Episodios

  • Special Music - Gaudeamus Hodie-Let Us Rejoice Today
    Sep 28 2025

    Today, we had a special musical performance of Gaudeamus Hodie-Let Us Rejoice Today by the Faith Lutheran Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

    Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC

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    2 m
  • Sermon - 9-28-25
    Sep 28 2025
    Year C – 16th Sunday after Pentecost; Lectionary 26 – September 28, 2025 Pastor Megan Floyd Luke 16:19-31 Grace and peace to you from God and the Holy Spirit, and from Jesus Christ, who, together with Moses and the prophets, has given us the way to the Kingdom of Heaven. Amen. *** My friend Sara has a wild yard. And I do mean… wild. She moved into her quiet, suburban neighborhood some years ago, and to her neighbor’s dismay… she didn’t mow the lawn. It’s the kind of yard you might expect to see out in the country… way out… around an abandoned house… but certainly not in her manicured neighborhood… And oh my goodness, did it cause an uproar! The neighbors couldn’t understand why she kept such an untidy lawn, and they glared out their living room windows, casting judgment on her… and filed complaints with the city. She had to petition for the right to let the grass and dandelions grow… and for the leaves to fall where the wind blew… and let them stay there. She asked her neighbors… to trust the process… And she won! …well, sort of… I believe they struck a deal that if she kept the area around the front clear, she could do what she wished with the rest, which was fine… because her backyard is massive. The first year, it was just a mess… chaos everywhere! Even the grass was confused. But then… after about a year or so had gone by… after the neighbors had mostly made their peace with my friend Sara’s “process…” They noticed something they hadn’t seen in years… one warm summer evening… they saw… Fireflies! …Lightning Bugs! Little glowing lights, twinkling, and blinking, and flying around… and the neighbors marveled! ...One of Sara’s neighbors told her that she hadn’t seen fireflies since she was a child! How extraordinary and delightful! …and once they noticed the fireflies, well then… then they started noticing other little things. They noticed all the butterflies that would stop and visit Sara’s wild yard. Beautiful and colorful, graceful butterflies… floating all around. They noticed that a fox had moved into the grove of trees in her backyard, and it was safe and secure enough for it to have little fox pups. And the trees! Even the trees seemed fuller… brighter… like they could finally breathe. And the grass… the grass that was so confused…well, it was no longer just plain grass… but a blanket of all different shades of green, full, tall, and strong, and filled with wildflowers. …and of course, happy, buzzy bees, gathering pollen. My friend Sara’s wild yard… was no longer a yard… it was a garden, in the most natural sense of the word. It still required some tending… a bit of care here and there, but her care was directed toward increasing the garden's habitability for the diversity of plants and creatures that now lived there, including …herself. And she tends this garden because the fireflies, and the butterflies, and the bees, and the family of foxes… need this space… They are all important… all the little creatures that might go unnoticed by some and considered a nuisance by others… all connected to each other, and connected to Sara and her family… in the great web of God’s Creation. Sara’s garden is the resource she has available to share with her neighbors, both human and otherwise, and in doing so, she is helping to heal the small sliver of God’s beautiful kingdom, right where she stands. And… her wild and full garden brings her joy! Now… you may be asking… why am I talking about natural gardens in suburban neighborhoods… after hearing a gospel text that is clearly about money? Well! I’m so glad you asked! And you’re right… this text today is about money… but ultimately… ultimately, it’s about relationships… and connection. Remember our text from last week about the rich man and his shrewd manager? Jesus ends that parable with the mic-drop statement… “You cannot serve both God and wealth… or rather… Mammon.” And the Pharisees are indignant… they like their wealth and comfort, and they scoff at Jesus and ridicule him for challenging them in this way. And so Jesus doubles down… and tells the Pharisees this next parable that we heard today. Today’s text is part of the larger conversation that we’ve been in now for three weeks. And yes… Jesus is talking about money again… Jesus talks about money a lot, actually… and what our responsibility is when we have an abundance of resources. But, I feel like I hit that point really hard last week, so this week, I wanted to dig into the why… why is it so important… that we take Jesus at his word? So, this parable we have today… it’s a fable, really… Jesus is not suddenly giving us a description of heaven and hell… but he is telling a cautionary tale and drawing from the imagery of Greek mythology to do so. And in this tale, the rich man was so caught up in his own perceived earthly ...
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    22 m
  • Special Music - Blessed Assurance
    Sep 22 2025

