Christ Lutheran Church Harrisburg

The Narrative Lectionary tells us about Solomon's Temple.  It's glorious - a house for the Lord.  And there is a human tendency to keep God in locked in that house - to make God confined, sanitary, and unable to upset the status quo.  But God cannot be contained.  The sermon is based on 1 Kings 5:1-15 and 8:1-13.

In the first creation account, God creates and notices that creation is good.  We are a part of that creation.  And while the world tries to force messages upon us that tell us otherwise, Genesis reassures us of an eternal truth - you have value, you have worth, and you matter.  The sermon is based on Genesis 1:1-2:4a.

The message of Revelation is ultimately this - that no matter how terrible things get, God is with us, God will restore, and God will heal.  This message is just as important now as it was when Revelation was written. The sermon is based on Revelation 21:1-6 and 22:1-5.  

John takes us into the pit of Revelation 13, the low point of the letter.  There are beasts, a dragon, the mark, 666.  It's all there.  The point is not to scare, but to name the reality for what it is, and to show that all these things are full of lies and will fall.  They cannot stand.  All empires fall.  And we should rejoice when they do.  They don't fall by using their methods.  Instead, the...

Empires exert control.  But the faithful worshippers of God are part of the multitude.  Revelation presents monsters that tear the faithful apart.  What are the beasts of today?  And what are we called to as we face them?  The sermon is based on Revelation 7:9-17.

Revelation 5 gives a glimpse of what worship of God is about.  It includes all of creation without exclusion.  It shows God's power over the powers of this world.  It flips the script on what strength and might and power are.  And sometimes we get glimpses of that in worship here on earth.  The sermon is based on Revelation 5:1-13.

Revelation 4 brings us to the throne room of God, where we see worship.  It's also a courtroom where empire will be put on trial.  John gives a vision of that.  Imagine what it might sound like to put the empires of today's world on trial.  That's what happened in the sermon.  The sermon is based on Revelation 4:1-11.  

The book of Revelation is one of the most misunderstood and misused books of Scripture - more often used to scare people, rather than offer them good news.  It is good news.  It shows empire for what it is, and that God rejects it and offers something better.  The sermon is based on Revelation 1:4-8. 

"The days are surely coming, says the Lord" is an invitation to a better world and way of living.  It's not something we trigger or force God's hand into.  God speaks these words and acts.  What might the days that are surely coming be?  Check out the Pastor Matthew's sermon on parts on Jeremiah 31 and 33.  

What does Hope look like in the midst of a siege?  It often looks crazy.  Jeremiah does an act of prophetic theater in the absurd to emphasize God's promise - buying land while Babylon sieges Jerusalem before it falls.  We are under siege - just in a different way.  How is God calling on us to have crazy faith?  At Christ Lutheran it looks like repairing the bell tower and expanding the dental cli...

The faithful are in exile in America in 2025.  It can be hard to be hopeful.  We may want it to return to what was.  But that's never been God's way.  We are to live life and know that we are not abandoned.  Jeremiah 29 is a letter written to those in exile.  A message from God that still applies today.  

Kings and the powerful have a long history of trying to use God's word for their own purposes or silencing it when it conflicts with their power.  But they never prevail.  God's word endures and liberates and sets people free.  Pastor Matthew's sermon is based on parts of Jeremiah 36.  

Divisions and separations define the world and often the church.  Paul had a different idea about that based on everything that Jesus was about.  The world and our churches still struggle with this.  Our differences don't separate us, but instead help us to see a wider image of God.  The sermon is based on Galatians 3:1-9, 23-29.

Grace is not fair.  Thanks be to God!  Paul addresses grace and works in his letter to the church in Galatia.  The core of what he writes about is still relevant today.  Do we earn our way to God, or does God come to us because of who God is?  The sermon is based on Galatians 1:13-17, 2:11-21.

Membership has its privileges, as the saying goes.  But there are two ways to look at that.  One making faith something exclusive with the incentive to keep people out.  And another where we have the privilege of inviting people to see how God is at work in the world and participate in what the Spirit is up to.  The sermon is based on Acts 15:1-18.

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.