Welcome to

 TRINITY LUTHERAN   CHURCH
  Brattleboro, VT

Take the Leap, Trinity Lutheran Church, Brattleboro, VT, April 7, 2024 John 20:29 Jesus said to Thomas, “…blessed are those who have not seen, yet they trust.” On top of Mt. Greylock, when the winds are just so, you will find a group of air gliders hooking into their gliding apparatus. They run off the side of the mountain and glide until they land. They have to trust the apparatus, the winds, their instruction. If doubt overcomes them, they never know what it is to fly. Sometimes our “programming” keeps us on the side of the mountain. Safe. Secure. Can I trust in God and have the courage to jump. It may move me to take that chance in reaching out to another, in giving of my self, in risking the embarrassment of trying something new. I may experience the joy of flight. Pastor Jon Heydenreich presides, with Jeff Herman May, Micaela Carlton Newton as lector and Marsha Heydenreich on piano. No matter who you are in your walk of faith, or where you are in that journey, you are invited to the communion table at Trinity Lutheran Church. Trinity Lutheran Church is an ELCA congregation, more or less traditional and relaxed, and a Reconciling in Christ congregation where all are welcome.

The Easter Metaphor, Trinity Lutheran Church, Brattleboro, VT, March 31, 2024 Luke 24:11 The apostles did not believe the women (that Jesus was risen) because their words seemed to them to be nonsense. Easter is a grand metaphor for life. We are programmed - typically by the views, attitudes and expectations of others. That “programming” can hold us captive so that we do not see “joy” but instead we can get swallowed up in sadness, suffering and despair. We end up living (the day, the week?) in the darkness. The Easter metaphor is that darkness can turn to joy. God invites us be people of the "third day". People who move from darkness to new life. May we be people who live in that "third day". Pastor Jon Heydenreich presides, with Kris Grotz-Kuch assisting, Beverly Wolf as lector and Marsha Heydenreich on piano. No matter who you are in your walk of faith, or where you are in that journey, you are invited to the communion table at Trinity Lutheran Church. Trinity Lutheran Church is an ELCA congregation, more or less traditional and relaxed, and a Reconciling in Christ congregation where all are welcome.

Be a Light, Trinity Lutheran Church, Brattleboro, VT, March 17, 2024 Luke 23:28: Jesus said – “(D)o not weep for me, weep for yourselves…” Jesus said, “Weep not for me… weep for yourselves.” We see vast amounts of wealth juxtaposed with those who are food insecure. We see groups clamoring for power in the Middle East and the Ukraine and death and injury visited upon people who simply want to live. How can we not weep over the ways of humanity? We can sink into a depressive state… or…. We decide that – with God’s Spirit - in some way we shall be a light in this darkness. Share a bit of kindness and grace, a smile, some laughter. Be a light. Pastor Jon Heydenreich presides, with Jeff Herman May assisting, Kris Grotz-Kuch as lector and Marsha Heydenreich on piano. No matter who you are in your walk of faith, or where you are in that journey, you are invited to the communion table at Trinity Lutheran Church. Trinity Lutheran Church is an ELCA congregation, more or less traditional and relaxed, and a Reconciling in Christ congregation where all are welcome.

God So Loved The World, Trinity Lutheran Church, Brattleboro, VT, March 10, 2024 John 3:16 For God so loved the world… We are loved. You are loved. You. God sees you as very lovable. Sadly, it is when life goes south that we might come back to the reality that God loves us. It is our fall back, “insurance” position. Perhaps it is the source of healing. The point is we want to avoid getting to the place where we need healing. Start today with God loves you. Let it be the launching pad instead of the fall back. See what a difference it makes. Pastor Jon Heydenreich presides, with Ron Solberg, Diane Hill as lector and Marsha Heydenreich on piano. No matter who you are in your walk of faith, or where you are in that journey, you are invited to the communion table at Trinity Lutheran Church. Trinity Lutheran Church is an ELCA congregation, more or less traditional and relaxed, and a Reconciling in Christ congregation where all are welcome.

Seek Healthy Peace, Trinity Lutheran Church, Brattleboro, VT, February 25, 2024 Matthew 7:7 Jesus taught: “Ask and it will be given…. Seek and you will find… Knock and the door will be opened…” We tend to seek for more and more (money, power, influence, acclaim, etc); yet on the other hand we seek ways to escape it all. We find “comfort” in food, drink, spending money. These things are good, but we can go overboard. Unhealthy escapes can “own” us. Better to seek a healthy peace. Being with supportive people, healthy exercise, the daily gratitude moment – these are healthy ways of living with a measure of God’s peace. When we have that healthy peace we may discover we have less of a need for escape. Pastor Jon Heydenreich presides, with Kris Grotz-Kuch assisting, Beverly Wolf as lector and Marsha Heydenreich on piano. No matter who you are in your walk of faith, or where you are in that journey, you are invited to the communion table at Trinity Lutheran Church. Trinity Lutheran Church is an ELCA congregation, more or less traditional and relaxed, and a Reconciling in Christ congregation where all are welcome.

Transfiguration, Trinity Lutheran Church, Brattleboro, VT, February 11, 2024 Matthew 17:1 After six days Jesus took with him Peter, James and John, and led them up a high mountain by themselves. There he was transfigured before them. His face shone like the sun, and his clothes became as white as the light. When we look at people as children of God we might find it in us to spend time listening in order to understand. We may never agree but we can understand. Such understanding is the beginning of wisdom. But it starts with the way we “see” people. When they looked at Jesus – he was surrounded by light. May we see those around us – as surrounded by light. They, too, are children of God. Maybe then we can get along. Pastor Jon Heydenreich presides, with Hannah Cooper assisting, Kali Taylor as lector and Marsha Heydenreich on piano. No matter who you are in your walk of faith, or where you are in that journey, you are invited to the communion table at Trinity Lutheran Church. Trinity Lutheran Church is an ELCA congregation, more or less traditional and relaxed, and a Reconciling in Christ congregation where all are welcome.

Easy or Hard, Trinity Lutheran Church, Brattleboro, VT, February 4, 2024 Mark 1:37 The disciples said, “Everyone (here) is looking for you!” Jesus said, “let us go to the nearby villages so I can preach there also. That is why I have come.” When Jesus says this is why I have come – he reveals an awareness of his purpose. That is the GPS. There is intention. He is deliberate. The central message of Jesus was “repent the kingdom of God is here.” Repent means “be transformed.” Transformation moves us to do hard things. Pastor Jon Heydenreich presides, with Jeff Herman-May assisting, Diane Hill as lector and Marsha Heydenreich on piano. No matter who you are in your walk of faith, or where you are in that journey, you are invited to the communion table at Trinity Lutheran Church. Trinity Lutheran Church is an ELCA congregation, more or less traditional and relaxed, and a Reconciling in Christ congregation where all are welcome.

Manage Distractions, Trinity Lutheran Church, Brattleboro, VT, January 28, 2024 Romans 12:2: Paul writes: Do not be conformed to this world…but be transformed... Many of us have good hearts and desires but the busy-ness of life and the stresses of the day take over. We become drained and collapse into the world of distractions. Living into the transformed life means managing the day to avoid the “collapse,” or the need for relief. Pastor Jon Heydenreich presides, with Micaela Carlton Newton as lector. No matter who you are in your walk of faith, or where you are in that journey, you are invited to the communion table at Trinity Lutheran Church. Trinity Lutheran Church is an ELCA congregation, more or less traditional and relaxed, and a Reconciling in Christ congregation where all are welcome.