Archive

** Due to a technical error, the service was not recorded today. Here is a sermon from the archives. ** Our world is troubled and full of suffering. Our first parents enjoyed the bounty of the Garden of Eden, apart from any burdensome work. But after the Fall, toil and labor were guaranteed. But into […]

What is the abundant life? If you’re Christian, you must have a great life, right? You’re such a good person, you don’t lie or cheat, so I bet you don’t have major illnesses, no financial worries and you probably don’t stress about work, right? God just makes it all good for you! Has anyone asked […]

Here is the sermon text from Luke 24: On the Road to Emmaus 13 That very day two of them were going to a village named Emmaus, about seven miles from Jerusalem, 14 and they were talking with each other about all these things that had happened. 15 While they were talking and discussing together, Jesus himself drew […]

Hope, apart from Christ, is meaningless Have you heard someone say, “I manifested this lifestyle”? It’s become trendy lately to use that verbiage as people search for meaning outside of Christ. What they are implying is that they created a fabulous lifestyle by believing in it, themselves, and having hope it would come true. The […]

The greatest miracle wasn’t the first or last one People love a good list. How many articles have you seen titled “30 best products” or “The top 10 [insert activity ]”? When it comes to God’s miracles, there is an amazing list! Creation, Noah’s ark, Daniel in the lion’s den, the virgin birth of Jesus, […]

Passion Week During Holy Week, we will post the Reading of the Passion each night. Click here to open the bulletin in a new tab or scroll down. Announcements Easter Sunday is nearly here! Please join us for the Divine Service at 10 am. Breakfast is at 8:30 am. Donations: Even during the pandemic and […]

Passion Week Tonight’s Vesper service focuses on Holy Thursday. If you missed the previous Holy Week readings, you may listen to them here: Holy MondayHoly TuesdayHoly Wednesday Click here to open the Thursday bulletin in a new tab or scroll down. Announcements Easter Sunday is nearly here! Please join us for the Divine Service at […]

Righteous and Being Saved When we think of royalty, especially today, the royal families of Europe or the Middle East, most likely stand out. Sporting million-dollar luxury cars, cruising on super yachts that are just weekend toys, and using helicopters like we use a taxi are a far cry from our pedestrian lives. Pomp and […]

Be prepared People always want to know, “what will tomorrow bring” or “what should I do to prepare for emergencies?” These are, in some ways, the wrong questions for us as Christians to ask. Instead, we might more productively ask “what is the meaning of this life” or “what should I be paying attention to, […]

Lost Hope Borne of Sin Picture a valley, full of dry bones. It’s rather easy to envision. The book of Ezekiel is full of rich imagery used to illustrate important lessons. The very dry bones are symbolic of those who reject Christ. They have lost all hope and created a manmade spiritual disaster. It sounds […]

Living a Life of Repentance We continue our Lenten theme with another reminder of God’s grace. We need the reminder because we tend to be short-sighted and get bogged down in the ways of the world. Outside of God’s grace, life is meaningless as many a philosopher will tell you! But under His grace, we […]

Two Knowledges of God The Nicene Creed starts out by saying, “I believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible.” Because God created all things, we can learn more about God by studying creation and applying logic. What kind of being would create the universe […]

God’s Patience with Jerusalem Tonight’s sermon theme and text is based on the Gospel reading, Matthew 24. Jesus left the temple and was going away, when his disciples came to point out to him the buildings of the temple. 2 But he answered them, “You see all these, do you not? Truly, I say to you, […]

Hope for the future, or comfort for the present? Suffering is all around us. Look anywhere and you can find it. The poor might suffer from hunger or cold. Meanwhile the rich might suffer from anxiety and loneliness. The Bible calls this the great tribulation, and it will last until Christ’s return. Furthermore, Christians are […]

The Lord’s Patience We are living in the last days and so were the disciples. They wanted to know what would happen to them just as we want to know today. Jesus’ answer was not the happy prophecy they probably wanted to hear. After all, they were Jews and descendants of Israel and Abraham. They […]

Reconciliation is so much better than wings and a harp In popular culture, heaven is a place where the deceased are equipped with wings and harps and have nothing to do but sit on the clouds. However, what Scripture says about heaven is about having a relationship with God. It is about being reconciled to […]

Many believe we live in a good era compared to the past, but it’s easy to question that sentiment. Scandals, natural disasters, and pandemics abound. But we know these are good times because we are in the Last Days. Living in the Last Days means we enjoy a life of repentance. A life of repentance […]

Rebellion or Obedience The Bible can be thought of as a story about two men. One features strongly at the beginning of the Old Testament, the other in the New. One is the father of the entire human race, but he rebelled and brought God’s curse. The other is mankind’s Redeemer, through His obedience to His […]

