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  • Special Music - He's Always Been Faithful

    Special Music - He's Always Been Faithful
    2026/07/12

    Today, we had a special musical performance of He's Always Been Faithful, a solo by Janie Durga at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

    Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC
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    4 分
  • Sermon - 7/12/26

    Sermon - 7/12/26
    2026/07/12

    GOSPEL: Matthew 13:1-9, 18-23
    In Matthew's gospel, both Jesus and his disciples "sow the seed" of God's word by
    proclaiming the good news that "the kingdom of heaven is near." Now, in a memorable
    parable, Jesus explains why this good news produces different results in those who hear.


    Pastor: The holy gospel according to Matthew.


    All: Glory to you, O Lord.


    1.That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat beside the sea. 2. Such great crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat there, while the whole crowd stood on the beach. 3. And he told them many things in parables, saying: "Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4. And as he sowed, some seeds fell on a path, and the birds came and ate them up. 5. Other seeds fell on rocky ground, where they did not have much soil, and they sprang up quickly, since they had no depth of soil. 6. But when the sun rose, they were scorched, and since they had no root, they withered away. 7. Other seeds fell among thorns, and the thorns grew up and choked them. 8. Other seeds fell on good
    soil and brought forth grain, some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 9. If you have ears, hear!" 18. "Hear, then, the parable of the sower. 19. When anyone hears the word of the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what is sown in the heart; this is what was sown on the path. 20. As for what was sown on rocky ground, this is the one who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy, 21. yet such a person has no root but endures only for a while, and when trouble or persecution arises on account of the word, that person immediately falls away. 22. As for what was sown among thorns, this is the one who hears the word, but the cares of this age and the lure of wealth choke the word, and it yields nothing. 23. But as for what was sown on good soil, this is the one who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and yields in one case a hundredfold, in another sixty, and in another thirty."


    Pastor: The gospel of the Lord.


    All: Praise to you, O Christ.


    The assembly may be seated.


    Scenes from the Parable of the Sower by Peter Vasilenko
    Edited by Pastor Megan Floyd

    Jesus: Owen Thompson
    First Seed: Louisa Fawcett
    Second Seed: Oliver Thompson
    Third Seed: Louisa Fawcett
    Fourth Seeds: Edison Robinson, Andrew Herek & Tabitha Richardson
    Additional Fourth Seeds: Rosie Brown, Penny Fawcett & Charlie Herek
    Audience: Megan Floyd
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    1 時間 15 分
  • Special Music - Holy God, We Praise Your Name

    Special Music - Holy God, We Praise Your Name
    2026/07/05

    Today, we had a special musical performance of Holy God, We Praise Your Name, a handbell quartet with Deb Borton-McDonough, Elaine Harrison, Megan Nyquist, & Addie Thompson at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

    Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC
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    3 分
  • Sermon - 7/5/26

    Sermon - 7/5/26
    2026/07/05
    Year A – Pentecost 6; Lectionary 14 – July 5, 2026 Pastor Megan Floyd Matthew 11:16-19, 25-30 Grace and peace to you from God our Creator, from the Holy Spirit, our Sustainer, and from Jesus Christ, who invites all who are weary to come to him, and he will give you rest. *** "Are you the one who is to come, or are we to wait for another?" That is the question hanging over our Gospel today. John the Baptist sends his disciples to Jesus with that question because uncertainty has crept in. John had announced a Messiah who would bring justice with fire and power. He had imagined the great turning point of history arriving with unmistakable force. And now John sits in prison while Jesus spends his days eating with, connecting with, and healing the kind of people everyone else avoids… and offering mercy in ordinary places. Are you really the one? I think John and others expected something bigger… and perhaps… sometimes… we do, as well. We live in a world obsessed with the big and the dramatic. We look for the movement that changes everything overnight. We want the speech that fixes society or the election that solves all our problems. Even around this holiday weekend, with freedom in the air and national stories all around us, we are reminded how much we love grand narratives. We love decisive moments. We love fireworks. And yet Jesus answers John's question in a very different way. Theologian and Luther Seminary professor, Dr. Matt Skinner, writes that Jesus answers by showing how he is changing the world… "not in an immediate broadscale manner, but through one act of mercy at a time." One act of mercy at a time. The blind see. The lame walk… The sick are healed… The poor receive good news… Not one giant spectacle, or one dramatic takeover. Just… mercy. Mercy upon mercy upon mercy. And that seems almost too small, doesn't it? Jesus himself sounds frustrated in today's text because people keep missing what God is doing. John comes fasting and preaching judgment, and people reject him. …Jesus comes eating and celebrating and extending welcome, and people reject him too. Nothing satisfies them… Because they are looking for the wrong things. They are waiting for a Messiah who conquers through power and force… while God is sending liberation through compassion… and relationship. They are looking for grandness… while God keeps showing up in small acts of mercy. And perhaps that is still our temptation. We tend to believe that justice comes only through massive effort and enormous change… We can think that if we are not changing everything, then we are changing nothing. Except… God's work has always begun among those the world overlooks. God acts among the poor, the excluded, the burdened, the people whose lives society tries to render invisible. And God often shows up exactly where dominant voices would have us believe that nothing important is happening there… God shows up in bodies and in stories and in communities that others dismiss. God keeps revealing holy truth from the margins. Because God has this habit of beginning with what appears small. A manger… A handful of disciples… Bread and wine… Water poured over a child's head… A cross that looked like defeat. Small things that become life for the world. I was reminded of this a few days ago while talking with Rich. He shared a story from when he was in high school. One of his classmates became pregnant. And as you might imagine, people talked. There was gossip and judgment, and unfair assumptions. But Rich looked at the situation differently. He thought, regardless of everything else, a baby is coming, and a baby deserves a gift. So… he crocheted her a pair of baby booties. That was it… No grand speech… No dramatic intervention. Just a pair of baby booties. He said that, decades later… she told him that she had never forgotten that small act of kindness… Never forgotten it. And… I have been thinking about that story all week. Because that is exactly how Jesus seems to work. One small act of mercy… One person seeing another person's humanity. One interruption in the cycle of shame… One reminder that love still exists, and that a person is still deserving of dignity, even when everyone else says they do not. One pair of baby booties. We often underestimate what mercy does. Mercy changes the person receiving it, yes… but… mercy also changes the person giving it because mercy begins reshaping our hearts. Jesus says, "Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me." Now, a yoke is not exactly an inspiring image. It sounds heavy and restrictive. And it is true… that the way of Christ is not always easy because carrying this yoke guides us to keep choosing mercy in a world that often rewards cruelty. Carrying the yoke of Christ guides us to stand beside burdened people and help them bear the weight. Carrying the yoke of ...
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    17 分
  • Special Music - This Is My Father's World

