Sermons | Living Hope and Christ the King ELCA Lutheran Churches

Today's sermon looks at two stories of resurrection. No, we’re not to Easter quite yet, but both Ezekiel’s vision of a valley of dry bones and Jesus’ miraculous raising of Lazarus give us a sort of sneak peek of what’s coming. This week’s question, “Can these bones live?” comes from the prophet Ezekiel’s vision of a field of death, and asks whether God can work even when it seems life and hope...

Here is the sermon from our ecumenical midweek Lenten service on March 22, 2023. This service was at Grand Avenue United Methodist Church in Port Washington. Today's Scripture reading is Joel 2:1-2, 12-17. Sermon by Pastor Daniel Flucke. Learn more about Christ the King Lutheran Church in Port Washington and Living Hope Lutheran in Saukville, Wisconsin at  https://www.livinghopesaukville.org/...

When bad things happen in life, it’s human nature to look for a reason. What went wrong? Who caused the tragedy? Is this a punishment from God? And if so—as the Pharisees ask in this Sunday’s reading—who sinned? Whose fault is it? Sometimes, of course, identifying who’s at fault is easy. We humans are quite skilled at messing things up and causing hurt and chaos. But other times, bad things just h...

On this third Sunday in the season of Lent, our theme question is "Will you give me a drink?" We'll look at two stories--one from the Old Testament narrative of the Israelites wandering in the wilderness, and one about an encounter Jesus has with a woman at a well--and explore how when we admit our vulnerability before God, God meets our needs with eternal living water. Today's Scr...

On this second Sunday of Lent, we continue our Lenten series on "Seeking" by exploring the question, "How do we begin again?" We're looking at two characters in the Bible who asked questions of their own, Abraham and Nicodemus. And we'll pray for the Holy Spirit to guide us as we discern where God is calling us to follow. This week's Scripture readings are Genesis 12:1-...

Due to winter weather, we postponed Ash Wednesday worship by a week to March 1. Here's the sermon for the rescheduled service, focusing on the meaning of fasting. Today's Scripture reading is Isaiah 58:1-12.  Learn more about Christ the King Lutheran Church in Port Washington and Living Hope Lutheran in Saukville, Wisconsin at  https://www.livinghopesaukville.org/  or  https://ctkport.org/...

This week's Scripture readings are Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7 and Matthew 4:1-11. On this first Sunday of Lent, we begin our theme "Seeking: Honest Questions for Deeper Faith" by looking at two stories of temptation. First, we hear the familiar Genesis story of Adam and Eve tempted by the serpent in the Garden of Eden, then from Matthew’s gospel we read about Jesus being tempted in the wil...

Today is Transfiguration Sunday. While going down a few rabbit holes in this strange story, this sermon focuses on the promise that Jesus comes down the mountain with his disciples, choosing to enter into the messiness of our broken world and chaotic lives. Our Scripture readings today are Exodus 24:12-18 and Matthew 17:1-9. Learn more about Christ the King Lutheran Church in Port Washington and L...

In this week’s message, Pastor Wendy Birth-Brock continues looking at Jesus’ teaching in the sermon on the mount in Matthew 5:21-37. The point of being salt and light is the flourishing of relationships. On a particular, personal level, how does being salt and light in the world change our lives? Our faith, Jesus says, affects tough areas like anger, adultery, divorce, oaths, and truth. The Holy S...

We are called to share the good news of the coming of God’s kingdom, called to live God’s way, rather than the world’s way. But as followers of Jesus, what is it we are supposed to do? In this Sunday’s reading from Micah, we get a clear answer to that question. Similar to Jesus' later command to love God with all that you are and love your neighbor as yourself (see Matthew 22), Micah 6:8 gives...

It's annual meeting Sunday! In preparation for the meeting after service, today's sermon focuses on a passionate plea from the Apostle Paul to be united in Christ, knit together in the same mind and the same purpose. On one level, the annual meeting is a bureaucratic procedure, but on another level, this is an opportunity to practice living out this call for unity.  Today's Scripture r...

Have you ever found yourself wondering if we as a church are good enough? Ever wondered whether God has plans for our future, or whether God is truly calling people like you and I to be part of Jesus' mission of transforming the world and building God's kingdom? If so, take a look at this week's reading from 1 Corinthians 1:18-31.  In this sermon, we hear the reassuring promise that Go...

Who introduced you to Jesus? How did you come to faith? This week in worship, we'll hear a couple great examples of evangelism. Sometimes that word "evangelism" can be scary, but at its heart, all it means is introducing people to Jesus. We introduce people to Jesus by inviting them to come and see what God is doing. God is at work in your life, and you have a story to share. Today&#39...

In this sermon for January 8, we explore the story of some wise men from East bringing gifts to the holy child, Jesus. Imagine what their arrival and gifts must have meant to Mary and Joseph. Not only did they provide resources for the young family—no doubt needed on their trip as refugees to Egypt—but their arrival pointed to the impact this child would have beyond Israel. This child is born for...

This week, we continue the Christmas story, but we move from the joy of celebrating Jesus’ birth to looking at the world’s reaction. Threatened by the news of a King’s birth, Herod moves to eliminate the threat by killing the children in and around Bethlehem. Although Jesus and his parents escape to Egypt, this story is a sad reminder of the brokenness in our world. And yet as we begin the new yea...

Merry Christmas! Welcome to the very first episode of this sermon podcast from Christ the King Lutheran Church in Port Washington and Living Hope Lutheran in Saukville, Wisconsin. Today's Scripture is the Christmas story, Luke 2:1-21. Sermon from Pastor Daniel Flucke.  Visit us online at https://www.livinghopesaukville.org/ or https://ctkport.org/ to learn more about our ministry.