tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850149Sun, 20 Dec 2009 00:41:34 +0000A blog by Eric Lemonholm, Lutheran pastor. This blog is a public journal and a soul project.http://lemonholm.blogspot.com/noreply@blogger.com (Eric Lemonholm)Blogger229125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850149.post-3815207437500279518Sun, 06 Dec 2009 03:16:00 +00002009-12-05T21:20:56.323-06:00 (For a print version of this letter, click here...) November 30, 2009 Dear Members of Grace Lutheran Church, Grace and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ, through the presence and power of God’s Holy Spirit. As we remember the day, almost four years ago, when we received the call to Grace, Mindy and I thank God for you, and for our lifehttp://lemonholm.blogspot.com/2009/12/saving-grace-letter-on-issues-our.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Eric Lemonholm)2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850149.post-8482514504238332480Fri, 11 Sep 2009 15:18:00 +00002009-09-11T10:19:04.336-05:00I am catching up on reading the Bible, by listening to it – I will read it through this year! Lately, I have been listening through 1 and 2 Samuel and 1 Kings: sometimes we have an idealized picture of King David, based on the nobility and faithfulness of his youth. But the story of his reign is fraught with tragedy, sin, violence, and hardship. Again, part of the beauty of the Bible is its http://lemonholm.blogspot.com/2009/09/september-11-2009-bible-blog.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Eric Lemonholm)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850149.post-6882045769504405896Mon, 13 Jul 2009 19:00:00 +00002009-07-13T14:01:13.789-05:00Job 24:13-28:11Job is a difficult book. Much of it is a debate between Job and his so-called friends. They want him to admit that he deserves the immense trials and tribulations that God has allowed Satan to inflict on him, and Job resists – he knows he is just, or at least that he does not deserve the suffering inflicted upon him. His friends believe that whatever happens to us is either http://lemonholm.blogspot.com/2009/07/july-13-bible-blog.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Eric Lemonholm)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850149.post-2228149195909680362Wed, 24 Jun 2009 13:34:00 +00002009-06-24T08:39:25.174-05:00 Law and Gospel Reflections Eric Lemonholm A Reflection Paper June 24, 2009 This is difficult. Reflecting on the course, Preaching Law and Gospel with Dr. Dirk Lange, is a little like reflecting on a journey one has just begun. The law and gospel dialectic is fundamental theology; it’s the language of faith, the threat to existence and the promise of salvation.http://lemonholm.blogspot.com/2009/06/law-and-gospel-reflections.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Eric Lemonholm)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850149.post-5133242642461836342Tue, 16 Jun 2009 16:31:00 +00002009-06-16T11:32:10.244-05:00 Quote for the day from French and Jewish philosopher Emmanuel Levinas’ book Entre Nous, pp. 99-100. It’s dense reading; spend some time with it: The portion of humanity that, from Sarajevo to Cambodia, witnessed a host of cruelties in the course of a century in which its Europe, with its “human sciences,” seemed to have fully explored its subject – the humanity that, during all these horrors,http://lemonholm.blogspot.com/2009/06/quote-for-day.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Eric Lemonholm)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850149.post-6271398195233046939Sat, 13 Jun 2009 16:15:00 +00002009-06-13T11:20:47.387-05:00Here's a project I did here at Luther Seminary this week: a sermon for my preaching class on Isaiah 1.Eric Lemonholm, June 12, 2009Vision.Isaiah has a vision – or, rather, he sees a vision.The vision is not his own.It’s a vision from God.He’s possessed by it.His life is not his own.It would have been so much easier if Isaiah had not seen his nation through God’s eyes.But once he did, http://lemonholm.blogspot.com/2009/06/five-minute-sermon-on-isaiah-11-10-20.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Eric Lemonholm)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850149.post-3937827494455177929Tue, 26 May 2009 00:02:00 +00002009-05-25T19:04:56.423-05:00May 25 2 Kings 12:9-14:29; John 7:25-53It’s nice to be back Bible blogging! God bless you on this Memorial Day.If you’ve been reading the Gospels all along, have you noticed how different John is from the others? The first three are called the Synoptic Gospels, and they share a lot of similar stories about Jesus – many people believe that Matthew and Luke based their Gospels on http://lemonholm.blogspot.com/2009/05/bible-blog.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Eric Lemonholm)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850149.post-7520254432603645226Mon, 25 May 2009 21:48:00 +00002009-05-25T16:50:02.183-05:00My latest sermons, finally all uploaded:2009-4-1 Remain Here and Keep Awake 2009-4-5 Palm Sunday 2009-4-10 Good Friday 2009-4-12 Easter Salvation Spring 2009-4-26 Sin and Forgiveness2009-5-3 A Life for Others 2009-5-10 Love 2009-5-24 Honoring Service http://lemonholm.blogspot.com/2009/05/my-latest-sermons-finally-uploaded-2009.