The sermon will be a post on our Facebook page. Please click on link to view sermon Being Recognized, Encountering Christ Often called the visitation, the encounter between Mary and Elizabeth is full of joy, recognition, gratitude, and blessing. Luke immediately follows the annunciation with Mary’s journey to visit Elizabeth, who gives this unmarried pregnant girl…
The sermon will be a post on our Facebook page. Please click on link to view sermon. No More Business as Usual Lutherans looking for gospel may hear John the Baptizer’s preaching as primarily law. It can be difficult to reconcile his fire-and-brimstone style with the joy that traditionally belongs to the third Sunday of Advent.…
The sermon will be a post on our Facebook page. Please click on link to view sermon. Your Kingdom Come on Earth Luke sets the preaching of John the Baptist clearly in the midst of the political and religious environment of his day. We are told the names of the emperor, governor, and other political rulers…
The sermon will be a post on our Facebook page. Please click on link to view sermon. Love Redefines Power and Dominion In fairy tales, kings live in a castle, usually located on a hill (a safe place), surrounded by a moat for the utmost protection for the king and family. Modern political leaders often have…
The sermon will be a post on our Facebook page. Please click on link to view sermon. Real Strength in Community of Faith What makes something strong? Is steel strong because of its ability to withstand stress from many directions? Is wood strong because of its ability to absorb impact while remaining intact? Is the material…
The sermon will be a post on our Facebook page. Please click on link to view sermon. Be Not Afraid How would you live if you were not afraid? Fear is used by politicians to gain our votes, by the media to get our attention, by advertising firms to sell us what we don’t need, and…
The sermon will be a post on our Facebook page. Please click on link to view sermon. Unbinding the Living On All Saints Sunday we remember loved ones who have been laid in the tomb. We know the acute grief of Mary, Martha, and Jesus. We know the reality of death that lies so close. We…
The sermon will be a post on our Facebook page. Please click on link to view sermon. Not Ashamed In many congregations, Reformation Sunday is treated as a sort of “Lutheran heritage” day, a time for singing chorales and remembering the theological reforms of the sixteenth century that gave birth to Lutheranism. In other parishes, a…
The sermon will be a post on our Facebook page. Please click on link to view sermon. Sharing in Your Glory: Success or Service? “Grant us to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your glory.” Like James and John, we too are quick to assume that following Christ leads to…
Who Would Jesus Bless Today? Many Bibles include a heading before the latter part of today’s gospel reading (Mark 10:13-16) that says something like “Blessing the Children” or “Jesus Welcomes the Children.” In reading such a heading, we might begin to imagine a sentimental scene in which Jesus is surrounded by cute, adorable children. When we…