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Showing posts from January, 2011

We'll be everything that we ever need

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The odd pairing of God and human history Exodus 3:7-12 Prayer: Please pray with me. God, you bid us “so come.” Invite us into your realm of compassion, and when we weary, grow afraid, or experience confusion, remind us of your promise, “I will be with you.” ~Amen. Intro: Good morning, my name is Ryan Cosgrove, and I am an intern at the Lutheran Public Policy Office, as well as St. John United in North Seattle. I grew up in Iowa, and am attending seminary at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg. My goal is to become an ordained pastor, like Rev. Kindem. Part of this process of ordination is a year-long internship. So, I am the fellow who got to leave the mid-Atlantic area, come to the mild winters, mountains and waters of the Northwest for a year of internship. Pretty lucky, right? Also, I would like to send greetings on behalf of everyone at the LPPO, and personally, I thank you for the opportunity to be with you today. Not only am I thankful today, I am

love takes on flesh

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Matthew 3:13-17 Prayer : Lord, may the words of my lips, and the meditations of all our hearts fulfill all righteousness, O Lord. Amen. I remember my baptism. Or at least I think I do. I may have looked at the picture so many times that I have formed a memory out of it. Anyway, I don’t remember this because I was an infant with an extraordinary memory. I remember this because I wasn’t baptized as an infant. Nope, my mom wasn’t really going to church when I was born, so I wasn’t baptized. Four years later, though, my little brother, Cody, was born. At this point, my Dad’s mom, my grandmother insisted we get baptized. I never heard the conversation myself, but when I was older my Mom told me about it. She told me how my grandmother insisted my brother and I be baptized to stay out of hell. I mean, heaven forbid, what if something should happen to Cody, or me? My Mom was, and is, and excellent theologian. She knew better. My Mom, more importunately, is also a good daughte