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Living an Ecumenical Life

An ELCA Pastor's reflections on life and the church

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Surprise!

Surprise!

We don't always have a choice whether or not to confront our brokenness and humanity. But far from being a curse, there is a blessing here.

Posted on 5 February 2016 by Pastor KenPosted in ChurchTagged ELCA, February, Lent, Lutheran Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Leave a comment

Happy Holidays

Happy Holidays

But I wonder… what if? What if holidays, holy days, are about more than joy and celebrations, big gatherings, and work?

Posted on 5 February 2016 by Pastor KenPosted in ChurchTagged ELCA, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, holidays, holy days, January, Lutheran. Leave a comment

For Everybody

For Everybody

The sad truth is that often, too often, we the church, we Christians are all too happy to accept God's unfathomable grace, God's amazing gift; and then turn around and hoard it, keep it ourselves.

Posted on 5 February 2016 by Pastor KenPosted in SermonsTagged ELCA, Epiphany 4C, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, for everybody, Jeremiah 1, Luke 4, The Hobbit. Leave a comment

For You

For You

But Jesus does something remarkable with these words. Without any further comment or interpretation, without any explanation, he simply says: “Today this scripture has been fulfilled in your hearing.” Today, these words are for you.

Posted on 26 January 20165 February 2016 by Pastor KenPosted in SermonsTagged ELCA, Epiphany 3C, Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, for you, Isaiah 61, Luke 4, Lutheran. 1 Comment

Sermons Have Been Updated!

It took some doing because I was so far behind, but I have updated the Sermons page. I did a fairly "blah" job of holding onto my sermons or recording them in a way I could recall later. One of my resolutions in 2016 is to be better about posting my sermons in a timely … Continue reading Sermons Have Been Updated!

Posted on 19 January 2016 by Pastor KenPosted in BlogsTagged blog, sermons, updates. Leave a comment

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Ken Ranos is the pastor at Bethlehem Evangelical Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Indianapolis, IN. Born and raised in Chicago, IL, he graduated from Capital University with a B.A. in Music and a B.A. in Religion; and from Trinity Lutheran Seminary with his M.Div. He’s a die-hard Chicago Blackhawks fan, a self-proclaimed nerd and geek, gamer, and student of liberation theology.

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