Since around September the elders, Council, and Pastor Jay have been talking about the idea of a sabbatical for him starting in May and running to July. We recognize, however, that while things have been being sketched out, we have told the congregation a little about these discussions, but haven’t really gotten into many of…

This past Sunday our Council met and continued to develop our vision for the coming years. That vision is, “By the time that 2030 arrives, the people of University Lutheran will have established trusted avenues taken by members to invest in the lives of students living in the housing marketed to the three campuses of…

I remember cheering for a turtle race in middle school. There were three or four turtles, each distinguished with a small spot of blue, red, yellow, or green paint. We cheered for the turtles as they “raced” to the finish line. The winners celebrated, the rest of us deflated a little as our champion turtles…

This coming Sunday is the celebration of All Saints. The celebration of All Saints dates back to the early days of Christianity. The church father Tertullian once said that “the blood of the martyrs is the seed of the Church.” That was certainly the case as Christianity grew with many of the leaders of Christian…

RED. It’s a color that evokes passion, perhaps even danger. Fire trucks, blood, chili peppers, lipstick….and Reformation Sunday. This upcoming Sunday is Reformation Sunday, and this should serve as the reminder that University Lutheran’s tradition is for people to wear red on Reformation Sunday. We do this because it matches the red of the paraments…

“Steward” is a word that doesn’t get used very often in our current vernacular. Perhaps you understand “steward” by its related word “stewardship,” which unfortunately often gets used as a code word for “church fundraising effort”. And sure, we are indeed called to be stewards of our money – but I think we fail to…

The Gospel of John is a little….different. Unlike the other three Gospels, John presents things in a different order that doesn’t seem to based on chronology. He doesn’t include some of the same stories that the other Gospels do (e.g. no sermon on the mount), and he gives us stories that we wouldn’t otherwise have…

John records Jesus as saying “These things I have spoken to you that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full.” (John 15) The context of the verse shows that He says this about HIs encouragement to His disciples to follow God’s commandments. And the purpose is not “so you’ll…

Paul in Acts 20 quotes Jesus as saying, “It is better to give than to receive.” We often hear this quote around Christmas time when we’re buying presents for loved ones (and perhaps for less than loved ones as well). But this isn’t just a Christmas quote, it’s a way of life. We might have…