    Special Music - This Is My Father's World
    2026/06/21

    Today, we had a special musical performance of This is My Father's World, a solo by Janie Durga at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

    Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC
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    3 分
  • Sermon - 6/21/26

    Sermon - 6/21/26
    2026/06/21
    Year A – Pentecost 4; Lectionary 12 – June 21, 2026 Pastor Megan Floyd Matthew 10:24-39 Grace and peace to you from God, our Creator, from the Holy Spirit, our Sustainer, and from Jesus Christ, to whom we belong. Amen. Year A – Pentecost 4; Lectionary 12 – June 21, 2026 Pastor Megan Floyd Matthew 10:24-39 Grace and peace to you from God, our Creator, from the Holy Spirit, our Sustainer, and from Jesus Christ, to whom we belong. Amen. *** Happy Father's Day! …this is not the text I would have chosen for this day, but that is the beauty and challenge of following the lectionary. …we don't get to shy away from the hard texts. …and we trust that even the hard truths carry good news. So here we are… following Jesus will cause division, even among families. It is uncomfortable… but I think we all know that it is true… and perhaps, I am sure… some of us have experienced this in our own lives. Discipleship will cost us all something, but it never costs us God's love. That is also true. Our text today is the very next lines from the same missionary discourse we began reading last week. Jesus is sending his disciples out to share the good news that the kingdom of heaven has come near… sending them out with compassion to bring peace and healing. And yet, Jesus is honest… he is sending them out like sheep among wolves. Not all will accept this invitation of love and light. This mission is not without tension. It wasn't then… and it isn't now. Jesus states it plainly… following him will create conflict in our lives. Even if you are blessed with a family that all follows the way of Christ together, you are still at odds with much of our culture today. Following the way of Christ means to honor and cherish the inherent value and worth of every living thing… while our culture teaches that greed and personal wants and needs supersede the needs of others, and that some people are disposable… unwanted… and unwelcome. Following the way of Christ and bringing close the kingdom of heaven means we are to be especially compassionate for those who are pushed down and exploited by our systems, while also working to break those systems… and yet… our culture celebrates systems of exploitation where one person can become a trillionaire while millions are starving. Remember what God said in Isaiah 58:6-7… "Is not this the fast that I choose: to loose the bonds of injustice, to undo the straps of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to break every yoke? Is it not to share your bread with the hungry and bring the homeless poor into your house; when you see the naked, to cover them and not to hide yourself from your own kin?" …your own kin. This is the way of Christ… to recognize that the other person, no matter how different… is your own kin. This is the way that puts us at odds with our culture because it disrupts systems of power… …it can put us at odds with our families because it places God and love for others as our priority… Jesus isn't glorifying division or the power of the sword… he is saying that sometimes faithfulness has consequences. This is the way of Christ… it is contrary to the powers of empire… contrary to the powers of domination… this is the way of living that landed Jesus on that cross. I think it's pretty rational to look at Jesus on the cross and say… nope… no thank you. I understand… when some turn away in despair… and say it is too hard… it costs… too much. Going against the grain is not easy… it is not irrational to be afraid of the consequences, but Jesus names that fear out loud… and up front… Fear becomes powerful when it stays hidden, but Jesus names the cost of following him so that fear can lose some of its grip… so that the disciples can go… and share the good news that the kingdom of heaven has come near in the person of Jesus. But… it is Father's Day… and this message does not wrap us in cozy familial images… so I want to say this clearly… Jesus is not attacking family. He is, however, reordering our lives… and our priorities. No family, however loving, can ultimately bear the weight of being our deepest source of identity. Our children do not complete us… our salvation does not come from our parents… and no earthly relationship can tell us what only God can tell us… who we are… and whose we are. Jesus has just laid out the hard truth, but in his compassion, he reminds them… he reminds us… that God has his eye on the sparrow, and yet, we are more valuable to God than many sparrows. In the ancient world, sparrows were nearly worthless in the marketplace. They were the cheapest meat the poor could buy. And yet, Jesus says that not one of them escapes God's attention. So do not be afraid… you are a child of God, and loved beyond measure. After September 11, attorney Kenneth Feinberg led the fund that compensated victims' families...
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    18 分
  • Special Music – Down To The River

