Your Faith Journey - Finding God Through Words, Song And Praise

Today, we had a special musical performance of Gaudeamus Hodie-Let Us Rejoice Today by the Faith Lutheran Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan. Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC

Year C – 16th Sunday after Pentecost; Lectionary 26 – September 28, 2025 Pastor Megan Floyd Luke 16:19-31   Grace and peace to you from God and the Holy Spirit, and from Jesus Christ, who, together with Moses and the prophets, has given us the way to the Kingdom of Heaven. Amen. *** My friend Sara has a wild yard. And I do mean… wild. She moved into her quiet, suburban neighborhood some years ago, and to her neighbor’s dismay… she didn’t mow the lawn. It’s the kind of yard you might expect to see out in the country… way out… around an abandoned house… but certainly not in her manicured neighborhood… And oh my goodness, did it cause an uproar! The neighbors couldn’t understand why she kept such an untidy lawn, and they glared out their living room windows, casting judgment on her… and filed complaints with the city. She had to petition for the right to let the grass and dandelions grow… and for the leaves to fall where the wind blew… and let them stay there. She asked her neighbors… to trust the process… And

Today, we had a special musical performance of Blessed Assurance by the Faith Bells at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan. Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC

Today, we had a special musical performance of Saved By Grace by the Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan. Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC

Year C – 15th Sunday after Pentecost; Lectionary 25 – September 21, 2025 Pastor Megan Floyd Luke 16:1-13   Grace and peace to you from God and the Holy Spirit, and from Jesus Christ, who, together, offer liberation through reorientation. Amen. *** Jesus says… we cannot serve both God and wealth. …and yet, it is as true today as it was then… that both God and wealth, or Mammon, demand to be our top priority. These words from Jesus are convicting… we cannot serve both God and wealth… they are convicting… because we know in our heart… they are true. …and Jesus… well… he tends to be right. That’s why we’re here, yes? I actually prefer the old translation… instead of wealth, the original Greek uses the Aramaic word, Mammon. Mammon is a personification for the acquisition of wealth… something Martin Luther called in the Large Catechism, the “most common god on earth.” So, it isn’t so much wealth or money alone… that demands our dedication… Jesus doesn’t criticize wealthy people just for being wealthy… and money is

Today, we had a special musical performance of Panis Angelicus with a solo by Cody Boyan at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan. Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC

Today, we had a special musical performance of Holy Thy Name by the Faith Lutheran Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan. Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC

Sermon 9-14-25, Ex 32:7-14, Lk 15: 1-10   The scripture for today really caused me to lean into my identity as a chaplain – and a word of warning – a chaplain will likely leave you with more questions than answers… The role of a chaplain is to ask questions that support others in remembering and reconnecting with their own coping strategies and belief systems One question that today’s scripture brings up is What is the nature of God?   /        /        / This is a question that I often explore with patients I think of the 50-year-old woman with newly diagnosed triple-negative breast cancer – a very aggressive and difficult-to-treat cancer -- who finds the courage to ask “Is God punishing me for something?” as she comes to terms with how every aspect of her life is now upended and at risk /        /        / What is the nature of God?   This is an age-old question that humankind continues to wrestle with Not only among various religious traditions But also within Christianity Maybe especially wi

Today, we had a special musical performance of Heavenly Sunlight by the Faith Lutheran Chancel Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan.

Year C – 13th Sunday after Pentecost; Lectionary 23 – September 7, 2025 Pastor Megan Floyd Deuteronomy 30:15-20 Psalm 1 Luke 14:25-33   Grace and peace to you from God, our Creator, and from Jesus, our Savior, who urges us to choose life, so that we may live. Amen. *** These are some challenging words from Jesus today. …Reminds me of the good news from a few weeks ago, when Jesus said he did not come to bring peace, but division… these words make me catch my breath. Yet they are part of the Good News and have been set before us… and so today, we will wrestle with them… together. “Whoever comes to me and does not hate their family, and yes, even life itself, cannot be my disciple.” Is Jesus really telling us that… hate… is a mark of discipleship? Isn’t God supposed to be all about love? Isn’t the greatest commandment, above all the others… You shall love the Lord, your God, and then… you shall love your neighbor as you love yourself. Yes! Jesus did say that! …and it wasn’t new information… he was drawing fro

Today, we had a special musical performance of Precious Jesus with a solo from Deb Borton at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan. Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC

