We have begun another new year, 2025. It usually takes a little while to remember this when writing the date. Some people set resolutions or goals for the year. This may help us to decide where our focus will be. Our country will be looking and run differently. There are many different views on whether it will be good or bad, healthy or unhealthy. …

This is a special musical presentation of the Away in a Manger at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

This is a special musical presentation of the Jesus, What a Wonderful Child with soloists Tammy Heilman and Chris Lewis at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

Christmas Eve 2024 Tonight, I would like to focus on angels. The first time that we hear about angels is back in Genesis. The angel announced to Hagar, after she ran away from Sarai, that she would bear many children. Her first child was Ishmael, Abram’s first son. Ishmael played a foundational role in the Islamic religion. Here we have an angel an…

In our gospel lesson today, we have Mary’s song of praise and gratitude, which has been given the title, The Magnificat. My soul proclaims your greatness O God, and my spirit rejoices in you my Savior. The Message, a paraphrase of the Bible, puts it this way, Mary says “I’m bursting with good news; I’m dancing the song of my Savior, God took one lo…

This is a special musical presentation of the People, Look East by the Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

This is the Christmas Pageant presented by the youth of Faith Lutheran Church today. It is entitled 12 Symbols of Christmas!

This is a special musical presentation of the Angels Advent Carol by the Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

This is a special musical presentation of Will We Know Him by the Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

Sermon for Faith Lutheran Church-Okemos December 8, 2024; Advent 2 – Year C Megan Floyd Grace and peace to you from God, our Creator, and from the Lord, Jesus Christ, our Savior… the one for whom we prepare. Amen. I think we all know… babies tend to arrive without regard for whether the parents are fully ready for them… or not. In fact, I don’t kno…

This is a special musical presentation of Listen Here, Listen Here with a solo from Christopher Lewis at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

Advent is a season that is counter cultural. We can get busier and busier as we approach Christmas. Yet when we gather together for worship we talk and sing about slowing down and waiting. We sing those Advent hymns in minor keys, that some people don’t like. We don’t even sing a Hymn of Praise and instead we sing only a Kyrie. The ceremony of the …

Today is Christ the King Sunday or Reign of Christ Sunday. Pope Pius XI in 1925 began this festival which was around the time of World War I. He felt that the followers of Christ were being lured away by secularism. They were choosing to live in the kingdom of the world and focus on themselves and not the kingdom where God reigned where the focus i…

This is a special musical presentation of Will Give You Thanks with the Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

This is a special musical presentation of Leaning on the Everlasting Arms with the Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

This is a special musical presentation of God Will Make a Way, a solo by Bob Nelson at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

Jesus has called each one of here this morning and we have answered that call. He wants to speak to us today and give us a message of trust and hope. Through word, sacrament, and each other we are reminded of Jesus’ love for each one of us and then he calls us to share that love with others and then encourage them to share it. Through times of happ…

This is a special musical presentation of Days of Elijah with the Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

Have No Fear, Little Flock Have no fear, little flock; have no fear little flock, for the Father has chosen to give you the kingdom; have no fear, little flock! ELW 764 For many of us, though not all of us, this has been a very hard week. For many of us, though not all of us, the path ahead looks frightening. For many of us it looks especially frig…

Jesus Cries with Us, Jesus Cries Out for Us Last Sunday afternoon Jamie, Laurie, Phylis and I sitting at a large round table visited with Anna, Ashley, Alison (from Panama), Fatima (from Venezuela), three little people, and a faithful member of St. Christopher Episcopal Church. St. Christopher is a sanctuary church in El Paso, Texas, a safe place f…

This is a special musical presentation of Hine Ma Tov with the Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

This is a special musical presentation of A Mighty Fortress Is Our God with the Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

Since I will be on vacation beginning Wednesday, this will be my last sermon before the election. This does not mean that I am going to tell you who to vote for. I will be voting tomorrow. Many of you have voted by mail, others will take advantage of early voting and others will wait until election day. The important thing is to vote. Leading up to…

This is a special musical presentation of I Know The Lord Laid His Hands on Me with the Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

How many of us have said that we really don’t understand some people’s way of thinking? Our culture today has many conflicts and/or paradoxes. It hasn’t changed since the time of our Gospel lesson today. Only today it seems to be more polarized. History continues to repeat itself and only we can be responsible for ourselves. The last verse of our G…

