- You can find our service posted on Facebook and here below. If you highlight the address below with your mouse, then right click on your mouse, you can select "go to: https://fb.watch/aBfutnf3oM" and watch it! https://fb.watch/aBfutnf3oM Invited to a Wedding John 2: 1 – 11 (preached January 16, 2022) During the church season of Epiphany, we see Jesus’ ministry unfold. The word epiphany means a new realization and week by week, in the gospel stories, his discip... [read more]
Sermons
- The Lamb of God John 1: 29 – 35 (preached on January 9, 2022 on Zoom) There’s a saying that confession is good for the soul. One elderly lady had always taken that saying very much to heart. Over the years she developed the habit of going to her church and making her confession frequently and fervently. The priest who heard her confession was hard of hearing, so he always asked his parishioners to write their sins on a piece of paper when they came to confession. Then,... [read more]
- https://youtu.be/aY0bS75ic4E Power to Become Matthew 2 : 1 - 12 and John 1: 1 & 12. (preached on January 2, 2022) Welcome to the first Sunday of the New Year. A new year is a fresh start. A new year brings new beginnings. The Wise Men may be thinking of new beginnings as they approach the baby Jesus in our gospel passage for today, from Matthew. They have come to worship a new king. He’s just a baby, but they know this baby is unique. They’ve made a long... [read more]
- https://youtu.be/j10hc52zIUc Introduction to the Scripture: The letter to the Hebrews opens with a joyful proclamation: God’s word has come to dwell among us, in the life of Jesus. In earlier days, God had spoken through the Hebrew prophets, but now he is speaking through his son. We don’t know who wrote the letter to the Hebrews, but it’s clear that the writer was convinced that Jesus is the shining reflection of God’s glory. Not only that: he continues to sustain the world thro... [read more]
- https://youtu.be/VLm7QeL3vNw All in the Family Luke 1: 39 – 45 (preached on December 19, 2021) My granddaughter Norunn turned six last Thursday, but it seems like yesterday that I first met her in the hospital, on the day she was born. My job that day was to bring her older brother, Ola, to the hospital to meet her. Ola was two and a half years old, and a very active little guy. As I chased him through the hospital hallways, I got a bit frazzled, but eventually... [read more]
- No Rigid Righteousness Matthew 1: 18 – 25 (preached December 12, 2021) Since the earliest days of Christianity, artists have portrayed the birth of Jesus. Artists have even painted scenes from before his birth, images of the angel Gabriel speaking to Mary about the miracle God has in mind for her. You can find many paintings of Gabriel, shining with holy light, and Mary, amazed by his news. But it’s harder to find paintings of another important person in the ... [read more]
- https://youtu.be/SlgHnF0J6gU Listening for God’s Footsteps Isaiah 11: 1 – 10 (preached December 5, 2021) A few weeks ago, I dug up a piece of the lawn in my back yard to create a bed for perennials. The grass – and weeds - had been growing there a long time. It wasn’t easy, breaking up the turf and working the soil beneath, but I found it satisfying. When the soil was good and loose, I spread some compost on top. Now, when I look out my kitchen windo... [read more]
- https://youtu.be/TYGh8iyeEjc Ready for Advent? Luke 21: 25 – 36 (preached November 28, 2021) Today we begin the opening season of the church year, the season of Advent. Usually Advent is understood as a time to prepare for the birth of Christ, a time to get ready for Christmas. But the Bible text for today has nothing to say about the birth of Jesus. This morning we hear nothing about an angel’s visit or a manger or a star. Instead, in Luke’s gospel, we h... [read more]
- https://youtu.be/X_8Z1-VAzzI It’s a Blessing to Receive Mark 14: 3 – 9 (preached November 21, 2021) You’ve probably heard the saying that there are two kinds of people: pessimists and optimists. Pessimists see the glass as half empty, and optimists see the glass as half full. Recently I heard a new twist on that saying: there are actually three kinds of people. The pessimist sees the glass as half empty. The optimist sees the glass as half full. Then there’s the realist. The ... [read more]
- https://youtu.be/NlV2zQGZ6n4 Prayer Changes Things I Samuel 1: 3 – 20 (preached November 14, 2021) Have you seen the bumper sticker that says, “Prayer Changes Things?” That bumper sticker always gets my attention; I agree with its message. I believe that prayer changes things. But sometimes I wonder, what do we mean when we say that prayer changes things? For some, saying that prayer changes things means that, when you pray, your circumstances change for the better. If... [read more]
- https://youtu.be/QgCWTht_gAk Lots of Information, Not Much Interpretation 2 Timothy 3: 14 – 4: 5 (preached November 7, 2021) When I was growing up, my family, like a lot of American families in the 1960s, would gather after dinner in front of the TV. Just about every evening, we would watch the news. Our favorite news program was the evening news with Walter Cronkite. If you also tuned in to Walter Cronkite, you may remember that he always concluded his ne... [read more]
- https://youtu.be/_-9qxoTR_Os What Makes Us Protestants? Mark 10: 46 – 52 (preached on October 31, 2021) Every year Reformation Sunday brings us an opportunity to reflect on what makes us Protestants. Of course I could talk all day about what makes us Protestants, but for now I’m going to focus on just one thing because to me, it’s the most important. It’s faith, the kind of faith that can work miracles, like bringing sight to the blind. We celebrate Reformati... [read more]