I've had an Epiphany!

Luke 16:19-31 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen, living in luxury every day.  20  A beggar named Lazarus had been laid at his gate. Lazarus was covered with sores and  21  longed to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Besides this, the dogs also came and licked his sores.  22  Eventually the beggar died, and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried.  23  In hell, where he was in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus at his side.  24  He called out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me! Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in misery in this flame.’ 25  “But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus received bad things. But now he is comforted here, and you are in misery.  26  Besides all this, a great chasm...

The Gathering of the Manna Artist: Dirk Bouts Date: c. 1465 Worship Theme: Many Christian churches stress social action. Feeding the hungry is important for Christians. God commands acts of mercy. Sadly, however, many churches offer little more than physical bread, bread that does not last. Bread is necessary for this life, but Jesus wants his Church to focus on offering the Bread of Life (Jesus himself, the Word of God). This Bread nourishes our souls, not just now, but for all eternity. Old Testament: Exodus 16:2–20 2 The entire Israelite community grumbled against Moses and Aaron in the wilderness. 3 The Israelites said to them, “If only we had died by the Lord ’s hand in the land of Egypt, when we sat around pots of meat and ate as much food as we wanted, but now you have brought us out into this wilderness to have this whole community die of hunger.” 4 Then the Lord said to Moses, “Watch what I will do. I will rain down bread from heaven for you, and the p...

Luke 16:19-31 “There was a rich man who was dressed in purple and fine linen, living in luxury every day.  20  A beggar named Lazarus had been laid at his gate. Lazarus was covered with sores and  21  longed to be fed with what fell from the rich man’s table. Besides this, the dogs also came and licked his sores.  22  Eventually the beggar died, and the angels carried him to Abraham’s side. The rich man also died and was buried.  23  In hell, where he was in torment, he lifted up his eyes and saw Abraham far away and Lazarus at his side.  24  He called out and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me! Send Lazarus to dip the tip of his finger in water and cool my tongue, because I am in misery in this flame.’ 25  “But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that in your lifetime you received your good things, and Lazarus received bad things. But now he is comforted here, and you are in misery.  26  Besides all this, a great chas...

Mark 6:30–34 The apostles gathered around Jesus and reported to him all that they had done and taught. 31 He said to them, “Come away by yourselves to a secluded place and rest a while.” For there were so many people coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat. 32 They went away in the boat to a deserted place by themselves. 33 But many people saw them leave and knew where they were going. They ran there on foot from all the towns and arrived ahead of them. 34 When Jesus stepped out of the boat, he saw a large crowd. His heart went out to them because they were like sheep without a shepherd. He began to teach them many things. I recently read an article entitled, “How Pastoral Care Stunts the Growth of Most Churches.” It was written by Pastor Carey Nieuwhof, who is not a Lutheran pastor. In the article, the author suggests that churches will not grow numerically if the pastor is busy visiting the sick, the elderly, the infirm, and the straying. Taking the time t...

Psalm 23:1 The  Lord  is my shepherd; I shall not want. 2  He maketh me to lie down in green pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. 3  He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for his name's sake. 4  Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me. 5  Thou preparest a table before me in the presence of mine enemies: thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth over. 6  Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the  Lord  for ever. A prepared table One of the things that Lois really treasured in her life was spending time with her cousins every Sunday at Grandma’ farm in Caledonia. From Memorial Day to Labor Day, the twenty or so cousins would get together on the farm. The meals were feasts as each aunt brought her favorite dish to share with ...