tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-21489734382407587272024-03-14T05:07:48.899-06:00The Glorious LibertyResources and thoughts from an ELCA pastor.Pastor Kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368342972067854120noreply@blogger.comBlogger60125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2148973438240758727.post-58239343084790339812022-12-23T17:37:00.001-06:002022-12-23T17:37:39.656-06:00Christmas & Family: Almost OppositesThe American ideal of Christmastime includes a very heavy emphasis on spending time with one's family, which ideally should involve lots of food, presents, and love. Which is a pretty great way to spend any day or season of the year, if you can swing it!But it's almost the exact opposite of what the original, Biblical Christmas was all about.Mary was about to give birth, she and Joseph were Pastor Kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368342972067854120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2148973438240758727.post-61177586423838432522022-10-19T11:36:00.003-06:002022-10-19T11:43:20.096-06:00Newsletter Article CalendarI know so many clergy who have trouble coming up with what to write a newsletter article on each month! So I tried to come up with a collection of topics that are always good to talk about with congregations and might not come up that often in sermons, found Bible passages for each of them, and put them into a calendar. The calendar goes along with the RCL but you certainly don't have to be on Pastor Kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368342972067854120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2148973438240758727.post-63096060146250984402021-03-17T12:23:00.004-06:002021-03-17T12:24:55.249-06:00Good Friday Gospel Reading ResponsesThe usual Gospel reading for Good Friday is 2 full chapters of the Gospel of John. I find it helpful to break it up into smaller pieces, in order to keep people's attention. Feel free to use in your context with attribution!Violence Erupts: John 18:1-12Response: Lord, we are like Judas, who arrived expecting a fight. We expect to be met with anger, and we prepare to return it, &Pastor Kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368342972067854120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2148973438240758727.post-63748477741836038822021-02-12T10:41:00.000-06:002021-02-12T10:41:19.525-06:00Mileage Spreadsheet Do you need a mileage spreadsheet?Would you like one that does most of the math for you?This spreadsheet is set up for 2021 with the IRS mileage reimbursement rate included. To change the rate, go to each monthly page, click on the box with the total reimbursement, go up just above the row that assigns the letters to each column, to the function box, and change the rate there.Check out the Pastor Kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368342972067854120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2148973438240758727.post-5267766813658720712021-01-22T17:43:00.001-06:002021-02-12T10:30:27.810-06:00Abide With Me Lenten Series (Year B)A worship series based on the Passion in the Gospel of Mark, for 2021, Year B. You might want to use this for Lenten evening services. Each night focuses on a Scripture passage from Mark, from Jesus at Gethsemane through Pilate. There are 5 services. Each includes a scripture passage, some themes to focus on, a hymn chosen for that service from the ELW, an opening litany based on a Psalm, a "Pastor Kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368342972067854120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2148973438240758727.post-37720149809066074432020-06-02T14:15:00.007-06:002021-02-12T10:30:20.281-06:00Christmas Lessons & Carols - 3 Year CycleIf you're interested in instituting a Christmas Eve Lessons & Carols service as a tradition at your congregation, it can help to have a regular rotation of readings and carols selected. Perhaps all church leaders know that there is no practical way to pack "enough" carols in on Christmas Eve, but these services provide 7 readings and 8 carols each year, with some overlap (Luke chapter 2, Joy Pastor Kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368342972067854120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2148973438240758727.post-11776823764900542512020-06-02T09:03:00.004-06:002023-05-31T08:55:57.117-06:00Anti-Racism 2023 Summer Sermon SeriesAccording to the RCL Complementary Readings
This is mostly meant to be a sermon series for majority-white congregations who are somewhat uncomfortable talking about race- because that's the type of place I've served in. Thoughts from my colleagues who are people of color are joyfully welcomed, I did this in a morning and would love to deepen it, but I'm not asking for help from those in most needPastor Kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368342972067854120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2148973438240758727.post-30026665433379251552019-09-02T15:23:00.001-06:002021-02-12T10:30:02.714-06:00Confirmation Verse Options HandoutConfirmation students are often asked for a favorite verse, but that's kind of like asking for a favorite movie. So many options, it's hard to even remember all the options, let alone pick one. This handout isn't meant to be an exhaustive list of every important verse in the Bible (that would be far, far longer than 2 pages) but it can get students thinking about themes and stories that matter toPastor Kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368342972067854120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2148973438240758727.post-60069242928774424602019-09-01T14:19:00.001-06:002021-02-12T10:29:55.925-06:00With Grieving PeopleThis is a handout with suggestions about what to say and do around grieving people, and what not to. I don't claim that this is entirely my original work, it's a compilation and distillation of several resources I've been provided with over the years, plus a few things of my own. I suggest combining it with Silk's Ring Theory ("comfort in, dump out").
