pastor column
- By Rev. Dr. Steven Voris, First Presbyterian Church, LuverneDecember 09, 2025Like most Christian pastors, I was frustrated with the commercialization of Christmas and the lack of spiritual meaning expressed during the holiday, UNTIL I served as a U.S. Navy Chaplain and understood, for the first time, that there is more than one correct way to celebrate Christmas. After all, President Ulysses S. Grant made Christmas a Federal Holiday in 1870, the only U.S. Federal Holiday…
- By Pastor Mark Eliason, First Lutheran Church and Palisade Lutheran ChurchDecember 03, 2025At the front of almost every Lutheran church, for the four Sundays before Christmas you will see a wreath with five candles on it. Four around the outside of the wreath and a larger one in the middle of the wreath. The four candles represent the themes of Advent which are hope, peace, joy and love, and one candle is lit each Sunday representing the theme of the day. But why do we do this, and…
- By Pastor Praveen Muthsuamy, Hills United Reformed ChurchSeptember 24, 2025In my last column we considered Hebrews 12:1-2, we zoomed in on Hebrews 12:1a, “Therefore, since we are surrounded by so great a cloud of witnesses.” Under this cloud of witnesses, we consider the example of Noah. Noah faced a lot of opposition from the world from running his race well. The world mocked him, laughed at him, and insulted him, but Noah by the grace of God ran his race faithfully…
- By Pastor Walt Moser, First Baptist Church, LuverneJune 11, 2025Mine? I bought memory foam insoles so I could remember why I walked into the kitchen! First Baptist Church is doing some remembering right now. On July 4, 1875, a small group gathered with Rev. A.W. Hilton to discuss forming a Baptist church in Luverne. The church began meeting in the local school every other week, alternating with Methodist services. In 1876 the newly formed church adopted a…
- By Pastor Praveen Muthsuamy, Hills United Reformed ChurchApril 09, 2025tifaceted and therefore the Bible describes it in vivid ways. Sometimes the Bible paints our Christian life as walking according to God’s word [Isaiah 2:5]. Sometimes the Bible paints our Christian life as soldiers in the battle ground [2 Timothy 2:3-4]. Other times the Bible paints our Christian life as an athlete competing to win the prize [2 Timothy 4:7]. Our Christian life includes walking…
- By Pastor Bob Junak, Rock River Community Church, LuverneFebruary 12, 2025How often do you leave the comfort of your home and head out into the community? Oh, I don’t know, maybe to the grocery store, the gas station, or a walk around the Luverne Loop and hopefully to church. I’d guess most of us find ourselves going to at least one of those places. As for me, I’m looking a bit more into the future for that amazing day when I leave this world and go to a much better…
- By Pastor Jeremy Wiersema, Reformed Church of SteenOctober 02, 2024I am sure that many of us have noticed the extra farm vehicles on the road recently. In southwest Minnesota it is harvest time, and I love it. This love for the harvest began in me at an early age. I have fond memories of riding with my grandpa in the combine or my uncles in the tractor pulling wagons. I also remember the rides to the elevator, and if I was good, there might have been a glass…
- By Pastor Mark Eliason, First Lutheran Church and Palisade Lutheran ChurchSeptember 25, 2024For years churches have been coming up with ways to give people the opportunity to worship with their congregation. Since the early 1930s, churches have broadcast their services on the radio. One of the longest-running radio broadcasts is Lutheran Vespers. It has been on the air since the mid ’50s and continues today on radio stations in the Chicago area. Also, for years many congregations…
- By Pastor Sarah Zender, Grace Lutheran Church, LuverneAugust 21, 2024Authenticity. It is a quality of God in that God is. God is God’s self. In the Old Testament, Moses asks God what God’s name is, and the reply is, “I am who I am.” (Exodus 3:14) God cannot be anything other than God. Jesus is also authentic. Jesus is both divine and human, which is a concept challenging to understand with the human mind, even if Christians embrace the truth of it. Jesus acts…
- By Pastor Jeremy Wiersema, Reformed Church of SteenJuly 17, 2024Wishes are something I find fascinating. They have found a place in the life of every person I have ever met. It seems we all wish for something. Over time our wishes might change, but sometimes they stay the same. Wishes are something I learned about early in my life. As a young boy I vividly remember being told to make a wish before I blew out the candles on my birthday cake. I don’t…
- By Pastor Andrew Palmquist, Bethany Lutheran Church, LuverneJune 19, 2024I suppose you might call it faith if you believe in the sun, even on a cloudy day. We probably all have that kind of faith. There are places where it might cloud over for weeks at a time. It’s easy to get discouraged by the gray sky. Yet, even in cloudy weather we know the sun is still up there. It’s still providing heat and light. It’s still making life possible. What happens if our life…
- By Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, St. John Lutheran Church, LuverneJune 12, 2024Family is one of God's first and greatest gifts. From the beginning, God created the family as the foundation of human society. He gave us husbands and wives, fathers and mothers, and brothers and sisters. In the family we find love, support and a sense of belonging. It is within the family that we first experience unconditional love and learn to love others in return. The family is a…
- By Rev. Dr. Steven Voris, First Presbyterian Church, LuverneMarch 06, 2024Of the many different types of verbal and nonverbal prayer, intercessory prayer is the type that is pure love. There isn’t anything wrong with praying for oneself or praying for a close family member or friend. Jesus prayed for himself in John 17:5. However, when we pray for someone we don’t know, or for a troubling situation far away that doesn’t impact our daily lives, then that intercessory…
- By Pastor Walt Moser, First Baptist Church, LuverneFebruary 28, 2024At the heart of Christianity lies a symbol that transcends time and culture: the cross. Christians around the world hold the significance of the cross beyond its physical form; it embodies the very essence of their faith. Its importance is multifaceted, representing sacrifice, redemption and hope. At the core of the Christian message is the belief in Jesus Christ as the Son of God who willingly…
- By Pastor Nita Parker, Bethlehem Lutheran Church, HillsFebruary 07, 2024“Created to Be” is the theme for the summer program at Shetek Lutheran Ministries for summer 2024. Our theme verse is Psalm 139:14 “I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; that I know very well.” In our Bible studies each day we will be looking at passages that show God’s love for us and how He knows us intimately. The verse before our theme verse, Psalm…
- By Pastor Andrew Palmquist, Bethany Lutheran Church, LuverneNovember 26, 2023As you might imagine, a national day of Thanksgiving wasn’t part of Martin Luther’s life. Thanksgiving Day is an American phenomenon. Although Americans were celebrating Thanksgiving Day on the fourth Thursday in November since the first presidential proclamation in 1863, it wasn’t “official” until congressional legislation in 1941 made Thanksgiving Day a national holiday. Martin Luther did…
You must log in to continue reading. Log in or subscribe today.