    Today, we had a special musical performance of Blessed Assurance by the Faith Bells at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

    Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC

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    4 m
  • Special Music - Saved By Grace
    Sep 21 2025

    Today, we had a special musical performance of Saved By Grace by the Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

    Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC

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    2 m
  • Sermon - 9/21/25
    Sep 21 2025
    Year C – 15th Sunday after Pentecost; Lectionary 25 – September 21, 2025 Pastor Megan Floyd Luke 16:1-13 Grace and peace to you from God and the Holy Spirit, and from Jesus Christ, who, together, offer liberation through reorientation. Amen. *** Jesus says… we cannot serve both God and wealth. …and yet, it is as true today as it was then… that both God and wealth, or Mammon, demand to be our top priority. These words from Jesus are convicting… we cannot serve both God and wealth… they are convicting… because we know in our heart… they are true. …and Jesus… well… he tends to be right. That’s why we’re here, yes? I actually prefer the old translation… instead of wealth, the original Greek uses the Aramaic word, Mammon. Mammon is a personification for the acquisition of wealth… something Martin Luther called in the Large Catechism, the “most common god on earth.” So, it isn’t so much wealth or money alone… that demands our dedication… Jesus doesn’t criticize wealthy people just for being wealthy… and money is a tool we all must use. But it’s the pursuit of money for the sake of getting richer that Jesus condemns… it’s the drive to store up more and more at the expense of others, the persistent need to acquire more and more that takes over our lives. To build bigger barns while others are starving… and then to rationalize our greed and overabundance… this is the Mammon that Jesus warns us against. To worship Mammon is to prioritize the accumulation of wealth… while disregarding the suffering and needs of others. Mammon demands that we look only to our own wants and desires, acquiring only for ourselves alone. Mammon is… isolating. God… on the other hand… demands that we put God above all else, and then look to our neighbor… God invites us to look through the lens of God’s love… and look to the needs of our neighbor first… so that we may flourish together… through relationship and in community. We cannot serve both God and Mammon. So… to illustrate this point… Jesus offers a rather strange parable. And all the authors I’ve read seem to agree that this one is just weird and challenging. It helps, I think, to dig into the context… and recall the economics of Roman-occupied Galilee in the first century. Remember… that the Roman Empire exploited the people's resources and labor through crippling taxation, which was often more than the average peasant could pay. And the rich landlords and rulers were basically loan sharks who got richer by exploiting peasants… offering loans to pay their taxes, but with exorbitant interest rates, something that was in direct violation of biblical covenantal law. So, when the peasants couldn’t pay back the loans, the rich would take ownership of their farm, disinheriting the peasant farmers of their family land… But they would “graciously” allow the peasants to stay on as tenant farmers… who now had to pay both taxes to the Roman government AND a high percentage of their yield to the rich new landowner. So… the rich got richer… and the poor got poorer. It was… an unjust system. Furthermore, the rich tended to live in the south, around Judea… while the peasant farmers lived in the north, around Galilee. The rich landowners wouldn’t go back and forth themselves… that could be dangerous, so they utilized middle managers to collect their spoils. These managers would also add to the debt that the farmers owed, because that’s how they got paid… and the more they added, the more money they made for themselves. It was the manager’s prerogative to squeeze these poor farmers out of as much of their crops… as much of their wheat, wine, and olive oil as possible. The farmers were, after all, expendable… all that mattered was gaining more wealth. Mammon. And so now here we are… Jesus’ teaching… his words for us today continue on from the gospel from last week. Last week’s scene opened with the Pharisees, who were lovers of money, grumbling because this man, Jesus, welcomes sinners and eats with them. Jesus put people over and above social order and expectations. So, he tells the grumbling Pharisees these parables… There was a lost sheep… there was a lost coin… there was a lost son. And then comes our text for today… “There was a rich man who had a manager…” “There was a rich man… who had a manager.” Does it ring a little differently now? This manager is about to get fired for squandering his boss’ property… he’s in trouble for not delivering as much as the rich man thought he should have. He’s about to be tossed out on his butt with nothing… so what does he do? What does he do? Once the hold of Mammon is broken… he has clarity! He realizes… that what he needs in his life are people. Mammon… the pursuit of wealth… drives people away. But for true flourishing… we need community. Money isn’t the ultimate measure of things… ...
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    23 m
  • Special Music - Panis Angelicus
    Sep 14 2025

