Sundays at St. James

“Were not our hearts burning within us” Main point : We encounter the risen Christ where he said he would be -in the breaking of bread. INTRODUCTION Today we encounter the risen Christ. I wonder if we might begin where we left off last week - in various degrees of belief and understanding of this marvelous miracle of life over death and light over darkness. We closed the sermon last week with a ge...

“Sinners and skeptics wanted!” Main point : God engages with us in our struggle and in our questions. On this Second Sunday in Easter, I invite you to say our Easter Acclamation again… let me hear you… P: Christ is risen! C: Christ is risen indeed, Alleluia!

Easter Sunday Messgae 2026

“Behold your King Comes to You” Main point : God comes to us in low places - in humility - and if we look low we may find him.

“Identify with Christ” Main point : We identify with Christ in his suffering and his resurrection. Introduction Today, we meet three characters who live in a village called Bethany: Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. Lazarus is sick and it doesn't look good. Finally, Lazarus comes to the point of death…Mary and Martha send for Jesus. The story tells us that Jesus is only a couple of miles away. He hea...

“Seeing with the Eyes of our Understanding” Main point : Jesus grants spiritual sight to those who enter in through humility and faith. Introduction We all understand the powerful role stories play in our lives. Who doesn’t love a good book or a good movie? Who doesn’t appreciate the specialness of reading stories to kids - as their eyes light up and they get carried along by  Dr. Richard Latham L...

“St. Photini and Springs of Living Water” Main point: Hope springs eternal from the living water gushing up to eternal life. Introduction History tells us the woman we meet in our gospel today is St. Photini - the Samaritan woman at Jacob’s well. You might not know she has a name, but she does. She is an example to us of an apostle who carries the good news of Jesus to others. Her Feast day on Feb...

“Conversion of the Heart” Main point: Jesus comes from heaven to show us the way to God and for us to understand him and what he's doing, we need a change in the way we think about everything. Introduction Today we encounter Nicodemous - a religious leader -  a Pharisee - and one of the 70 most esteemed elders of the Jewish people in Jesus’ day. He could tell something was unique about Jesus....

“Three Temptations in the Wilderness” Main point: Jesus shows us victory over three temptations. Introduction As we begin our season of preparation leading up to Easter marked by prayer, almsgiving, and fasting, we look at the temptation of Jesus in the wilderness by the Devil.  I’d like to begin here: We - you and I, with our modern sensibilities - probably have a general idea that we should abst...

“God’s Life in You” Main point: Through ongoing awareness of our dependence on God,  God’s life comes alive in us. Introduction On this Ash Wednesday we look straight in the face of our own mortality.  We taste the fragility of life.  We are reminded that we were formed from dust and to dust we will return.  And the time between those two bookends is little more than a drop in the bucket.  Vaper i...

“From Glory to Glory” Main point: The transfiguration inspires us and shows us a vision of where we’re headed. Introduction This is the Feast of the Transfiguration. You might be wondering - what on earth is the transfiguration? What on earth is going on in this scene we just read from Matthew’s gospel?  This was a sneak peak through the thin veil between the world as we see it and the world as it...

Guest speaker Jason Forari preached the Gospel! St. Matthew 5:13-20 [Jesus said:] 13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything but is thrown out and trampled under foot.   14 “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. 15 People do not light a lamp and put it under the bushel baske...

“The Heart of Jesus” Main point: Jesus shows us the culture of the kingdom of God. Introduction This teaching from Jesus is recognized the world over by Christians and non-Christians alike for their positive spiritual potency.  Last week we listened to the first public message of Jesus. He said, “Repent! For the kingdom of heaven has come near.” And to those who would listen to his message, I imag...

“The Invitation” Main point: The invitation from Jesus is to follow him. Introduction Our gospel begins with a geographical marker which is the setting of the beginning of Jesus’ earthly ministry. To our modern ears the places we hear about in the New Testament might all run together to make it sound like the entire story happened in one place with all Jewish people. But that wasn’t the case. The...

Introduction  Epiphany is a season of revealing who God is. Today’s big reveal or “showing” comes from the voice of John who twice in our gospel points to Jesus and says, “Look, the Lamb of God.” Speaking of God’s anointed one, the Prophet Isaiah says in the  53rd chapter (verse 7):  He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter and...

Hope in a Dark Time It is not lost on me that we gathered for worship on Tuesday night, held our candles, and sang the comforting words of Archbishop Desmond Tutu… Goodness is stronger than evil  Love is stronger than hate  Light is stronger than darkness  Life is stronger than death  Victory is ours, victory is ours through God who loves us. And then in the morning hours on Wednesday, a little mo...

What is the Word? The Word is God’s communication to us.   In language spoken. In language written. In language embedded in creation. The Word is God’s communication to us. That’s it. If someone asks you, “What is God’s Word?” Or, “Why do we call Jesus the Word of God ?” The answer is this: God is too big to understand, but God communicates to us and we call that the Word of God. You might be sayi...

Sermon given by Bryce Hewlett.

St. James Lutheran Church Christmas Day Recording. Musicians: Steve Abel, Madlyn Wulgaert Vicar: Bryce Hewlett Reader: Anna Forari

“Joseph’s Dilemma” INTRODUCTION Welcome to the Season of Advent and with it a fresh start. For those who are new to the game: Advent simply means “coming” or “arrival.” During this season we put the arrival of Jesus in full view. Today, and for the next few days, the arrival of Jesus sits right in front of our faces. And we wait. Last week we read and heard my wife speak on Mary’s perspective of t...

Thanks for joining our podcast today! We had a wonderful guest speaker talk to us about Mary, Mother of Jesus, for our third week of Advent. Guest Speaker: Kim Hewlett

“Let the Fire of Your Justice Burn” Main point: John comes to us with a message of repentance. Our justice is bent. We need to agree with the justice revealed in Christ. INTRODUCTION Welcome to the Season of Advent and with it a fresh start. For those who are new to the game: Advent simply means arrival. During this season we put the arrival of Jesus in full view. Today, and for the next two weeks...

“Come, Lord Jesus, but not just yet” Main point: The era we live in (the last days) gives us time to repent and return to Christ. INTRODUCTION Welcome to the Season of Advent and with it a fresh start. Next week when we are back together in-person, you’ll notice some things have switched around in our sanctuary and in our worship. Our colors are blue. Some of our liturgical music is new. We’re lig...

“Who is this King of Glory?” Main point: We see Jesus revealed to us as a trustworthy king today. He is our King of Glory. INTRODUCTION Christ is King and there is no other. King? Really??? I've never lived under a king, so what's that all about? Kings get a bad rap in our representative democracy, so, first,... A Word on Kings What do Moses, Plato, and Thomas Aquinas all have in common? A...

“Jesus teaches on “the end”” Main point: Give testimony and persevere as the end draws near. INTRODUCTION Advent is just around the corner and our themes are turning toward the arrival of Jesus. As always, when we remember the coming of Jesus in his birth in Bethlehem, we also look forward to his coming in glory at the end of this age. Such is the theme of our gospel this morning. Friends, it’s ge...