Grace Lutheran Church
- By Pastor Sarah Zender, Grace Lutheran ChurchApril 29, 2026As our hope of spring becomes more confident, as we start to wonder if we can put away our winter things yet, as 80-degree days make the snow feel like a memory, something shifts in us just as the seasons shift. The days grow longer, the air softens, life springs up in surprising places! Buds turn into leaves, tulips surprise and delight, and a robin begins to make a nest on the light above my…
- By Pastor Sarah Zender, Grace Lutheran Church, LuverneJanuary 28, 2026Sometimes, reading that Bible can seem perplexing with its different cultural traditions and practices. But, at other times, it’s as if it could have been written today with a few names changed and it would align perfectly for what is happening right now. If the apostle Paul were writing to us today, I suspect his letter to the Corinthians might sound uncomfortably familiar. I’m currently…
- December 23, 2025As Christmas arrives once again, it comes into a world that longs for hope and truth. For Christians everywhere, Christmas is not simply a celebration of tradition, nostalgia or seasonal cheer. It is the bold proclamation that God chooses to come close; fully present in human vulnerability, as a baby, wrapped not in power but in love. The Christmas story, told in the Gospel of Luke, begins far…
- By Pastor Sarah Zender, Grace Lutheran Church, LuverneOctober 01, 2025I made a mistake. When I was preaching this past Sunday, I said that when we as Christians grow in faith, it will change the way we view the political sphere and change the way we treat each other amidst politics. That statement is true, but my mistake was to forget that in these divisive times, people may have stopped listening halfway through and only heard this: “When we grow in faith, it…
By Jason BerghorstJuly 09, 2025Eight members of Grace Lutheran Church recently returned from a weeklong mission trip to Guatemala. This was the first global mission trip organized and funded by the church for members of the Luverne congregation to participate in. Grace Lutheran has supported foreign missionaries in the past and continues to support programs to address world hunger, natural disasters, and other challenges…- By Pastor Sarah Zender, Grace Lutheran Church, LuverneJuly 09, 2025“You, my brothers and sisters, were called to be free. But do not use your freedom to indulge the flesh, rather, serve one another humbly in love.” (Galatians 5:13 NIV) In a treatise titled The Freedom of a Christian written over 500 years ago, Martin Luther argues, based on this biblical text and others, that Christians are simultaneously free and bound. Christians are free from the law and…
- By Pastor Sarah Zender, Grace Lutheran Church, LuverneJanuary 22, 2025This week I’ve been thinking a lot about words that, when used as a noun, should probably be used as a verb. The first definition of love, for example, is “an intense feeling of deep affection.” That is a noun. It is also used as a verb, but it reflects the moment of feeling that sense of deep affection. This is a great word to have in our vocabulary tool kit. A Wheel of Emotion is a tool used…
December 24, 2024The monthly gatherings of the Amazing Greys (anyone age 60 and older) at Grace Lutheran Church took on a festive nature Dec. 17 when the group hosted a Christmas Celebration. The group invited the Luverne High School Cardinal Choir to perform at the morning event in which the group engaged the Amazing Grey members into the singing of holiday carols. The program also included the Grace Lutheran…
December 18, 2024Parishioners at Grace Lutheran Church in Luverne hosted their annual live nativity Sunday night, turning the church parking lot into a live nativity complete with three wisemen, shepherds, live animals and the baby Jesus. The public was also invited inside for a soup supper, children’s activities and another indoor scene depicting the birth of Christ.- By Pastor Sarah Zender, Grace Lutheran Church, LuverneNovember 06, 2024As I write this article, it is the day before our national election. When this is published, I hope that the results are clear and defined. Uncertainty creates a lot of tension in our collective hearts. It does not always bring out the best in people’s actions. As I prepare to vote, I am also preparing to preach on Sunday. At the church in which I serve, we follow a lectionary, which is a…
- 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 Sarah Zender, Grace Lutheran Church, LuverneJune 05, 2024I love an underdog. Always have. I’m GenX, so my list includes old ones. Rudy. Hoosiers. Miracle?! I suppose some recent ones I’ve seen aren’t even that new. The Hunger Games. Or Inside Out, when Joy finally recognizes the importance of Sadness. I love watching someone who is unlikely to win, sticks to their craft with perseverance and hope, overcomes the odds, and wins. Never gets old.…
- By Pastor Sarah Zender, Grace Lutheran Church, LuverneMarch 27, 2024My name is Pastor Sarah Zender and I’m the new pastor at Grace Lutheran Church in Luverne. It is an honor to have space in a local newspaper to share thoughts about life and faith. I would like to share a little about myself first. I’m a big believer that knowing a little something about the person who is writing can help create greater understanding amidst the words which I’ll share. I was…
By Mavis FodnessNovember 08, 2023Four retired and current educators at Grace Lutheran Church in Luverne want children to find love in reading. The four — Sandy Klosterbuer, Jill Wagner, Lisa Lundgren and Kristi Groth — coordinate the church’s newest outreach program called Grace Reading Buddies. “We felt it would be a wonderful way to build community outside of school and promote reading and learning, and at the same time…
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