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Eric Lemonholm)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850149.post-549294941069519223Tue, 31 Mar 2009 19:11:00 +00002009-03-31T14:12:00.750-05:00 Here is my latest sermon, reflecting on Psalm 51 and repentance: http://lemonholm.com/2009-3-29_Psalm_51.htm Joshua 12:7-15:12 I am actually caught up in reading – helped along by listening to the Bible while driving or exercising. If you have a tape player, we have the Bible on tape in the church library. You can also listen online at http://www.audio-bible.com/bible/bible.html or http://lemonholm.blogspot.com/2009/03/mar-31-bible-blog.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Eric Lemonholm)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850149.post-1995647707979069843Thu, 26 Mar 2009 19:16:00 +00002009-03-26T14:18:07.002-05:00Here are my two latest sermons (I'm finally coming up with sermon titles of sorts):2009-3-22 Snake Sin 2009-3-25 The Entitlement Mentalityhttp://lemonholm.blogspot.com/2009/03/here-are-my-two-latest-sermons-im.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Eric Lemonholm)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850149.post-2578790248010641729Tue, 24 Mar 2009 20:16:00 +00002009-03-24T15:16:31.359-05:00Deuteronomy 29-30 I actually got caught up, by listening to the Bible on tape while I drove to and from Fargo today. I visited a church member in the hospital, and then did a little sandbagging in Moorhead before heading back to DL. Flood preparation seems to be going well there – there were lots of college and high school students, and others, out volunteering. It feels good to see all thosehttp://lemonholm.blogspot.com/2009/03/march-24-bible-blog.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Eric Lemonholm)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850149.post-3470290399942591389Sat, 21 Mar 2009 14:46:00 +00002009-03-21T09:47:02.130-05:00Deuteronomy 22:12-24:22 While we do not follow every bit of the Old Testament law (remember from yesterday’s reading in 21:18-21, about stoning disobedient sons? We don’t do that, though we may feel like that sometimes ;) ), the principles of the law stand true today. In today’s reading, we read about biblical principles for how to treat others, especially the poor. What would our society http://lemonholm.blogspot.com/2009/03/march-21-bible-blog.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Eric Lemonholm)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850149.post-6420379668016834964Fri, 20 Mar 2009 14:29:00 +00002009-03-21T09:30:56.974-05:00 Deuteronomy 19:11-22:11 We read in Deut. 21:23: “anyone hung on a tree is under God’s curse.” Later in the time of the early church, this verse became a source of scandal that early Christians had to face: How can the Messiah be crucified? Indeed, Jesus took upon himself God’s curse for our sake. The point of this verse in Deuteronomy, however, seems to be that, unlike the later Romans, http://lemonholm.blogspot.com/2009/03/mar-20-bible-blog.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Eric Lemonholm)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850149.post-6932436361290684833Thu, 19 Mar 2009 18:06:00 +00002009-03-19T13:06:54.030-05:00This is a great day. This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it! I am on a journey of faith. This has been a difficult time for me. The last half year or so has been, perhaps, the hardest time of my life as a pastor – a dark valley to walk through. In some ways, it has been growing pains. You know, to grow healthily, you need to encounter resistance. If our http://lemonholm.blogspot.com/2009/03/march-19-bible-blog.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Eric Lemonholm)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850149.post-7065577761839226337Thu, 19 Mar 2009 15:15:00 +00002009-03-19T10:17:02.060-05:00I have uploaded recent sermons on the Marks of Discipleship to my website:The Marks of Discipleship: 2009-2-25 Ash Wednesday - Free in Christ 2009-3-1 Thin Places 2009-3-4 Prayer 2009-3-8 Worship 2009-3-11 Worship 2009-3-15 God's Word 2009-3-18 Read the Biblehttp://lemonholm.blogspot.com/2009/03/marks-of-discipleship.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Eric Lemonholm)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850149.post-1610663599330378742Thu, 12 Mar 2009 13:33:00 +00002009-03-12T08:35:01.580-05:00 Numbers 36; Deuteronomy 1:1-2:15 Here, we begin the last book of the Law, or Torah. Deuteronomy is Moses’ restatement of the Law for the people, before his death. It is, in a way, the “constitution” of the people of God, a guide for their life together in the Promised Land. Moses begins by reminding the Israelites about their 40 year journey in the desert. Mark 12:35-13:13 The poor http://lemonholm.blogspot.com/2009/03/bible-blog-and-sermon-on-isaiahs-call.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Eric Lemonholm)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850149.post-497510458041744605Fri, 06 Mar 2009 15:27:00 +00002009-03-07T09:29:45.353-06:00Num 24:1-26:22 In Balaam’s fourth oracle (24:15-25), he prophecies about King David’s future victories over Moab and Edom. David is “the star” which “shall come out of Jacob” and “the scepter” which “shall rise out of Israel.” 