Our sermons are only a part of our Sunday morning, but they are an important part – they are the Word of God presented to us in our context so that we can repent, seek to amend our lives, and receive God’s grace through the power of the Gospel.
Baptism of our Lord is a celebration of the fact that Jesus was Baptized by John the Baptist in the River Jordan. In the Lutheran Baptismal prayer, it says that this action “hallowed all waters to become a lavish washing away of sin [in Baptism].” This starts of the season of Epiphany, which is a…
The last Sunday before Christmas is here, and now it is undeniable that it will come. As the reality of Christmas day comes nearer, our hope seems to become more “fact” as we see what God is doing in our lives. Faith, that trust that we have in Jesus, tells us that His coming and…
The third Sunday in Advent is traditionally a jubilant Sunday, noted by the presence of the color pink. This week is also close enough to Christmas day that it starts to “really feel like” Christmas. Christmas movies are starting to pop up on television and the messages of Christmas coming near seem more insistent. This…
Sermon from annual German Christmas Service
The texts for this Sunday give us a sense of preparation by cleaning. John the Baptists plays a key role as being the “Voice who cries” – and when He is calling people to repent, He is calling them to clean-ness of life. Cleaning is a concept that seems to fit our sinful lives in…
The first Sunday in Advent is a sort of “alarm clock” that rings the bells that it is time for us to prepare for the coming of gift – or if we are found ill prepared, the gift might pass us by. Thinking about this question vocationally, we are given new tasks within our vocations…
God has redeemed us and has given us gifts, and the parable of the sheep and goats shows us that there is a way to mishandle these gifts. God’s people are marked by lives of generosity that are not always conscious of their generosity. However, Jesus is clearly calling us to be mindful of our…
Last week we talked about having the capital that we need, this week, we talk about the growth of that capital in our lives. In our culture, we are used to spending our capital, but not necessarily used to the ideas that surround the investment of our capital. We’ll talk about investing our Finances, Intellects,…
Do you have what you need in the areas of Financial, Intellectual, Physical, Relational, and Spiritual capital? Or have you allowed your gifts to burn down to the nub? How do we show ourselves as ready for the Bridegrooms return, even if we don’t feel like we have all that we need right now? What…
In the next week, we will begin to our last series in the “I Love U” focus year. This week we take some time to imagine what many lives of love might look like in the Resurrection and what things will be like when Jesus comes again to inaugurate an eternity of Love. What will…