“Good ideas have legs” says JIM DWYER of the NY Times in his article Where Unsold Clothes Meet People in Need. The article provides an example of how a single person can make an enormous difference in the lives of thousands of needy people. He briefly describes how in 1985, […]
The Holy Spirit has a way of shaking things up: the church is born; people are inspired to proclaim good news from God – starting in Jerusalem and then to the whole world; old ways and understandings give way to the new; and those once alienated are reconciled and welcomed. […]
The Spirit of Change
On Saturday morning (November 14, 2009), I and about 300 other people gathered for a special assembly[1] of the New Jersey Synod. [2] According to the “rules”, the sole item on our agenda was the Synod’s 2010 spending plan – what most people know as a budget. But, whatever the […]
Discipleship and Budgets
A child is raped, and witnesses either ignore it or cheer.[1] People are beaten and murdered because of their race or perceived immigration status, and the victims are too afraid to seek help.[2] A disgruntled man opens fire on former colleagues at their workplace.[3] A mentally ill physician murders 13 […]
Anticipating Christ the King
In 2007, the Barna Group published a study of perceptions of Christianity among 16- to 29-year-old Americans.[1] They found that among young non-Christians, 87% perceive Christianity as judgmental, and 85% as hypocritical. Even among young Christians, about half agreed that Christianity is judgmental and hypocritical.[2] The researchers found that one […]
Where’s Jesus?
By Luann Albanese When I first started discovering who God was, as a child, I was terrified because I was taught that I had to behave a certain way or do certain things in order for God to love me and allow me into heaven with Him when my time […]
Surprised by Grace
Recent events in the ELCA[1] have piqued more interest than usual in what this Church actually teaches, revealing the latest manifestation of a contentious question as old as the Christian Church itself. The question is largely asked in terms of the authority of canonical Scripture, and how it functions as […]
Thoughts about Scriptural Authority: Paul, the Law, and the ELCA
Sermon for Reformation Sunday, October 25, 2009 by the Rev. Margay Jo Whitlock Readings First: Jeremiah 31:31–34 Psalm: Psalm 46 Second: Romans 3:19–28 Gospel: John 8:31–36 Today is a red letter day. A “red letter” day, is literally, a day marked on our Church calendars in red. It’s a Holy […]
Red Letter Day
Welcome to Beautiful Messenger, the online journal of Zion Evangelical Lutheran Church, in Rahway, NJ. The mission of this journal is to share God’s love – revealed in the life, teachings, and ministry of Jesus of Nazareth – with one another and with our neighbors by publicly speaking to matters […]