Shalom Lutheran Church

05/31/2026

Plenty of us have suffered through bad analogies of the Trinity. Well-meaning pastors have likened the Trinity to everything from a tri-corner hat to an egg. But the name of the Trinity isn’t an abstraction to be explained through analogy, but a gift of divine relationship given to us in baptism. How is this done? What does this have to do with our daily lives? And how does this gift instill hope in us? Pastor David preaches “Understanding the Trinity Is Not Your Job!” based on Genesis 1:1-2:4a and Matthew 28:16-20.

Image: John Martin, 1789-1854. Creation of Light, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt University Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. It’s hard to count the number of bad analogies I’ve heard (and I confess, used) to talk about the Holy Trinity. There’s the three...

05/31/2026

Good morning, church! Welcome to worship! Our ministers today include:
A/V: Dan R.
Acolytes: Olivia & Joshua F.
Assisting Minister: Carol H.
Communion Assistants: Dave M. & Grant P.
Lector: Susan P.
Musicians: Kris W., Mike F., Sam M., and the Shalom Ringers
Presiding Minister and Preacher: Pastor David F.
Ushers: Diane K. & Arvin P.

SERMON: Plenty of us have suffered through bad analogies of the Trinity. Well-meaning pastors have likened the Trinity to everything from a tri-corner hat to an egg. But the name of the Trinity isn’t an abstraction to be explained through analogy, but a gift of divine relationship given to us in baptism. How is this done? What does this have to do with our daily lives? And how does this gift instill hope in us? Pastor David preaches “Controlling God Is Not Your Job!” based on Genesis 1:1-2:4a and Matthew 28:16-20.

05/26/2026

Memorial Service for Caryl Ziegenhagen

05/24/2026

Jesus ties the giving of the Holy Spirit to forgiveness of sins. Yet, even though we have received the Spirit in baptism, we still have trouble with forgiving each other. What is forgiveness? What are misconceptions of forgiveness? And how is forgiveness always God’s work? Pastor David preaches “Forgiveness Is Not Your Job!” based on Acts 2:1-21 and John 20:19-23.

Image: Koenig, Peter. Pentecost, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=58542 You know, I didn’t plan for the last couple weeks to turn into the “not your job”...

05/24/2026

Good morning, church! Happy Pentecost! Special thanks to:
A/V: Dan R.
Acolyte: Skylar C.
Assisting Minister: Sharon H.
Communion Assts.: Judy H. & Cheryl B.
Lector: Joann G.
Musicians: Sam M. & the Spirit of Shalom Band
Presiding Minister & Preacher: Pastor David F.
Proclaim/FB Live: CJ/Kim/Julie
Ushers: Al A. & Sue E.

SERMON: Jesus ties the giving of the Holy Spirit to forgiveness of sins. Yet, even though we have received the Spirit in baptism, we still have trouble with forgiving each other. What is forgiveness? What are misconceptions of forgiveness? And how is forgiveness always God’s work? Pastor David preaches “Forgiveness Is Not Your Job!” based on Acts 2:1-21 and John 20:19-23.

05/17/2026

Every community seeks unity. However, the unity of Christian community is different than that of others. What makes Christian community different? Where is unity in Christian community when it is elusive or imperceptible? What are false ideals of Christian community? And how do we heal from our experiences of division? Pastor David preaches “Unity Is Not Your Job!” based on John 17:1-11.

Image: An image of Christ and the apostles from Maestà by Duccio, 1308-1311 Today, we hear Jesus pray for his community of disciples, both those who walked the earth with him, and those who would be disciples in the future. There are a lot of striking and paradoxical things about this prayer....

05/17/2026

Good morning church! Congratulations to Caedyn W. who affirms his baptism today.

For the 7th Sunday of Easter, we are grateful for these worship leaders:
A/V: Dan R.
Acolyte: Rhe'von R.
Assisting Minister: Deb K.
Communion Assts.: Angie E. & Sue E.
Lector: Tam B.
Musicians: Kris W. & Shalom Singers
Presiding Minister & Preacher: Pastor David F.
Proclaim/FB Live: Julie A. & Kim C.
Ushers: Dave M. & Grant P.

SERMON: Every community seeks unity. However, the unity of Christian community is different than that of others. What makes Christian community different? Where is unity in Christian community when it is elusive or imperceptible? What are false ideals of Christian community? And how do we heal from our experiences of division? Pastor David preaches “Unity Is Not Your Job!” based on John 17:1-11.

05/10/2026

In our culture, “indoctrination” is a dirty word, nearly synonymous with “brainwashing”. However, we are indoctrinated from the day of our birth in particular worldviews. We receive them from our parents, schools, and communities. And all those worldviews fall short of the intention God has for us. But God has a wonderful gift to give us—the gift of truth found in Jesus Christ. What is this truth? And how does the Holy Spirit keep us in that truth in a world filled with lies? Pastor David preaches “Indoctrination of the Spirit” based on Ezekiel 43:1-9 and John 14:15-21.

Image: Mary S. Watts, Watts Chapel - Spirit of Truth, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. Few words are as off-putting as “indoctrination”. No one likes this word. It’s on par with “brainwashing.” And along with brainwashing, it...

05/10/2026

Good morning, church! For the 6th Sunday of Easter, we are grateful for the following worship leaders:

A/V: Dan R.
Acolyte: Joshua F.
Assisting Minister: Pastor Dan H.
Communion Assts: Dean & Catherine K.
Lector: Diane K.
Musicians: Sam M. & the SoS Band
Presiding Minister and Preacher: Pastor David
Proclaim/FB Live: Kim C. & CJ
Ushers: Todd & Jan Z.

SERMON: In our culture, “indoctrination” is a dirty word, nearly synonymous with “brainwashing”. However, we are indoctrinated from the day of our birth in particular worldviews. We receive them from our parents, schools, and communities. And all those worldviews fall short of the intention God has for us. But God has a wonderful gift to give us—the gift of truth found in Jesus Christ. What is this truth? And how does the Holy Spirit keep us in that truth in a world filled with lies? Pastor David preaches “Indoctrination of the Spirit” based on Ezekiel 43:1-9 and John 14:15-21.

05/04/2026

The night of his arrest, Jesus uses an image of God’s family. He tells his troubled, grieving friends that there is enough room in his Father’s household for everyone. But we come to God’s family with our own experiences of family, which are not always positive. How is God’s family different? How can we trust that God’s family made up of real sinners like us and not an escapist fantasy? What gives us the ability to trust Jesus’ words when our worlds fall apart? Pastor David preaches “A Place for You” based on John 14:1-14.

Image: Helen McLean, Christ in Glory, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville, TN. https://diglib.library.vanderbilt.edu/act-imagelink.pl?RC=56321 Over 16 years of pastoring, I’ve facilitated premarital counseling for about 25...