Shepherds, an unlikely target of the first Christmas message. Common folk, like many [or most?] of us. St. Luke, in chapter 2 of his Gospel relates the story of the messengers and their message; as well as the recipients and their response to this message.
Pastor’s family housing update and holid
We are happy to announce that as of January 15, Beth and Stephen and I will change our place of residence to a neighborhood in south Toledo within fifteen minutes of my office and the church facility. We are thankful to member and elder Tom Lueck who has helped us work out many of the […]
A Call to Service for Advent
May you join your hearts and voices with Mary who would soon become the mother of Jesus, the humble young virgin who received God’s call with expectant faith and joyous hope. May you, like her, rejoice in God your Savior for the mercies he has shown you, and may you extend his mercy to others who […]
The Virgin Conception of Jesus – Luke 1:
What a wonderful event: Gabriel the Angel announcing to Mary that she is “favored by the Lord” and will bring the Savior of humanity into the world! Listen to Pastor Dan’s sermon if you were not able to hear it on Sunday.
The Difference Between Advent Carols and...
Some have noticed that we have been singing strictly Advent carols rather than Christmas carols these past few weeks and wonder why I have chosen to do so. I have done this not to diminish Christmas, but rather to heighten the anticipation for Christmas. The Advent carols in our hymnal – and other hymnals – […]
Pointing People to Jesus (John 1:6-8, 19...
With the third Sunday of Advent comes the message of John the Baptizer – who deflected attention from himself and directed people’s focus on Jesus. John knew who he was, and who he was not. He knew the purpose of his message; and he knew who had sent him.