Mt Olive Lutheran Church, Mt. Pleasant-NC

01/06/2024

Because we will be celebrating the Baptism of Our Lord this coming Sunday, I wanted to post a short story and reflection to celebrate the Feast Day that officially marks the end of the Christmas season, The Epiphany of our Lord. This is the day when we read the story of the Magi from Matthew 2:1-12. And on this day I want to share with you an old Italian folk story....

Because we will be celebrating the Baptism of Our Lord this coming Sunday, I wanted to post a short story and reflection to celebrate the Feast Day that officially marks the end of the Christmas se…

12/24/2023

Join us for our Christmas Eve Services:
11:00am (4th Sunday of Advent/Cantata)
6:00pm (Children's Christmas Eve Program)
11:00pm (Candlelight and Holy Communion)

12/22/2023

Luke 2:12 “This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” My creche at home has a historical inaccuracy, and it sits right in the middle. The manger, the very thing that contained God incarnate is not what it seems. Mangers in first century Judea were not made of wood....

Luke 2:12 “This will be a sign for you: you will find a child wrapped in bands of cloth and lying in a manger.” My creche at home has a historical inaccuracy, and it sits right in the middle. The m…

12/21/2023

Matthew 27:50-51 Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were split. If we are to believe the song Silent Night, then Jesus’ life was bookended by quaking. Although “shepherds quaking at the sight” is a far cry from the type of earth-shaking movement that split the curtain temple in two and opened the gravestones upon his crucifixion and death....

Matthew 27:50-51 Then Jesus cried again with a loud voice and breathed his last. At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom. The earth shook, and the rocks were sp…

12/20/2023

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. The incarnation of God is a miracle. During my final year of seminary, I sat in a room with two professors who were there to give me a degree review—essentially a comprehensive evaluation of my theological education....

John 1:14 And the Word became flesh and lived among us, and we have seen his glory, the glory as of a father’s only son, full of grace and truth. The incarnation of God is a miracle. During my fina…

12/19/2023

Psalm 80:3 Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved. This verse from Psalm 8 is a refrain. Throughout the Psalm it is a repeated petition. It is the chorus to a song amid the many verses. It is a constant plea by the Psalmist for God to come and restore both himself and his people, Israel....

Psalm 80:3 Restore us, O God of hosts; let your face shine, that we may be saved. This verse from Psalm 8 is a refrain. Throughout the Psalm it is a repeated petition. It is the chorus to a song am…

12/18/2023

Luke 7:33-35 “For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon’; the Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look a glutton and a drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners! Nevertheless, wisdom is vindicated by all her children.” Are Advent candles blue or purple?...

Luke 7:33-35 “For John the Baptist has come eating no bread and drinking no wine, and you say, ‘He has a demon’; the Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and you say, ‘Look a glutton and a drun…

12/15/2023

Acts 28:23b From morning until evening explained the matter to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the law of Moses and from the prophets. We tend to think that the Christmas story begins with the angel Gabriel traveling to Nazareth to visit Mary. Or perhaps we turn the page back and begin with the birth of John the Baptist....

Acts 28:23b From morning until evening [Paul] explained the matter to them, testifying to the kingdom of God and trying to convince them about Jesus both from the law of Moses and from the prophets…

12/14/2023

Luke 1:76 “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways” My favorite Christmas tradition is setting up our family creche, a miniature reproduction of the famous stable and manger scene. The nativity set that we use at our home is from the Italian figurine company Fontanini....

Luke 1:76 “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Most High; for you will go before the Lord to prepare his ways” My favorite Christmas tradition is setting up our family creche, a minia…

12/13/2023

Jeremiah 31:3 I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you. Words made flesh Every year I find myself watching the Christmas movie, It’s a Wonderful Life. Yes it’s sweet. Yes it’s sentimental. And I love it. The scene I want to call to mind right now happens very early on in the movie....

Jeremiah 31:3 I have loved you with an everlasting love; therefore I have continued my faithfulness to you. Words made flesh Every year I find myself watching the Christmas movie, It’s a Wonderful …

12/12/2023

Micah 4:8-9 And you, O tower of the flock, hill of daughter Zion, to you it shall come, the former dominion shall come, the sovereignty of daughter Jerusalem. Now why do you cry aloud? Is there no king in you? The newborn king In ancient days the people of Israel cried out for God to anoint a king to lead them....

Micah 4:8-9 And you, O tower of the flock, hill of daughter Zion, to you it shall come, the former dominion shall come, the sovereignty of daughter Jerusalem. Now why do you cry aloud? Is there no …

12/11/2023

Acts 28:28 Let it be known to you then that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen. Hark! / Listen! Other than Advent and Christmas there is no other time during the year when the word hark is a part of my daily listening and lexicon. Hark! The herald angels sing—Hark, the glad sound—Hark! A thrilling voice is sounding!...

Acts 28:28 Let it be known to you then that this salvation of God has been sent to the Gentiles; they will listen. Hark! / Listen! Other than Advent and Christmas there is no other time during the …