1,000 years later, someone from Edom (then known as Idumea), Herod, would rule over Israel at the time of Jesus’ birth. In chapter 25, there is a troubling passage. Athttp://lemonholm.blogspot.com/2009/03/mar-6-bible-blog.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Eric Lemonholm)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850149.post-145555571798994348Thu, 05 Mar 2009 12:59:00 +00002009-03-05T07:00:56.628-06:00 Mar. 5 Num 22:15-23:30 I am back. My project for the seminary, including the sermon series from this past fall, ended up being 102 pages long – whew! It’s nice to be done with this stage of the process. Now, I feel like I can breathe easier. I have also realized the importance of spreading out my projects for school throughout the year. Now, I have to go back and catch up on reading, http://lemonholm.blogspot.com/2009/03/mar-5-bible-blog.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Eric Lemonholm)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850149.post-505370697192569589Wed, 11 Feb 2009 17:01:00 +00002009-02-11T11:01:54.289-06:00Leviticus 6:14-8:21 In ch. 8, Aaron and his brothers are ordained as priests. The Urim and Thummim were some kind of oracle – possibly stones that were cast on the ground like dice – to help make difficult decisions with God’s guidance. One of the good things about reading the whole Bible is that you find out how different our context is from some people in Bible times. Sometimes, http://lemonholm.blogspot.com/2009/02/february-11-2009.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Eric Lemonholm)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850149.post-4717005111156915291Tue, 10 Feb 2009 17:00:00 +00002009-02-11T11:01:22.644-06:00Leviticus 4:1-6:13 We continue here with offerings for purification and reparation to God for sin and uncleanness. Again, though we do not follow these rules about burnt offerings, the need for forgiveness and reconciliation with God remains a universal need. The last verse, 6:13, may be the basis for our practice of having a ‘perpetual candle’ lit in our sanctuary. Matthew 26:1-25 The http://lemonholm.blogspot.com/2009/02/february-10-2009.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Eric Lemonholm)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850149.post-7644399416474030309Mon, 09 Feb 2009 22:07:00 +00002009-02-09T16:12:38.826-06:00Feb. 9 Exodus 40; Leviticus 1-3 I am now back from our Lakes Area Confirmation Retreat. I feel like I can finally take a breather and get caught up. Here are links to my last two sermons, including the one I wrote both for the confirmation retreat and for Mindy to preach at our church. For some reason, I told a lot of jokes in these sermons (perhaps I’ve preached a lot of http://lemonholm.blogspot.com/2009/02/feb.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Eric Lemonholm)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850149.post-4345355514466817245Mon, 02 Feb 2009 21:30:00 +00002009-02-02T15:31:22.806-06:00Exodus 26:26-28:43 Hey folks, I am sorry for the lack of regular Bible Blogs. What I realize I need to do is set a regular time to read and blog about the Bible. Otherwise, with all the other things to do each day, it gets pushed off until later, and then never happens – often I read, but then don’t get around to writing. The good news is that, just this little extra encouragement is keeping http://lemonholm.blogspot.com/2009/02/february-2-bible-blog.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Eric Lemonholm)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850149.post-2315080099116272099Tue, 27 Jan 2009 03:40:00 +00002009-01-26T21:43:35.953-06:00 Eric Lemonholm January 25, 2009 Epiphany 3 B Jonah 3:1-10; 1 Corinthians 7:29-31; Mark 1:14-20 The Bible is an amazing book. Someone once said that the Bible is such an awesome and life changing book that few people actually read it. But the Bible is a rich collection of stories, songs, poems, prophecies, and more.http://lemonholm.blogspot.com/2009/01/jonah.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Eric Lemonholm)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850149.post-7198437032957815755Sat, 24 Jan 2009 17:10:00 +00002009-01-24T11:15:52.788-06:00 Here is last Sunday's sermon. Please note my bipartisan prayer. Eric Lemonholm January 18, 2009 Epiphany 2B 1 Samuel 3:1-10; John 1:43-51 Grace and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord Jesus Christ. This week we will witness an historic event, something that was once rare in the world – a peaceful, democratic http://lemonholm.blogspot.com/2009/01/samuel-samuel.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Eric Lemonholm)0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8850149.post-6590606263846840904Fri, 23 Jan 2009 19:11:00 +00002009-01-23T13:11:35.020-06:00 Exodus 1:15-4:9 Shiphrah and Puah, the midwives of the Israelites in Egypt, are unsung heroes, for saving innumerable infant boys from death. Moses (whose very name may be either Egyptian or Hebrew) is raised as a son of Pharaoh’s daughter, with his own mother as his nurse. When he is grown, Moses kills an Egyptian while defending a Hebrew slave, flees to the wilderness of Midian (which ishttp://lemonholm.blogspot.com/2009/01/january-23-2009.htmlnoreply@blogger.com (Eric Lemonholm)0