If you find this resource helpful and would Pastor Kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368342972067854120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2148973438240758727.post-7688897372045988682019-05-10T16:24:00.001-06:002021-02-12T10:29:49.901-06:00Readings & Hymns for Weddings BookletWhile the ELW has several suggested readings and hymns for weddings, I've often found that I need to expand on what the readings refer to, or why a hymn was appropriate for a wedding. And there were a few that I wanted to include which the ELW doesn't. So I created a handout. Please feel free to use this resource in your context, I hope it's helpful to you!
If you find this resource helpful and Pastor Kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368342972067854120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2148973438240758727.post-58371698563868393282019-05-10T15:29:00.003-06:002021-02-12T10:29:10.511-06:00My Neighbor Is Muslim PresentationI have used and greatly appreciated the resource "My Neighbor Is Muslim," from Lutheran Social Services Minnesota. I believe it does a great job of furthering interfaith work. So I put together a presentation for sharing it with groups. I have added a few pieces of information here and there, as seemed useful. You are welcome to download and adapt this resource for your own use.
If you find thisPastor Kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368342972067854120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2148973438240758727.post-37374331010427714582019-05-10T15:23:00.002-06:002021-02-12T10:29:03.745-06:00By Heart Presentation: A Resource From Augsburg FortressI have greatly enjoyed using Augsburg Fortress's "By Heart" resource, but I was disappointed that it didn't come with a presentation to use with discussion groups. So, not meaning any copyright infringement but simply to make it easier for ministry settings to use this valuable resource, I have created a presentation to be used with it.
You'll notice that there is a slide in each "day" that is Pastor Kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368342972067854120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2148973438240758727.post-64946107284261566752019-05-10T15:18:00.002-06:002021-02-12T10:28:51.289-06:00Microaggressions PresentationIf you follow this link, you'll be able to open a presentation on Microaggressions in Google Slides. This presentation gives some history behind the concept of Microaggressions, several illustrations of what they are, and provides for discussion of what they can sound like and how people may choose to react to them. I hope you find it useful in your context. You are welcome to adapt it as Pastor Kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368342972067854120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2148973438240758727.post-52665973300042006582019-05-10T15:11:00.005-06:002021-02-12T10:28:35.196-06:00Bible Scavenger HuntPrep: Not all the clues may apply to your setting, so check to see if you need to create some new ones. Print off several copies of the clues, each copy on a different color of paper, one color for each team you're going to have to participate. Cut the clues out, and arrange each set of clues in a different order, though I suggest having the first clue lead everyone to the same place, as practicePastor Kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368342972067854120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2148973438240758727.post-63390339312586012492019-05-10T14:37:00.007-06:002021-02-12T10:51:31.997-06:00Women & Justice Handout on "Scary Texts"
What Does the Bible Say, and What Does It Mean?
Often when reading “scary texts” of
the Bible, historical background can
give us insight to what these words meant to the first people to read them, and
that can help us understand what they can mean to us today. Reading the
literary context – what’s going on before & after the passage – can help us
understand as well.
1 Corinthians 11:6Pastor Kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368342972067854120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2148973438240758727.post-11586420736292188422019-05-10T14:35:00.005-06:002021-02-12T10:27:49.619-06:00Litany For a Group Memorial ServiceReadings from Isaiah 40 NRSV.
Leader: “Comfort, comfort my people”, says our God.
All: Lord, we find love in
remembering them.
Leader: “Speak tenderly to my people, and tell them that their
hard service has been completed. “
All: Lord, we find strength
in remembering them.
Leader: A voice calls:
"In the desert prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the
wilderness a Pastor Kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368342972067854120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2148973438240758727.post-81921376538195879242019-05-10T14:32:00.003-06:002021-02-12T10:27:36.427-06:00Easter Sunrise Annunciation Skit: Birth, Crucifixion, & Resurrection
Adapted by Rev. Katherine Rohloff, 2016, from Dennis Dewey, 1995
Reader One: In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to
a town in Galilee called Nazareth, to a virgin engaged to a man whose name was
Joseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.