Lent is known as the season of repentance. While that may sound depressing to confront and confess our sins, it is a blessing of the greatest means. We get to acknowledge our inclination to sin, seek forgiveness and absolutely receive it. But it doesn’t start and end with Lent. The life of repentance is a […]

Myth or Majesty Church attendance numbers are dwindling. Christianity has fewer followers. And Judeo-Christian morals are mocked in society while atheistic, gnostic, and humanist beliefs are embraced. Christians are ridiculed for believing their “silly stories” of creation, the virgin birth, and Christ’s resurrection. However, this is not new. Peter and the other Apostles faced the […]

Boasting rights Who doesn’t love a good underdog story? We love to see the “little guy” overcome adversity – whether it’s a mom & pop business vs. a corporate giant or the classic jock vs. nerd bullying scenario – it brings immense satisfaction to see the underdog prevail. Yet, in this world, Christ’s followers are […]

All roads lead to Rome Have you ever heard someone say that all religions are just different, but equal, paths to God? When it comes to manmade religions, in a sense, they are right. Religions constructed by man’s rules are centered on all the things we must do in order to be a better person, […]

Our Christian Vocation Work: a blessing and a curse. You may not enjoy your 9 to 5 but perhaps you love tending a garden, reading books with your children or grandchildren, or volunteering at a food pantry. Each of these things can be our vocation, since these are ways we can serve others. Additionally, Christians […]

The gift of a baptismal life With Christmas just two weeks ago, gifts are often discussed. What did you get? What was your favorite one? And so on. We also talk about the gift of Christmas coming in the form a baby, pure and innocent, to redeem us and make us righteous with God. But […]

No longer living under a guardian Have you ever heard someone say, “The best Christians I know are Atheists”? Or maybe you’ve heard someone pick some obscure verse like Leviticus 20:9: “For anyone who curses his father or his mother shall surely be put to death; he has cursed his father or his mother; his […]

Born of water and the Spirit “You can pick your friends but you can’t pick your family” is an old saying that highlights family dynamics versus friendships. Family dynamics are often sticky; tinged with resentment while friendships tend to be fun and easy, with no strings attached or obligations. Thankfully, it was God’s choice to […]

Only one gift is needed Every year at this time, we are bombarded with the idea of gifts. Buying gifts, returning gifts, picking out the perfect gift. Thankfully, as Christians, there is only ONE gift that truly matters. Only ONE gift that is truly perfect. The gift of Christ. That gift of Christ goes beyond […]

Excuses, excuses I slept in, I ran out of time or the original excuse, “The woman made me do it”. Excuses are as old as time or at least as long as we’ve been held accountable for our actions. And in today’s sermon text, we hear Ahaz try an excuse on God, “I will not […]

Every eye will see, every ear will hear Advent is all about hope. We anticipate and make ready our hearts for the miracle of Christmas. In some ways we are blessed to be on “this side” of Jesus’ first coming. We have the benefit of seeing the prophecy fulfilled. The people of Israel had centuries […]

**This year we are not holding midweek Advent services. We are instead reposting our Advent recordings from 2020.** The Bible is full of promises for us, starting in Genesis and all the way through Revelation. The biggest one is to reunite us with God through Christ. So as we start forth on this new Church […]

A Promise Made, A Promise Fulfilled How long would you wait for someone to fulfill a promise? Some people may never really believe it while others might hold onto hope until their dying breath. God’s people in the Old Testament, from Adam through Noah, down to Abraham and eventually all of Isreal needed to hold […]

This year we are not holding midweek Advent services. We are instead re-using our advent recordings from 2020. As we celebrate this thanksgiving holiday, we should look to Christ for what we are the most thankful.  Like the leper who praised God “with a loud voice”, since we have even more for which we can […]

His Mountain, His House “My house, my rules”. Have you used this phrase with your children? Or, heard it as a child? When it is employed, it usually means an end to a disagreement. The parent has established they are not interested in changing the rules and the child is, most likely, disappointed. The house […]

Sheep from the goats Are you religious or secular? Faithful or enthusiastic? Sheep or goat? Are you both at different times? Malachi chapter 3, our sermon text for today, reminds us how the church is full of believers and unbelievers. Oh, they don’t openly deny Christ; it’s not that obvious. Rather, the unbelievers’ enthusiasm is […]

Vengeance is mine! Jerusalem was a walled city, fortified against attack. It had been a holy place since the time of Melchizedek, back to the time of Abraham. By Jesus’ time, it had been a holy place for about two thousand years. When we hear “Vengeance is mine, says the LORD”, we probably think first […]

Are you a Saint? “He/She is such a saint”. When we hear that declaration about someone, it’s usually in reference to a display of patience in difficult circumstances. However, when the Bible talks about saints it is talking about those who persevered in the faith, also in difficult circumstances. Why are they problematic? Because the […]

