By Campus Missionary Mary Rowley, based on 1st Corinthians 15:20-28 Have you ever wanted something? Silly question, I know – we want things all the time. For example, as I write this on Tuesday, I’m wishing for someone to appear and clean my apartment. I’m hungry for ice cream. I want the rain to stop. I…
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Posts by University Lutheran (Page 71)
Every year University Lutheran adopts an “Annual Focus”. The annual focus is both a plan and a touchstone for our congregation. This year’s annual focus is “Wise Unto Salvation” and comes from St. Paul’s words to Timothy in 2 Timothy 3:15 – “From childhood you have been acquainted with the Sacred Writings which are able…
By Campus Missionary Mary Rowley, based on Ezekiel 34:11-16, 20-24 There’s a very good reason that sheep need a shepherd. They can’t survive on their own; they need to be led, or they’ll panic. There’s also a very good reason that we are compared to sheep. We can’t survive on our own, either. If we don’t…
Florida State University, the campus that I serve, is caught in confusion and mourning after a gunman shot three people at our main library. There are roughly 45,000 people at Florida State. About 400 of them were in the library at 12:30am when the gunman attacked. Almost everyone goes to that library at some timeduring…
By Campus Missionary Mary Rowley, based on Matthew 25:14-30 As I read through the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25, I’m struck by the third servant. I almost feel sorry for him. After all, what did he really do wrong? He just wanted to make sure that nothing happened to his master’s money. He had…
By Campus Missionary Mary Rowley, based on 1st Thessalonians 5:1-11 In this passage of 1st Thessalonians, Paul is describing the way we defend ourselves against the devil. “Since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation” (verse 8).…
By Campus Missionary Mary Rowley, based on Psalm 90 Moses and the Israelites spent 40 years wandering aimlessly around the wilderness. Therefore, when Moses said to God, “Lord, you have been our dwelling place in all generations” (verse 1), I imagine the Israelites were rather confused. After all, they had been without a home for years…
By Campus Missionary Mary Rowley, based on Zephaniah 1:7-16 You’re sitting in the back of the class, whispering to your friend next to you. You’ve grown experienced at making sure the teacher doesn’t notice, but this time, your overconfidence has betrayed you. Suddenly you hear a voice from behind you. “Do you have something to share…
By Campus Missionary Mary Rowley, based on Matthew 25:1-13 I have a friend who is constantly worried about being prepared. Before she leaves a room, she insists on turning back and looking around to make sure she hasn’t left anything behind that she might need. She calls it “scanning.” Sometimes she does this more than once.…
By Campus Missionary Mary Rowley, based on 1st Thessalonians 4:13-18 I had a professor at Concordia – Wisconsin who was adamantly opposed to the phrase “please rise” when used during worship. To him, this phrase meant “please float above the ground.” He insisted that his students say “please stand” instead when they were assisting in worship.…