Year C – 12th Sunday after Pentecost; Lectionary 22 – August 31, 2025 Pastor Megan Floyd Proverbs 25:6-7a Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16 Luke 14:1, 7-14   Grace and peace to you from God, our Creator, and from Jesus, our Savior, who invites us to share in the gift of a meal, for which we can never repay. Amen. *** It is remarkable to me how often the Holy Spirit swirls around us with opportunities to practice the radical love that Jesus invites us into… And there are a couple of exciting ones that I’ll tell you about in a bit…. These opportunities were awesome when I first heard about them, but even more so after thinking about how they fit with our scripture today. The Spirit is feisty like that… I love it… but before I tell you about them… we need to talk about Jesus… and his lesson on table manners. Drawing from the old wisdom found in Proverbs, Jesus tells these Pharisees and leaders not to claim the most prestigious spot at the table, where you might have to lower yourself if someone higher in the social hierar

Today, we had a special musical performance of Kum Ba Ya by the Treble Maker Singers at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan. Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC

Year C – 11th Sunday after Pentecost; Lectionary 21 – August 24, 2025 Pastor Megan Floyd Isaiah 58:9b-14 Luke 13:10-17   Grace and peace to you from God, our Creator, who commands us to honor a liberating Sabbath. Amen. *** One of my colleagues shared a frustrating story this week… she has two small children who sit on the floor near the front of their sanctuary, and they quietly color while she leads worship. They aren’t making any noise or hurting anyone. And the kids are actually paying attention… just like someone who knits a scarf during a meeting… they’re just not paying attention in the same way that some of the adults think is appropriate. So those adults are giving her a hard time about it… and they’ve even suggested that maybe she should tell her kids to go color in the narthex or the nursery. These adults would rather there be no kids in worship… than to tolerate what they consider to be… the disrespectful behavior of coloring while hearing about God. …it’s almost as if the leaders from the synagog

Today, we had a special musical performance of Shout To The Lord with a solo by Zachary Hereza at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan. Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC

Year C – 10th Sunday after Pentecost; Lectionary 20 – August 17, 2025 Pastor Megan Floyd Jeremiah 23:23-29 Luke 12:49-56 Grace and peace to you from God, our Creator, and from Jesus Christ, who guides our feet in the way of true and costly peace. Amen. *** So… this is a comforting gospel passage. The word of the Lord, everyone… Thanks be to God. These words from Jesus we have read today seem so contrary to Zechariah’s proclamation in the beginning of Luke, that Jesus will be the one “…to guide our feet in the way of peace.” (Luke 1:79)… They seem contrary to the words of comfort he offers his disciples… “Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you…” (John 14:27) Why then… why… does he say here that he does not come to bring peace… but rather, he comes to bring division and fire to the earth? Why? …what happened to Jesus as our good and loving shepherd?  …our strong vine… our bread of life? I love that Jesus… but I suppose… Jesus also said he is the way… and the truth… and the life. But following The Way…

Today, we had a special musical performance of How Can I Keep From Singing with Men of Faith with Addie Thompson on Flute at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan. Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC

Year C – 9th Sunday after Pentecost; Lectionary 19 – August 10, 2025 Pastor Megan Floyd Hebrews 11:1-3, 8-16 Luke 12:32-40 Grace and peace to you from our Lord, Jesus Christ, and from God, our Creator, in whose faithfulness we trust. Amen. *** “Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.” (Hebrews 11:1) Faith… is our trust that God is faithful… our trust that God is good for what God promises… it is our trust that Jesus really meant it when he said, “it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” (Luke 12:32) Faith… is not certainty… it’s an act of holy listening to what the Holy Spirit is whispering to you… and then responding accordingly… it’s an act of holy acknowledgment of the nudges felt deep in your gut… and then going where you feel the Spirit guiding you. Even when we don’t know the outcome… when we can’t see the final destination of the journey… we go anyway… Faith is not certainty… it’s trusting that God’s got you… that God loves you… and that Go

Today, we had a special musical performance of Confidence with Didn’t My Lord Deliver Daniel by the Summer Choir at Faith Lutheran Church in Okemos, Michigan. Published Under License From Essential Music Publishing, LLC

Eighth Sunday after Pentecost August 3, 2025 Faith, Okemos Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14, 2:18-23, Psalm 49:1-12, Colossians 3:1-11, Luke 12:13-21   Living Under the Sun, Living from Above   Grace to you and peace… [Please take a few deep breaths. This will be a difficult sermon to hear, but I ask you to wait with me for the precious good news at the end…]   Vanity of vanities, says the Teacher, vanity of vanities! All is vanity… it is an unhappy business that God has given to human beings to be busy with.  I saw all the deeds that are done under the sun; and see, all is vanity and a chasing after the wind… What do mortals get from all the toil and strain with which we toil under the sun?  For all their days are full of pain, and their work is a vexation; even at night their minds do not rest. This also is vanity.  [There is nothing better for mortals than to eat and drink, and find enjoyment in their toil.  This also, I saw is from the hand of God…] Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14, 2:22-24   In an email sent from Kalea on