Christ Lutheran Church Harrisburg

Each year, Jews gathers to retell the story of the Passover and Exodus where God set Israel free.  It's not just a retelling though.  It is an invitation for hearers to be in the story as if God set them free too.  Christians also have a story that invites us in as Jesus sets us free.  The sermon is based on parts of Exodus 12, 13, and 15. 

Exodus 39 tells us a small piece of Joseph's story.  He's unjustly incriminated and suffers as a result.  But it's deeper than that.  He's trafficked.  What does this story have to say to us in 2026 and where is God in the midst of such horrible things?  The sermon is based on Genesis 39:1-23.

The Narrative Lectionary starts a new cycle.  And it gives us the story of the flood.  It's a difficult story but also rich with imagery and meaning and promise.  In this story is horror and hope.  And it addresses questions that have been with us for a long, long time - how did we get to this point?  Is God distant or close?  What's the deal with humanity?  What's the good news in the midst of so...

We are at the end of our series on the Ten Commandments.  The commandment may be the most difficult for us.  It's about wanting what doesn't belong to us.  The core of this is a message that tries to tell us that we aren't enough.  Yet God reminds us that we are.  The sermon is based on Exodus 20:17.

In this third week on the series of the Ten Commandments, we turn our attention to how we are to live in relationship with our neighbor.  The second set of the Commandments also dive deeper by addressing the injustice of enslavement in order to establish a better way to be community.  The sermon is based on Exodus 20:12-16.

As we move into the actual commandments listed in Exodus 20, it starts with a focus on our relationship with God.  And each one builds upon the one before it.  And while its easy to point fingers at how others are failing at these, the whole point is for us to look in the mirror to see what gods we still follow, how we just God for our own purposes, and more.  Thankfully, that mirror is not the en...

We started a four week series on the Ten Commandments.  This Sunday was the foundation - what are they really about.  And the key is if you hear the foundation, then the commandments shift from being a bunch of rules to something more meaningful.  The sermon is based on Exodus 19 and 20:1-2.

Humanity has a tendency to wrangle over words.  Which means Good News gets twisted and becomes mediocre at best.  People get put into a hierarchy and voices get silenced.  But Good News is not any of that.  Good News sets people free, makes room for them, sees humanity in one another, and more.  Good News isn't there for when everything is going well.  It's for real life.  The sermon is based on 2...

The algorithms want your attention.  So they feed your anger, frustration, and despair.  The Gospel reminds us that we are not alone to face what the world offers.  Our reading from 2 Timothy is a letter of encouragement for people facing difficulty - not the supposed persecution of people who are losing long held power, but rather the kind of hardship that drains life from people.  

Life doesn't come with a manual of how things are supposed to go.  And while that may be frustrating at times, it is also a blessing.  Because if there was a manual, then we'd be judged on how well we stuck to it.  Instead God gives grace freely and in unfair ways.  The sermon is based on 1 Timothy 1:12-17.

God isn't loud.  God is often hidden, but very present and active.  The book of Esther shows us what living faithfully means in a practical sense.  And on this weekend of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, it also reminds us that the Good News is not that America is great or doomed.  Instead, the Good News is that God acts and the people society walks past survive.  The read...

In Ruth 2 we hear about Ruth gleaning in the field.  And Boaz goes beyond the requirements of the law.  Gleaning isn't just a way to provide for the poor and marginalized.  Gleaning also raises a question as to why there are poor among the community in the first place and what are we called to do in light of that reality.  The sermon is in response to Ruth 2:1-23

We're starting a sermon series on the book of Ruth.  Ruth's story is full of difficulties and blessings.  And through it all, Ruth remains faithful.  Given our own circumstances of difficulties, the book of Ruth offers us Good News.  The sermon is based on Ruth 1:1-22.

The story of Pentecost is familiar to Christians.  The Spirit comes in ways that cannot be ignored.  Some respond with excuses.  Maybe it's fear, maybe it's not wanting to deal with a new reality.  Others respond by asking an honest question - what does this mean?  When the Spirit shows up, new life shows up.  New opportunities show up.  The sermon is based on Acts 2:1-21.

This past weekend, two gatherings of Christians came together.  One focused on dominion and domination, using religion to impose upon others.  The other focused on the question of how we love our neighbor.  Paul's letter to the church in Philippi reminds us that the Lord we serve emptied himself to love others, not dominate them.  The sermon is based on Philippians 2:1-13.

Paul's letter to the Philippians is his most joyful letter in spite of his circumstances of being imprisoned.  In some ways, Paul's world is like our alone - power arrangements designed to make you feel alone and that there is no hope.  Yet, Paul reminds us that we are never alone, regardless of the circumstances.  The sermon is in response to Philippians 1:1-18a.  

In our reading we hear about the calling of Saul to proclaim the Gospel.  There's plenty of pre-call Saul energy in the world right now.  It's the reliance on certainty and control.  And it is destructive.  And Jesus interrupts this, offering Saul a new path forward.  And he does the same for each of us.  The sermon is based on Acts 9:1-19.

The Resurrected Jesus shows up in spite of locked doors.  He offers peace.  And he still has wounds.  But those wounds don't get the final say.  Jesus shows up in spite of our own locked doors, bearing wounds because he knows our wounds too.  And offers a different path forward.  The sermon is based on John 20:19-31.

Everyone's in the dark on Easter morning. Even when the witnesses see the empty tomb, they still don't really get it.  Until Jesus says Mary's name.  Then she can actually see Jesus.  Jesus calls us by name too so that we can also see him where we are.  The Gospel is based on John 20:1-18.

On the first Palm Sunday, two processions came into Jerusalem with conflicting understandings of power.  One believed in the peace of Rome of peace through strength.  The other was embodied by Jesus of peace through presence.  The Passion narrative puts those two understandings on full display - a peace through violence, and a peace in spite of violence.  The sermon is based on John 18-19.  

The world tries to tell us that everything is fine.  But it isn't.  The Narrative Lectionary takes us to John 19 and the condemning of Jesus for crucifixion.  No one looks good in the story.  The cross doesn't expose Jesus.  The cross exposes everyone else and all the arrangements of power that exist.  Jesus is a mirror and the people didn't like what they saw reflected back.  The sermon is based...

The world says one thing and does another.  It will even use religion to get what it wants.  It will cloak itself in talk about purity and holiness, all while plotting to kill.  Jesus' way is different from that.  There's no hiding with Jesus.  No spin.  Just the truth.  The sermon is based on John 18:28-40.  

John's Gospel moves us to the Last Supper.  Jesus washes the disciples' feet.  That includes Judas who will betray him.  He doesn't attack Judas preemptively.  He washes his feet instead in an act of love.  Because it's not about changing his enemy's heart or mind.  Jesus does it to remain who he is.  The sermon is based on John 13:1-17

The story of the raising of Lazarus is full of waiting, mourning, and resurrection.  And we can't get to resurrection, until we go through the waiting and the mourning.  The sermon is based on John 11:1-44.

The further away from the seat of power, the easier it is to see Jesus.  Proximity to power has a way of blurring our view of Jesus and his way.  In this Sunday's Gospel, we hear about a royal official who leaves his position to call on Jesus because power doesn't heal.  But Jesus does.  The sermon is based on John 4:46-54.