christmas is that day?
Living an Ecumenical Life 