Why we need both In our Lutheran circles, we espouse the Gospel. We emphasize forgiveness of sins, grace, and mercy. We lean on the Solas – Sola Scriptura, Sola Fide, and Sola Gratia. We know God’s love for us. This means that sometimes, the Law is set aside. Oh, we know it’s there but it’s […]

Just follow your heart How often have you “followed your heart” and it didn’t turn out well? Today’s culture focuses on self-empowerment, self-help, and self-love. We are told to be authentic and believe in ourselves to manifest our own destiny. Sure, a strong dose of confidence can be beneficial but where does it lead us […]

Do you exercise enough? If you’re like the majoirty of Americans, you could probably stand to exercise a bit more. We know the human body needs food, water, exercise and shelter to achieve optimal performance. Doctors advise healthy choices like a balanced diet of protein, fat and carbs, and to engage in daily–or at least […]

What do you have in common with a leper? If you’re familiar with Scripture, you may know that leprosy is mentioned several times throughout it. What was significant about leprosy? There were other easily transmittable diseases but Old Testament ceremonial law required that lepers, in particular, present themselves to the priests. When the priests deemed […]

Frustrated with God? Society is bitterly divided with an us-vs-them mentality. Christianity is ridiculed. Corrupt government officials are exposed, but nothing is done about it. The land is filled with lawlessness. Does this refer to the present day or the time of the prophet, Habakkuk? The answer is both! Habakkuk was fed up with the […]

Skeptic or believer? A healthy dose of skepticism can be beneficial. It can be a helpful guide to keep us out of trouble – financial, physical or otherwise. But do you take it too far and have to “see it” to believe it? And even if you did “see it”, would you really believe? Our […]

Do you pray for your enemies? “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son that whoever believes shall be saved”, John 3:16. I don’t have the research to back this up, but I’m willing to guess this is the single most well-known Bible passage. Even non-Christians are familiar with […]

Are you a sinner? For many people, it’s hard to admit that we sin, much less that we sin a lot, every day. But if you’re Lutheran, you’re probably familiar with this line from our Liturgy, “I, a poor miserable sinner, confess unto you all my sins and iniquities”. We own it. We know that […]

Who do you put first? There’s a popular saying in our culture that goes, “Happy wife, happy life”. It implies that if the husband puts his wife’s wishes first, then all parties will be happy. And while that might be true in some cases, it’s really not what God asks of us. Yes, the husband […]

The juxtaposition of a Humble King It seems like in the Kingdom of God, that so many things are backward from what we would normally expect.  “The last shall be first and the first shall be last.”  “Love your enemies” and from the parable of the wedding feast (below), “everyone who exalts himself will be […]

Which door will you choose? If you’re of a certain age, you may recall a game show host asking the winning contestant “which door will you choose?” at the end of each episode. Hidden behind each door was a mystery prize! It could be a fantastic new car or a disappointing year’s supply of soup. […]

How do you define peace? In today’s sermon text, we hear Christ describe himself as bringing division. It’s a bit unnerving as earlier texts refer to Jesus as the one who will bring peace. How can this be? The short answer is both are true. Jesus brought peace and division. Our human nature has very […]

Do you have faith? The word faith has strong religious overtones, which is wonderful. It is, perhaps, one word that hasn’t been totally twisted by society and human selfishness. Our sinful selves–full of pride–distort words, actions, and thoughts to put the emphasis on self. For example, the word “believe” has been used ad nauseam in […]

Where is your focus? Where do you find joy? For many, it is spending time with their family and friends. For others, it’s a lovely home, reliable cars, and maybe a cabin on a lake. Or perhaps you’re part of the current wanderlust trend, and you live on the road soaking up joy in every […]

How do you pray? Do you say “Come, Lord Jesus, Be Our Guest” at dinnertime? Is “Now I Lay Me Down to Sleep” your bedtime prayer? Or do you recite the Evening and Morning Prayers from Luther’s Small Catechism? It doesn’t really matter how you answered the above questions. What does matter is who you […]

Do you ever grow impatient? Of course! We get stuck in traffic, or annoyed by a loved one’s habits or frustrated with a slow co-worker. But our incredibly patient Lord shows us over and over His amazing faithfulness to us. We are flawed and sin daily but with this parable, Pastor illustrates how Christ is […]

This week’s sermon focuses on trusting the Lord. Sounds easy, right? But how often do we default to OUR way of thinking? How often do we seek answers within OURSELVES? It is the human thing to do. But the Lord tells us, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways”. […]

Pastor Jenson covers civil authority in this week’s sermon. We know that evil exists in this world and that God governs it two ways.  He governs and limits evil either by grace and mercy or by force of law. God does not abandon us but rather, He works through all means to the blessing of […]