This is a special musical presentation of Heart of the Nations with the Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

Jesus has been and continues to be very pointed in what he is trying to teach. He is trying to prepare his disciples for his pending death and resurrection. Everyone seems to have their own idea of what the kingdom of God is supposed to look like. Jesus says it is very hard to enter the kingdom of God. He told them it was easier for a camel to go t…

In my study groups this past week, it was a challenge to discuss what some call as the big “D” word, divorce. Jesus chooses to take on the difficult issues that people face. Some of you may have experienced divorce personally or most likely it has been in your family. My grandfather divorced my grandmother in 1952 after finding work out of town and…

This is a special musical presentation of Send Down The Rain with the Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

Today we are celebrating Michael and all Angels Sunday. This is a festival dedicated to the archangel Michael that started in the fifth Sunday in Rome. Michael is not a saint, but in Jewish angelology, he is one of the four arch angels who carry out the will of God. The stories about Michael center around war scenes which are battles between good a…

This is a special musical presentation of Pray For the People with the Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

There seems to be a great deal of confusion or disagreements on who we welcome. We have people, including Christians who want to define who to welcome. It is one’s interpretation, but is the interpretation based on love or fear. The God that I read about and experience and see modeled through Jesus is about welcoming all out of love. I do not belie…

This is a special musical presentation of Whoever Would be Great Among You with the Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

This is a special musical presentation of Revive Us Again with the Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

Many of us have been through exit interviews. They are about how learning about how we were received. I wonder if we would ever consider asking the question, “Who do people say that I am? In other words how would people describe me. We would have to be ready for anything depending on what had occurred during our time of employment. There are a grea…

In my husband’s psychology practice, many had the diagnosis of Mental Retardation, now known as Intellectual Disability. Most of them were high functioning to the point, that one asked my husband, I hear people saying that I am mentally retarded, “What does that mean?” My husband told him that is was a level of functioning, but in reality, he told …

This is a special musical presentation of This Little Light of Mine with the Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

This is a special musical presentation of Down to the River with the Sinful Sinners at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

For Not with Swords Loud Clashing Lead on, O King eternal! The day of march has come; henceforth in fields of conquest your tents will be our home. Through days of preparation your grace has made us strong; and now, O King eternal, we lift our battle song. Lead on, O King eternal, till sin’s fierce war shall cease, and holiness shall whisper the sw…

Last week I shared goals that were developed from the input that was received at our gatherings this past year. I need to let you know that they are still in progress and are being reviewed by the call committee. They will then go back to the council for final approval. You will then be able to see them in the Ministry Site Profile. The Ministry Si…

This is a special musical presentation of The Lord's Prayer with Tammy Heilman, Bob Nelson, and Deb Borton-McDonough at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

The crowds are following Jesus, but Jesus is throwing them for a loop again. Jesus is saying he is the bread of life that has come down from heaven. This can’t be as he is the son of Joseph, and they know his father and mother. Now he is claiming to be God? The Judeans say that they know the truth. They seem to be so closed minded. This idea that t…

This is a special musical presentation of Thee We Adore, O Savior with Elaine Harrison, Kay Hillberg, Brenda Kopf and Ann Mayer on handbells at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

This is a special musical presentation of Fairest Lord Jesus by Megan Nyquist and Addie Thompson on handbells at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

It has been an exciting time here at the Son Games 2024 VBS program. We have had a great group of kids, a wonderful staff, and we not only partnered with St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, but had people from other churches, too. This is what church is about. You heard our mottos, Join In, Team Up, Get Strong, Keep On, and Celebrate. This is all in the ba…

This is a special musical presentation of The Lord is My Shepherd by soloist Ryan Thompson and Addie Thompson on Flute at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

Our culture teaches us to always want to know and have more. I believe that sometimes that this is important. In our political world today, it is important to discover the truth to the best of our ability. Media slants information as well as candidates. Thus, before we comment or share things on Facebook, it is good to check it out, because if we d…

Last week I spoke about us being called as prophets. Now this week in our second lesson, Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, he talks about coming together. Paul is addressing his letter to Jewish and Gentile Christians. Each of them have their own idea about each other’s conduct. Paul is suggesting, well maybe telling them that they are called to reco…

This is a special musical presentation of Holy Thy Name at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

This is a special musical presentation of Acquaint Now Thyself withsoloist Bruce Thorsen Piano at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan