Sundays at St. James

Introduction  Epiphany is a season of revealing who God is. Today’s big reveal or “showing” comes from the voice of John who twice in our gospel points to Jesus and says, “Look, the Lamb of God.” Speaking of God’s anointed one, the Prophet Isaiah says in the  53rd chapter (verse 7):  He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; like a lamb that is led to the slaughter and...

Hope in a Dark Time It is not lost on me that we gathered for worship on Tuesday night, held our candles, and sang the comforting words of Archbishop Desmond Tutu… Goodness is stronger than evil  Love is stronger than hate  Light is stronger than darkness  Life is stronger than death  Victory is ours, victory is ours through God who loves us. And then in the morning hours on Wednesday, a little mo...

What is the Word? The Word is God’s communication to us.   In language spoken. In language written. In language embedded in creation. The Word is God’s communication to us. That’s it. If someone asks you, “What is God’s Word?” Or, “Why do we call Jesus the Word of God ?” The answer is this: God is too big to understand, but God communicates to us and we call that the Word of God. You might be sayi...

Sermon given by Bryce Hewlett.

St. James Lutheran Church Christmas Day Recording. Musicians: Steve Abel, Madlyn Wulgaert Vicar: Bryce Hewlett Reader: Anna Forari

“Joseph’s Dilemma” INTRODUCTION Welcome to the Season of Advent and with it a fresh start. For those who are new to the game: Advent simply means “coming” or “arrival.” During this season we put the arrival of Jesus in full view. Today, and for the next few days, the arrival of Jesus sits right in front of our faces. And we wait. Last week we read and heard my wife speak on Mary’s perspective of t...

Thanks for joining our podcast today! We had a wonderful guest speaker talk to us about Mary, Mother of Jesus, for our third week of Advent. Guest Speaker: Kim Hewlett

“Let the Fire of Your Justice Burn” Main point: John comes to us with a message of repentance. Our justice is bent. We need to agree with the justice revealed in Christ. INTRODUCTION Welcome to the Season of Advent and with it a fresh start. For those who are new to the game: Advent simply means arrival. During this season we put the arrival of Jesus in full view. Today, and for the next two weeks...

“Come, Lord Jesus, but not just yet” Main point: The era we live in (the last days) gives us time to repent and return to Christ. INTRODUCTION Welcome to the Season of Advent and with it a fresh start. Next week when we are back together in-person, you’ll notice some things have switched around in our sanctuary and in our worship. Our colors are blue. Some of our liturgical music is new. We’re lig...

“Who is this King of Glory?” Main point: We see Jesus revealed to us as a trustworthy king today. He is our King of Glory. INTRODUCTION Christ is King and there is no other. King? Really??? I've never lived under a king, so what's that all about? Kings get a bad rap in our representative democracy, so, first,... A Word on Kings What do Moses, Plato, and Thomas Aquinas all have in common? A...

“Jesus teaches on “the end”” Main point: Give testimony and persevere as the end draws near. INTRODUCTION Advent is just around the corner and our themes are turning toward the arrival of Jesus. As always, when we remember the coming of Jesus in his birth in Bethlehem, we also look forward to his coming in glory at the end of this age. Such is the theme of our gospel this morning. Friends, it’s ge...

“You don’t know what its like to be a bat” Main point: We only know a little about what life will be like in the age to come. But we know it will happen. INTRODUCTION Some very interesting things pop up in our gospel today… The Sadducees come to Jesus with a challenge… they are trying to trap Jesus. Tell the Story: Comical, Outrageous,  Assuming Life After Death We see it in our gospel today: Life...

“Maturity in Christ: Sainthood for Today” Main point: We are not yet what we shall be. Sainthood for today is growing into our maturity in Christ. INTRODUCTION On this Feast of All Saints, we remember the saints of the past as well as those in our congregation who have passed into their eternal rest. They are not gone. They join us today in the lighting of the candles and we join them in the break...

“The Truth Will Make You Free” Main point: Justification by faith is the sure foundation for the freedom Jesus promised us. INTRODUCTION Then Jesus said to [those] who had believed in him, “If you continue in my word, you are truly my disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.”   John 8:31-32 I have one question for you this morning: Do you feel free? In the circumst...

“Pray and Do Not Lose Heart” Main point: God is the perfect judge who hears us when we call out to him. INTRODUCTION Jesus told them a parable about their need to pray always and not to lose heart. We live in a time when it may be easy to lose heart… Our elderly are being neglected in long-term care facilities that rely heavily on underfunded medicaid and medicare. Our children, the most helpless...

Introduction When we come to church we hear the familiar message of forgiveness of sins and the gift of salvation through Christ so we don’t have to earn merit with God. But is that the end or is it just the beginning? Our gospel tells the story of 10 people with a skin disease.  To understand the story, it is important to understand a bit about the way diseases were handled in the world or Jesus’...

"Faithfulness into Faith” Main point: In trucking times, God gives us opportunities to increase our faithfulness. SERMON Today's gospel meets us right where we need to be met. Today. Faith and the duty of a slave. But what do they have in common? Lord increase our faith.  When times get hard. When the world is chaotic and the problems seem too big to solve. When circumstances in our lives...

“Lazarus and the Rich Man” Main point: Save yourself from hell. Love your neighbor. BLESSING THE CHILDREN SERMON For the time being, I'm going to put the issue of hell and eternal torment on the back burner. If this is something you have questions about, I suggest a book for you by C.S. Lewis entitled, The Great Divorce . Or you can chat me up at another time. Instead, our story references the...

“The Perfect is the Enemy of the Good” Main point: We can get messy in freedom as we are moved by God’s Spirit to act for redemption in the world. SERMON Hold on, what?  Did I read that correctly?  After mismanaging his money and nearly getting fired, did the master really just commend the manager for losing more money? We just sang to Jesus in our acclimation, “you have the words of eternal life,...

Gospel: John 3:13-17 After explaining to Nicodemus that one must be born of water and Spirit, Jesus speaks of being lifted up on the cross, with reference to the bronze serpent lifted up by Moses in the desert. Here the Son of God is revealed as the source of healing. [Jesus said:] 13 “No one has ascended into heaven except the one who descended from heaven, the Son of Man. 14 And just as Moses li...

St. Luke 14:25-33 25 Now large crowds were traveling with [Jesus], and he turned and said to them, 26 “Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. 27 Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple. 28 For which of you, intending to build a tower, does not first sit down and...

Luke 14:1, 7-14

Year C, Proper 16

“Where are my people at” Main point: Jesus' message divides the unrighteous and the righteous. BLESSING THE CHILDREN ELW 798 SERMON Introduction In our First reading from the Prophet Jeremiah we heard, “ Is not my word like fire, says the lord, and like a hammer that breaks a rock in pieces?” In our Gospel we hear that word speak, "I have come to cast fire upon the earth, Jesus says, and...

“The Gift of the Kingdom” Main point: Jesus presents the kingdom to us as a gift. We receive the gift in the two ways he presents. BLESSING THE CHILDREN SERMON Introduction My friends, do you ever feel like your salvation is a long way off?  Do you ever feel like you keep trying to do this Christian thing, but something just doesn't seem to match up for you?  Do you ever feel like your timing...