    Special Music – Down To The River
    2026/06/14

    Today, we had a special musical performance of Down To The River at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

    Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC
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    4 分
  • Sermon - 6-14-26

    Sermon - 6-14-26
    2026/06/14
    Year A – Pentecost 3; Lectionary 11 – June 14, 2026 Pastor Megan Floyd Matthew 9:35 - - 10:23 Grace and peace to you from God, our Creator, from the Holy Spirit, our Sustainer, and from Jesus Christ, who sends us out with compassion to welcome and serve. Amen. *** Last weekend was one of those weekends that reminds me why I love the church. On Saturday, many of us gathered with our neighbors to first worship, and then celebrate at the Pride Festival. We shared smiles, conversations, and reminders that God's love is for all people. Then, on Sunday, we worshiped together here in celebration of Pride Month, giving thanks for the beautiful diversity of God's creation and for the truth that every person bears the image of God. Then this past week, our congregation joined with three other churches for Vacation Bible School. Children filled the church with laughter… and a bit of chaos. Friendships were formed. Stories were shared. Meals were served. New faces became familiar faces. On the surface, Pride celebrations and Vacation Bible School might seem like very different events. But as I reflected on today's Gospel from Matthew, I realized they share something important. Both were acts of hospitality.Both were ways of saying, "There is a place for you here." …and both were opportunities to share the good news of God's love. And that is exactly what Jesus is talking about in today's Gospel. Matthew tells us that Jesus went throughout the cities and villages, teaching, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom, and curing every disease and sickness. Then comes one of the most moving descriptions in all of Scripture: "When he saw the crowds, he had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd." Everything that follows… flows from that compassion. Jesus does not look at the crowds and see problems to be solved. He does not see enemies to defeat. He does not see people to judge. He sees people who are hurting. …People who are exhausted. …He sees people who have been pushed aside and wounded by systems of power and oppression. And his heart breaks for them. Jesus was moved by his compassion… to act. And you see, that is where the mission of the church begins. Not with strategy or plans for growth. Nope. The mission of the church… begins with compassion. Except… this is often where we get things wrong. We hear Jesus sending the disciples out… and we immediately think of evangelism as persuasion or recruitment. We imagine that our job is to convince people to come to our church and be part of our community. And this isn't a bad thing… I think our community is absolutely wonderful and I definitely think people should come check us out! But that is not what Jesus sends the disciples to do. In the Roman world, people would have immediately recognized the language of "proclaiming good news." When Rome conquered a territory, messengers would arrive announcing the "good news" that Caesar was now in charge. And… they came backed by military force… carrying the power of empire. …They came with the expectation that everyone would submit. Jesus… sends his followers out in exactly the opposite way. They carry no weapons, and they bring no wealth. …They travel with almost nothing so they must depend on the hospitality of strangers. They cannot force anyone to listen or compel anyone to receive them. They simply arrive… bearing peace… and offer healing. They proclaim that the kingdom of heaven has come near… And then they leave the response up to others. If people receive them, they stay, but if people reject them, they move on. This is such a radically different vision of God's kingdom. …The kingdom of God advances not through coercion but through compassion. Not through domination and force… but through love and hospitality. And perhaps that is why Jesus' words about shaking the dust from their feet can sound so startling. When a town refuses to receive the message, Jesus tells the disciples not to stay and argue. Not to keep fighting. Not to force the issue. Just move on. The good news must be shared. There are too many hurting people to spend all our energy trying to convince those who have already closed their hearts. And then Jesus invokes Sodom and Gomorrah. Now, those names carry a lot of baggage… but I think, especially so, during Pride Month. Many people immediately assume that Sodom and Gomorrah represent God's judgment against LGBTQ+ people. …But Scripture itself tells a different story. The prophet Ezekiel says in chapter 16:49, "This was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had arrogance, excess of food, and prosperous ease but did not aid the poor and needy." The sin of Sodom was not love… It was violence… and exploitation. It was the refusal of hospitality. It was the failure to welcome and care for strangers. It was the absence of ...
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    19 分