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/ .

Pub Theology: The Church

The Church. What do we mean by it? What does it mean to us? That was the topic of discussion that enthralled a group of Lutherans who gathered at the Tipsy Toad Tavern for Pub Theology on Thursday night. It's a good question, and one that we don't always have an answer for. A friend … Continue reading Pub Theology: The Church

Sermon–October 2, 2011–Pentecost 16A

Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost A Preached at First Evangelical Lutheran Church, Muskegon, MI, while on Internship. Isaiah 5:1-7 Psalm 80:7-15 Philippians 3:4b-14 Matthew 21:33-46 One of my all-time favorite movies is the 1980 classic “The Blues Brothers”, starring Dan Aykroyd and the late John Belushi. I was raised a Chicago boy, so the movie practically … Continue reading Sermon–October 2, 2011–Pentecost 16A

Sermon–September 18, 2011–Pentecost 14A

Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost A Preached at First Evangelical Lutheran Church, Muskegon, MI, while on Internship. Jonah 3:10-4:11 Psalm 145:1-8 Philippians 1:21-30 Matthew 20:1-16 If I were the one responsible for translating the Bible, I think the full title of Jonah’s story would be, “Jonah and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day." Catchy, … Continue reading Sermon–September 18, 2011–Pentecost 14A

Community of Faith

Last night, a meeting was held for the parents of children who will be participating in Confirmation classes this year. At the meeting, Pastor stressed that Confirmation was not just an activity on the checklist with other activities children participate in, like soccer, swimming, music lessons, cheer-leading, etc. Confirmation, he said, focuses on building and … Continue reading Community of Faith