ELCA NEWS SERVICE
September 6, 2006
ELCA's 'Grace Matters' Host to Preach on 'Day 1' Radio Program
06-136-JB
CHICAGO (ELCA) -- The Rev. Peter W. Marty, host of "Grace
Matters," the radio ministry of the Evangelical Lutheran Church
in America (ELCA), is the featured speaker Sept. 10 and 17 on
"Day 1," the nationally broadcast award-winning radio program.
The program also includes a brief interview with the speaker.
Marty, senior pastor at St. Paul Lutheran Church, an ELCA
congregation in Davenport, Iowa, will preach on texts from the
Gospel of Mark.
On Sept. 10 Marty will preach a sermon, "It's Time We Open
Up!" based on the story in Mark 7:31-37 of Jesus curing a deaf
man. Marty focuses his sermon on "spiritual faith."
"How is our Lord going to get all of us to open up our lives
a bit more freely?" Marty asks. "It's going to take a huge
spiritual miracle in each one of us if we're going to shed the
different spiritual captivities in which we live. But, we have
to begin to find better ways to live as if God matters."
"We need to release the ligament that is holding back our
tongues from speaking more joyously of God. The world is going
to ignore the church and the people inside if we cannot find
anything important to say about this faith we cherish," he said.
On Sept. 17 Marty will preach a sermon, "Christ and
Everything Else Thrown In," based on Mark 8:27-38, St. Peter's
declaration that Jesus is the Messiah.
"The whole question of who is willing to follow Jesus Christ
is pretty much the defining question of Christianity," Marty
says. "The question becomes: 'What does it actually mean to
follow Jesus, especially in modern times? Or in middle or upper
middle class North America?'"
"If you're going to take the words of Jesus seriously, those
ones about 'losing your life for his sake' and 'denying yourself'
... well, what's your life going to look like?" Marty continued.
"Christianity is not about solving problems or making life easier.
If anything, following Jesus is going to complicate your life and
unmistakably so."
Marty graduated from Colorado College, Colorado Springs, and
Yale Divinity School, New Haven, Conn., with honors. He was the
1979 recipient of an honors fellowship in history for study at
Oxford University. Prior to studies at Yale, Marty lived in
Cameroon, West Africa, for one and a half years, serving as the
director of building for a mission outpost of the Lutheran
church.
He served as pastor of congregations in Kansas City, Mo.,
and River Forest, Ill., before he arrived in Davenport in 1996.
He began his broadcast ministry as host of "Grace Matters" in
February 2005.
Marty has served on a number of hospital, college,
foundation and community boards. Presently he is on the board of
trustees for Augustana College, Rock Island, Ill., and "The
Christian Century" magazine.
Formerly known as "The Protestant Hour," "Day 1" has been
broadcast every week for 61 years, winning numerous awards in the
process, including the George Foster Peabody Award and the 2003
Crystal Award for Excellence in inspirational radio. It is
produced by the Alliance for Christian Media in association with
the ELCA, Cooperative Baptist Fellowship, Episcopal Church,
United Methodist Church, Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) and United
Church of Christ. A television version is also broadcast Sunday
mornings on the Hallmark Channel's "Naomi's New Morning" series.
"Day 1" airs on 169 radio stations each week in the United
States, Canada, the Caribbean and Nigeria. It is also available
by streaming audio and podcast.
The executive producer and host for "Day 1" is Peter
Wallace.
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Information about "Day 1" is at http://www.day1.net
and information about "Grace Matters" is at
http://www.gracematters.org/ on the Web.
For information contact:
John Brooks, Director (773) 380-2958 or [log in to unmask]
http://www.elca.org/news
ELCA News Blog: http://www.elca.org/news/blog
