St. John Lutheran Church
- By Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, St. John Lutheran Church, LuverneMay 06, 2026The First Amendment says Congress shall make no law prohibiting the free exercise of religion or abridging the freedom of speech. Most Americans take that for granted. However, what happened in Finland recently should give all Christians concern. On March 26, the Supreme Court of Finland convicted Dr. Päivi Räsänen, a sitting member of parliament and former government minister, along with…
- By Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, St. John Lutheran Church, LuverneFebruary 04, 2026In AD 303, the Roman Emperor Diocletian had a problem: Christians. First, they were nearly atheists in the eyes of the Romans. After all, they only believed in a single God. They also were increasingly rejecting the ways of the culture that threatened to influence Roman society. So on Feb. 23, the Emperor issued an edict designed to end Christianity once and for all. The date was deliberate. It…
- By Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, St. John Lutheran Church, LuverneDecember 30, 2025Every January arrives with a sense of ceremony. The calendar flips, the ball drops and the confetti falls. And with this passing ritual, we sometimes tell ourselves, often with great sincerity, that this time things will be different! This new year will be a new me! Well, if that is you, you are not alone. The ancient Romans gave January its name from Janus, their god with two faces, who looked…
- By Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, St. John Lutheran Church, LuverneOctober 08, 2025Imagine taking your great-grandmother's famous cake recipe, you know which one: the one she was known for, the one everyone demands you bring to every family gathering. But as you read through it, you notice ingredients that seem problematic. Your sister-in-law is vegan now, so the butter has to go. Uncle Joe's doctor has him on a gluten-free diet. And cousin Sally swore off sugar two years ago…
- By Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, St. John Lutheran Church, LuverneJanuary 29, 2025Imagine a book that is at once beautifully bound and yet deadly to hold? Such a book would be quite the epitome and symbol of deadly knowledge, wouldn’t it? Like a cursed object one might encounter in a fantasy novel. But this isn’t fiction, it’s real and there isn’t only one. Thousands of such books, bound with vibrant green covers, were produced in the 19th century. Their unique and tantalizing…
- By Rev. Dr. Phil Booe, St. John Lutheran Church, LuverneNovember 13, 2024The mythical King Arthur was known as the “Once and Future King.” T.H. White, in his book by the same name, described a prophecy that Arthur would return when Britain needed him most. The legend of King Arthur seems to reappear quadrennially in American politics. Every four years each political faction seeks to persuade us that their candidate alone is the savior we need to rescue society from…
- 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. Phil Booe, St. John Lutheran Church, LuverneNovember 15, 2023What does your church teach about the Bible? Do your pastors uphold all of Scripture as God’s true Word, or do they dismiss parts they find outdated or uncomfortable? Have you been told that certain passages no longer matter because the “times have changed?” Are your teachers more interested in aligning themselves with a particular political party and special interest groups than being faithful…
- By Jessica Blocker, Director of Christian Education, St. John Lutheran Church, LuverneJuly 28, 2020These past few months the new “buzzword” or phrase has been “in these uncertain times.” It has been used with such frequency that it has begun to move into the realm of mockery and jokes. Not in a facetious way, just in the sense that in every time you see or read it, though the description be apt, it begins to illicit a small chuckle or eye roll. And yet, what other phrase better fits…
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