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/ .

Applesauce Communion and Critical Thinking

This months edition of the Lutheran magazine (February 2012) provided some thought-provoking tidbits. APPLESAUCE COMMUNION When I first saw the title, I thought, "Oh God... can this be as bad as the Dr. Seuss liturgy highlighted last month?" (You can check that one out for yourself in the January 2012 issue). Thankfully, I was pleasantly … Continue reading Applesauce Communion and Critical Thinking

The Story of King David: Week 1

THE CHOOSING OF DAVID AND THE FRIENDSHIP OF JONATHAN 1 Samuel 16:1 – 20:42 Summary: God (and Samuel, the prophet and judge) has had enough. It’s time for King Saul to go, and a new king to be chosen for Israel. God sends Samuel to Bethlehem, to Jesse’s house, to find a king from among … Continue reading The Story of King David: Week 1

The Story of King David

The high schoolers of First Evangelical Lutheran Church have asked me if our next Sunday school topic could be the Story of King David. There are certain parts of the story that everyone knows: David and Goliath, David and Bathsheba (which is probably not her name, but we'll get there eventually). But for many people, … Continue reading The Story of King David

Sermon–January 21, 2012–Epiphany 3B

Third Sunday of Epiphany B Preached at First Evangelical Lutheran Church, Muskegon, MI, while on Internship. Jonah 3:1-5, 10 Psalm 62:5-12 1 Corinthians 7:29-31 Mark 1:14-20 I've always wanted to try this—walking up to people and saying, “This way, follow me,” and seeing what happened. Hopefully, my childhood wouldn't repeat myself, in which my cousins … Continue reading Sermon–January 21, 2012–Epiphany 3B