Sermons and Such at First Lutheran, Houston

This sermon looks at a variety of news stories and contrasts them with the beautiful humanity we see in the beginning of the Christmas story. 

This sermon for Advent 2 looks at John being a voice in the wilderness and how we are called to be the same. 

This wraps up the Greek view of demons, looks at current issues to be on guard against (ahem, "Jesus Calling"), and begins a look at the New Testament. 

Is Christ the King of the whole world? Or just the church? And what difference would it make? 

A continuation of our Sunday School class on demons/demonology. We look at more of the Babylonian and ancient Hebrew understand of demons and exorcisms. 

This is the recording of a recent class on demons. I was asked to put it out there for later consumption so here you go. There are parts of the class where class members made comments or asked questions, but as they were too far from the microphone could not be heard. So if it seems as though I am jumping around a bit, that is why. 

This sermon considers the depth of the problem of sin in light of offering evidences to unbelievers. 

The Gospel lesson is Mark 10:46-52, the healing of Bartimaeus and his subsequent following of Jesus. We have our own blindness and our own difficulties in following Jesus. 

This sermon is based on Mark 10:35-45 where the disciples ask to sit at Jesus' right and left. In what way are we being led by ambitions "Gentiles" and what does Christianity teach us about leadership? 

In the end, we either live by God's rule or we believe we are God. You see this quite clearly in the story of the rich young ruler. 

A sermon that looks at demonic activity past and present. 

On the argument among the disciples about who was the greatest. 

This sermon considers civilization in light Peter's confession of Jesus as the Messiah and the 20th anniversary of 9/11 

The first sermon looks at legalism in the scripture and in our own day. The second looks at "muscular Christianity" through the eyes of that famous Syrophoenician woman. 

This sermon for Pentecost 13 considers where home is. (Hint: for the Christian, it is wherever Jesus is.) I also included the recording of the congregation singing "Abide with Me." 

Wisdom vs. Knowledge: which is better? 

After vacation and some technical difficulties, here are two sermons from August 1 and 8. Both focus on portions of John 6...for the most part. 

A sermon for the day...

The Bible includes many, many stories of victory. So why are Christians embarrassed to make that proclamation and instead always play defense? 

How and when and where does God's Kingdom grow? In the most unlikeliest of places.

This sermon attempts to grasp the way the nature of God - His being three eternal person who have always known peace and love among one another - speaks to our own lack of contentment. 

A word on not being ashamed of the Word of God. 

Sermon for Easter 5, 2021. This sermon looks at the way Christians can too often become cynical or pessimistic when we, in fact, have very good reasons to be optimistic. (I grant that "pessimistic" and "optimistic" are not necessarily biblical words, but hopefully they do not do the ideas injustice.)

Easter 7 Sermon: You Are Not of This World

More importantly, does anyone care?