Reader Two: Pilate then called together the chief priests and the
rulers and the people and said to them, "You Pastor Kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368342972067854120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2148973438240758727.post-76575681471456417672019-05-10T14:28:00.001-06:002021-02-12T10:26:35.722-06:00Affirmation of Association: An Adapted Service
Adapted Significantly from: Evangelical
Lutheran Worship
Affirmation of Association
(Leaders Edition)
Presentation
This
service is for those Confirmation students who have decided that making the
Confirmation promises for themselves would not be something they could do
honestly. At the conclusion of the hymn
of the day, those making affirmation may gather with the ministers at the Pastor Kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368342972067854120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2148973438240758727.post-21218159245072445782019-05-10T14:21:00.001-06:002021-02-12T10:25:55.825-06:00Anna & Simeon: A Skit for Blue Christmas
Anna and Simeon: A Sermon Dialogue
Intended for use with Luke 2:25-38
By Pastor Katherine Rohloff, ELCA 2015
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International
License.
Anna and Simeon enter, both very simply
dressed, Anna wearing a black scarf. They are elderly and have known each other
for decades. They’ll need a place to sit, and Pastor Kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368342972067854120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2148973438240758727.post-56970756169330055572019-05-10T14:12:00.002-06:002023-05-23T13:13:27.900-06:00Pentecost Acts 2 Reading: Updated Countries & Traditional Pronunciation GuideThe Acts 2 reading for Pentecost Sunday with the countries mentioned updated to their modern day equivalents (and a few suggested sound effects!):
Acts 2:1-21
"It was the festival of Pentecost, and the apostles were all together in a house. And suddenly from heaven there was a sound like a giant rush of wind, WHOOSH, and it filled the whole house! Flames of fire that looked like tongues Pastor Kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368342972067854120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2148973438240758727.post-63547646001823123602019-05-10T14:02:00.003-06:002023-04-04T14:27:19.452-06:00Good Friday Bidding Prayers- Adapted from ELWWhile I treasure the liturgy provided by the resources of Evangelical Lutheran Worship, occasionally I prefer to adapt the language to be a little simpler, and easier for reading aloud. I've adapted the Good Friday Bidding Prayers from the ELW in this way, and I hope you find them useful in your context.
***
Tonight we pray for God's holy
church in every land. Lord, your power is beyond our Pastor Kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368342972067854120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2148973438240758727.post-28764124167870804762013-06-10T14:52:00.003-06:002013-06-10T14:52:52.490-06:00Book Review: The MidwifeHello folks! I had to take a couple months off from the blog as I had a temporary job with a lot of overtime. But I'm back now, and happy to share this book with you!
The Midwife, by Jennifer Worth, is the first of a trilogy about her days as a midwife in the dock areas of London in the fifties while living in a convent. It's recently been made into a popular BBC TV series, Pastor Kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368342972067854120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2148973438240758727.post-57476117564619635262013-04-08T09:30:00.000-06:002013-04-08T09:30:02.303-06:00Book Review: The Seven Principles for Making Marriage WorkDr. John Gottman has been studying the interactions of married couples for about two decades in his lab in Washington state. In this book, he compiles his best advice for what skills and habits are most useful to make a marriage work. He points out that most books on marriage will point out what not to do, and unlearning bad habits, which are certainly helpful, but without good habitsPastor Kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368342972067854120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2148973438240758727.post-26452326510148987302013-04-01T18:12:00.001-06:002013-04-01T18:12:08.372-06:00Book Review: A Year of Biblical WomanhoodRachel Held Evans is a popular Christian blogger, and I've mentioned her blog here before. She grew up in a conservative evangelical environment, and, for example, she expected to have a "complementarian" marriage when she got married, but she and her husband were somewhat surprised to fall into egalitarianism almost by accident. She hosts careful, intelligent discussions of Pastor Kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368342972067854120noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2148973438240758727.post-9287135344028505202013-03-25T21:13:00.003-06:002013-03-25T21:13:42.463-06:00Blog Review: Slacktivist's Bonfire/Quilt/MosaicIn the world of Facebook and news sites and RSS feeds, it's becoming easier and easier to surround ourselves with people and information we find comfortable and familiar. But as far as I'm concerned, getting to know people who are different from me is a matter of faith- I feel called as a Christian to truly get to know people from all walks of life and to recognize their status as a belovedPastor Kayhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/09368342972067854120noreply@blogger.com0