    Today, we had a special musical performance of Panis Angelicus with a solo by Cody Boyan at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

    Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC

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    4 m
  • Special Music - Holy Thy Name
    Sep 14 2025

    Today, we had a special musical performance of Holy Thy Name by the Faith Lutheran Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

    Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC

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    3 m
  • Sermon - 9/14/25
    Sep 14 2025
    Sermon 9-14-25, Ex 32:7-14, Lk 15: 1-10 The scripture for today really caused me to lean into my identity as a chaplain – and a word of warning – a chaplain will likely leave you with more questions than answers… The role of a chaplain is to ask questions that support others in remembering and reconnecting with their own coping strategies and belief systems One question that today’s scripture brings up is What is the nature of God? / / / This is a question that I often explore with patients I think of the 50-year-old woman with newly diagnosed triple-negative breast cancer – a very aggressive and difficult-to-treat cancer -- who finds the courage to ask “Is God punishing me for something?” as she comes to terms with how every aspect of her life is now upended and at risk / / / What is the nature of God? This is an age-old question that humankind continues to wrestle with Not only among various religious traditions But also within Christianity Maybe especially within Christianity This disagreement is understandable – as we have two conflicting examples of God’s nature in scripture today. In Exodus, the Lord says to Moses: “…Now let me alone, so that my wrath may burn hot against them and I may consume them” (Ex. 32:10) / / / Then in Luke Jesus likens God to one who continues to seek, welcome and rejoice over humankind – especially those who have “been lost” Throughout scripture we can find examples of God’s nature to justify whatever perspective we choose to hold As we can with most issues Is God slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love or punishing sinners in judgement? Perhaps the more challenging debate lies within the questions about ourselves What do we believe? How do we live out those beliefs? How do we respond when we inevitably bump up against life circumstances and people who challenge those beliefs? / / / / I utilize psychology and sociology often as a chaplain, and draw upon those studies as I reflect on theology – the study of God – today Anthropomorphism is placing human attributes on things or beings that are not human We do this with our pets all the time, imagining their mood or desires We do this with plants and trees, imagining the grass is crying out in despair after days without rain – or rejoicing after the rain finally comes It’s easy with these examples to recognize how we’re likely projecting ourselves onto our dog or cat or lawn But what about with God? Might we also project ourselves onto who we wish God to be? / / / / So I read and reflect upon today’s scripture with the awareness that anthropomorphism and projecting are real I also reflect on them from an Internal Family Systems perspective which acknowledges that we have different, and sometimes competing parts of ourselves that influence our thoughts and behavior This acknowledges how at times there is a part of myself that wants my enemy to suffer AND a part of myself that wants to extend compassion to my enemy / / / / Going back to the reading from Exodus with this perspective I think about Moses Moses who at the beginning of his call story begged God to pick someone else – anyone else – to do this work Moses who realized the difficulty of his call and lamented the grumbling and complaining of the Israelites to God Moses who continually turned around and devoted himself to guiding and teaching these people who kept messing up and falling short of “the plan” Moses who today implored God to return to God’s good nature – and changed God’s mind / / / / The Israelites built the golden calf and began worshipping it instead of God This is the famous example of idolatry that Abrahamic traditions reference But, it also demonstrates humankind’s greed – And desire to possess and control God / / / / If God seems to stretch us too far out of our comfort zone Let’s project onto God traits that are more like us Let us make a god into one we can understand And abide And feel better about worshipping / / / / So we hear this anger from God in the book of Exodus over the people worshipping the golden calf and breaking the covenant They break their promise to worship only God They cannot keep their end of the bargain And God is angry – so angry God plans to burn wrath hot against them and consume them! But I wonder Is this God’s anger Or Moses’? Moses - After years of serving in this role that he didn’t really want Teaching and guiding and nurturing these people Literally participating in saving their lives While being on the receiving end of their ...
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    21 m