Christ Lutheran Church Harrisburg

Leviathan, that ancient description of chaos, evil, cruelty, and more shows up throughout Scripture and human history.  It causes damage, destruction, and death.  But it doesn't get the last word.  Even in the stoning of Stephen that we hear about in Acts 7, death doesn't get the final say.  Shalom does.  We aren't called to take on the methods of Leviathan and we can't defeat it.  only God can.  ...

Tyrants tell stories in order to maintain control through fear.  They have done this for a long, long time.  The resurrection of Jesus is a story that does the opposite - offers hope and new opportunities, setting people free.  Pastor Matthew's sermon is based on Luke 24:13-35.

The world can feel like Jesus is still in the tomb.  But the tomb and the world can't contain him and hold him hostage.  Resurrection isn't about going back in time.  It's about moving forward in a new way.  And it's not just something that happened to Jesus 2000 years ago.  We see it today in our communities.  Resurrection gives us hope and healing here and now.  Pastor Matthew's sermon is based...

The crowd had expectations about Jesus.  They knew what they wanted.  So do we.  But Jesus doesn't live into those expectations.  He offers something else.  Something better.  Pastor Matthew's sermon is based on the Triumphant Entry into Jerusalem in Luke 19.  

The Narrative Lectionary gives us three stories about people who can and can't see Jesus for who he is.  Jesus gives us a lens to see him. He encounters us and transforms us.  The sermon is based on Luke 18:31-19:10.

The Narrative Lectionary takes us to Luke 15:1-32 where we hear Jesus offer three parables.  But who is his audience?  Is it the tax collectors and sinners?  Is it the Pharisees and the scribes?  What if it's both?  He proclaims good news for both groups and for us.  

Will empathy bring about the downfall of civilization like some argue?  Or will it bring healing?  Keeping love of humanity in the abstract is in stark contrast with Jesus' telling of the parable of the Good Samaritan.  He shows that love is real, it is put into action, and it impacts real people.  Pastor Matthew's sermon is based on Luke 10:25-42.

Transfiguration Sunday ends the season of Epiphany, where we get to see more fully who Jesus is and what he is about.  His glory shines bright on those that are around him.  And in so doing, we are called to shine his light to the world. Pastor Matthew's sermon is based on Luke 9:28-45.  

The Pharisee and his guests didn't want to see the woman who came in.  Just Jesus see her.  He hears her.  He reminds her that she is not alone.  He provides hope.  And he sends her out renewed and restored.  And he does that for us as well, especially when the world wants to erase people.  Jesus invites us to see and hear people, to know they are not alone.  To offer hope, and to send us out.  Pa...

Jesus defies expectations.  And that's good news.  While so many are expecting Jesus to cozy up with those in power, to find him in place of wealth and might, we can always find him on the margins of society with the poor and outcast - healing, restoring life, bringing good news.  Pastor Matthew's sermon is based on Luke 7:18-35.  

Words can be helpful and healing, or they can cause harm.  A Tweet this past week made unfounded claims that will have a negative impact on people.  Speeches by leaders in the past have brought healing and new life.  In our Gospel reading, Jesus brings healing and new life through the word, in literal ways.  How has Jesus spoken into our lives and communities with healing, hope, and new life?  How...

Does humanity exist to serve law and order, or do these things exist to serve humanity?  Humanity has struggled with this forever.  Religious groups have been so concerned with upholding the law, that they are willing to kill in order to maintain a preferred order.  Jesus rejected the ends justify the means.  He extends grace, even when it upsets the established order.  The sermon is based on Luke...

Jesus calls his first disciples, fishermen.  They stunk.  But it wasn't because of their odor.  It was the ways of the society around them that stunk on them.  He calls on them to fish for people.  That goes beyond inviting people to church.  We're called to cast a net of love on people.  The Gospel smells different - like the aroma of mercy.  The sermon is based on Luke 5:1-11.

Jesus preached an unpopular sermon.  The crowd wanted to throw him off a cliff.  Why?  Because he had the audacity to declare that their barriers, boundaries and such were not what God was about.  The message still applies today.  Jesus calls us to break down barriers in our time and place as well.  The sermon is based on Luke 4:14-30.

What should we do?  That's the question that gets asked so very often in light of so many horrible things that go on in our world.  It's the question the crowd asked John.  The answer is Good News.  The sermon is based on Luke 3:1-22.

We celebrated Epiphany.  The story of Epiphany from Matthew 2:1-12 is full of fear and joy.  Fear leads to violent actions, while joy leads to outward expression of giving.  The world is full of fear, and Jesus doesn't pretend there isn't fear.  But Jesus brings joy in the midst of fear.  

In the first week of Advent, the Narrative Lectionary presents a story that contrasts cruelty with hope.  For many in power, the cruelty is the point.  But for God, the hope is the point.  The sermon is based on Daniel 6:6-27.  

This past Sunday was Christ the King Sunday - a day we are reminded that we follow Jesus and not ideologies.  Christ's kingdom is far different than the world's.  Christ's kingdom is founded on peace, invitation, grace, and mercy.  The world's kingdoms use force, violence, oppression, and imposing on others.  We are called to live into Christ's kingdom in the midst of the world's kingdom.  Pastor...

The Narrative Lectionary shares Isaiah's call.  We are all called.  It's just a matter of what we are called to do and to be.  How is God calling you.  The sermon is based on Isaiah 6:1-13.

Jonah is a parable about a resistant prophet who doesn't want what's best for this enemies.  He tries running away.  Nothing works.  But in spite of it all, Jonah is faithful.  He knows that God is merciful.  Sometimes we are Jonah, sometimes we are the people of Nineveh, and sometimes we are the king of Nineveh.  Pastor Matthew's Sermon is based on Jonah 1:1-17; 3:1-10; 4:1-11.  

1 Kings 17 talks about Elijah and the widow.  There is abundance in the midst of suffering.  And we shouldn't ignore the cause of the suffering - King Ahab's moral bankruptcy.  Terrible leadership causes everyone to suffer.  But God provides.  The sermon is based on 1 Kings 17:1-24.

The Temple couldn't be built without foreign help and resources.  And Solomon pleads with God to hear the prayer of the foreigner.  God has always been tearing down barriers and walls that separate humanity from God.  Dietrich Bonhoeffer is a prime example of that faithfulness.  Pastor Matthew's Sermon is based on 1 Kings 5:1-5; 8:27-30, 41-43.

God reminds David of who is in charge, and it's not David.  Humility is an essential leadership quality we are told about in 2 Samuel 7:1-17.  But that message is just for David.  It's for all of us.  We encounter humility all the time.  Just look around.  Pastor Matthew's Sermon talks about humility in leadership and in life.  

Do you struggle with prayer?  Hannah's story in 1 Samuel offers us some guidance in the midst of struggle.  Prayers from the margins of society upend the meaning of greatness, strength, and might.  The sermon is based on 1 Samuel 1:9-11, 19-20; 2:1:10.  

When we feel lost and uncertain, how comforting is it to have something tangible that can make us feel safe?  Our politics, economics, relationship, and so much of our lives are uncertain.  And there are golden calves that offer a sense of control and safety.  But they aren't God.  Golden calves help us ignore the reality of the chaos and provide us a false sense of security.  God walks with us in...