Below you'll find a list of all posts that have been categorized as “Word From Wiese”
Possibilities 22 February 2023 Today, on Ash Wednesday, we mark ashes on each other’s foreheads. Ashes are full of possibilities. Ashes imply possibilities that old growth, for which we might be thankful, is making way for new experiences. Ashes accompanied by the declaration, “Remember, you are dust, and to dust you will return” make it possible to be freed from …
Good News 15 February 2023 Evangelical = Good News. COS is part of the ELCA, or the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Today, perhaps most Americans think of evangelicals as judgmental Christians. But Lutherans back in 1988 chose “evangelical” as the very first term in our new church’s name. Why? Perhaps to ensure that all future ELCA Lutherans were constantly …
What Language? 8 February 2023 Pig Latin. Sign language. Morse code. So many fascinating languages exist. Out of the 7000 languages thought to be spoken around the globe, English is the most prolific with 1.13 billion folks using it, but most as a second or third language. Chinese, the language most humans use as their tongue from birth, has 13 …
Windshields and Rearview Mirrors 25 January 2023 I agree with the adage that healthy people spend more time looking forward through their windshields than looking back in their rearview mirrors. One of my favorite passages is when the Easter angel tells the women that Jesus is up ahead of them in Galilee. As people of faith, we are always moving …
Kitchen Table 18 January 2023 Dear Friend in Faith, One of my favorite COS trips was our Civil Rights Pilgrimage to Montgomery, Alabama, that we took years ago. Our group included high schoolers and seniors alike as we grew in our appreciation of this justice aspect of our baptismal journeys. Our tour guide was legendary Lutheran pastor, Bob Graetz, one …
Wrapping Up 11 January 2023 Wrapping Up. The UGA Bulldogs just wrapped up a perfect season Monday night with back-to-back championships! Go Dawgs! Many of you are wrapping up your Christmas season, finally putting away the ornaments until next year. At COS, as we eagerly follow Jesus into a new year, we pause to “wrap up” 2022 and count God’s …
What’s In That Water? 4 January 2023 Freezing cold! Over the holidays, several conversations interestingly turned to the health benefits of cold-water therapy. I was startled to learn that several friends and family members have started enduring cold water for the final 30 seconds of their showers. Likewise, NPR told the story of a ladies’ group who jumps in the …
Happy 4th Day of Christmas 28 December 2022 Happy 4th Day of Christmas! What? Fourth day? Aren’t stores tearing their Christmas trees down already? Isn’t Christmas over? Well… let’s remind ourselves how Christians think about this… in the form of a few trivia questions. (I hope you’re having fun with your family and friends these holidays playing some games, so …
Christ Our Shepherd Advent Devotion Series 2022 Where the Snow Is 21 December 2022 The buzz around church and town lately is how cold it’s predicted to be for Christmas Eve services (4:30, 6:30, and 8:30 PM by the way along with a casual Christmas morning gathering at 10:00 AM . . . . see you there!). But . . . will we …
Christ Our Shepherd Advent Devotion Series 2022 Christmas Trivia 14 December 2022 OK friends in faith. I’m gonna keep it light-hearted today. After the wonderfully rich and sensational Moravian Love Feast this Sunday (Moravian Love Feast), how about a few fun trivia questions for the season? In case you’re playing with a family member, I’ve included a few tie-breakers. Scroll down for the answers. …
