Pastor Mack's Ramblings

  Below is a sermon I preached on Saturday, February 22nd, and Sunday, February 23rd, at Salem Lutheran Church in Sycamore, IL.  To view a recording of the sermon, click here . The sermon starts around the 28-minute mark.  For the children's sermon, I read Choose to Love by C Kevin Wanzer, someone who I met when I was involved in Circle K.  The gospel for the day was Luke 6:27-38. To read the text, click here .

It has been almost three weeks since I returned from a trip to India, a trip that changed me in ways I might never know.  As I have sat these last few weeks to write about my experience, I have been stuck. I have been stuck with balancing the joy that India brought me and the deep fear of what is happening in our country. How can I find the words to capture the beauty of India while my heart is breaking? How can I find the words to describe the intricate details of monuments that were done entirely by hand but told a beautiful story? How can I find the words to explain how the swastika is sacred in India? Instead of being used as a symbol of hate, it is a symbol of good fortune and prosperity and a symbol that was present everywhere, from things old to new.  I went to India with an open mind, I had very few expectations, and for the most part, I saw this trip as part of my role as a communicator. I went to India to hear the story of the church and bring that back, and yes I he...