Worship Anew

Sermon Text: Deuteronomy 34:1-12 Transfiguration Sunday is the day to remember the moment Jesus revealed His glory to Peter, James, and John. It was high upon a mountain. Two other “mountain climbers” – Moses and Elijah – appeared with the quartet. The account of Moses’ death upon Mt. Nebo, and his reappearance with Jesus on the Mount of Transfiguration, invites us to see how we, too, are changed...

Sermon Text: Luke 6:27-28 Our Lord Jesus Christ had mercy on us though we did not deserve it. Our ingratitude should be punished, but instead He forgave it and gave us even more. Our wickedness should be judged as worthy of hell, but He gave His own Son hell, and gave us heaven instead. Living in and under the love, grace, and mercy of God in His Son, Jesus Christ, life looks different, sinners lo...

Sermon Text: Luke 6:22 The term “blessed” is one of the most misunderstood and misused words in our cultural vocabulary. Today we find this word “blessed” coming straight from the mouth of Jesus, but the way He uses the word stands in blatant contrast to the way it’s used in the world. Everything about today’s Gospel lesson challenges our natural and cultural understanding of what it means to be “...

Sermon Text: Isaiah 6:1-8 We know all too well that God is holy, and we human beings are not. Isaiah also knew this, and each one of us joins with him in crying out, “Woe is me!” But Christ became sin for us, and that means for us a blessed reality here on earth and in the life to come when we will be holy!

Sermon Text: Luke 2:32 The forces of light and darkness have clashed since the creation of the world. Jesus brings light into every corner of creation. Do we suppress His light through ignorance and neglect? Or do we live in the light?

Sermon Text: Luke 4:16-30 Jesus is invited to choose and read the Scripture reading at a worship service in His hometown of Nazareth. He reads a powerful section from Isaiah the Prophet about the work of the Messiah. He startles the worshipers with the statement, “Today this Scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” What? How could this be? But it begs us to examine our own lives and ask ourselves,...

Sermon Text: John 2:11 Recognizing and understanding signs is an important skill to master when learning to drive. Jesus performed many miraculous signs and wonders so we can see the signs and know He is the Christ, the Son of God.

Sermon Text: Luke 3:21-22 “For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we shall certainly be united with him in a resurrection like his” (Romans 6:5 ESV). Today we celebrate the Baptism of our Lord in the Jordan, God in the flesh, and so also we celebrate our Baptism into Christ. What a great comfort in the midst of temptation and trial, sin and death, and every distress that we can s...

Sermon Text: Luke 2:40 God’s Wisdom saves you. The teachers in Jerusalem were being taught by the One in whom all wisdom is found. In Christ Jesus, the Passover Lamb was sacrificed for our sins once and for all. In Christ Jesus, the punishment for our foolishness was received. We have been forgiven, and heaven is ours.

Sermon Text: Luke 2:36-38 Anna was an elderly woman who lived in Jerusalem. She had experienced great grief at a young age when her husband died, and she, thereafter, had remained a widow. But God sustained her in her time of sadness and preserved her in saving faith through his Word. In fact, she became a powerful witness for the Lord, used by him for the benefit of many people. Her story speaks...

Sermon Text: John 1:14 God works things out so beautifully. We see that particularly in the Christmas story, but not in the places where you would think. It’s not the angels tearing open the sky or the picturesque idea of a stable, but in something utterly unremarkable.

Sermon Text: Matthew 1:21 Christmas Eve – the time for us to celebrate the underwhelming arrival of an overwhelming love. The Old Testament gives our newborn Savior the title, “Immanuel,” which means “God with us.” We have everyday and eternal peace and joy by having a God who is One of Us.

Sermon Text: Zephaniah 3:14-20 For some, the season of Advent is a far cry from a joyful season. For others, they might be caught in a feedback loop of rejoicing only for the repetition of loved traditions. Our Lord invites us through His message, by way of Zephaniah, both to rejoice and to know why it is we rejoice!

Sermon Text: Luke 3:1-20 John the Baptist was the last of the Old Testament (old covenant) prophets, even though he appears in the New Testament. He calls upon people to prepare the way of the Lord. We, too, need to prepare the way of the Lord in our hearts and lives as we repent of our sins, receive God’s forgiveness, and walk in the newness of life. At the end of this earthly journey, we receive...

Sermon Text: Zechariah 9:9 Your King comes to you, righteous and having salvation. He came once in humility to die and rise. He comes now to bless, to forgive, to make you His own, and to give you a share in His life and royalty. He comes to establish His reign, not on earth, but in the hearts of men and women, turning hearts in faith toward Him and to the Father.

Sermon Text: Revelation 1:4 In the Book of Revelation, the Apostle John presents us with a glimpse of the reign of Jesus Christ. Revelation 1 shows us that this King is almighty and that He is coming again on Judgment Day. The result is that we joyfully praise Christ the King.

Sermon Text: Mark 13:13 Christians face two major temptations – placing too much faith in things that don’t last and giving up on the one thing that is eternal. When you are tempted to invest your hopes and dreams in the things of this earth, fix your eyes upon Jesus and don’t give up!

Sermon Text: 1 Kings 17:8-16 First Kings 17:8-16 brings us to the encounter of the prophet Elijah and the unnamed widow at the town of Zarephath. In this meeting, the Lord provides a miracle to care and support His people. Perhaps you feel like this widow. You’re picking up sticks and expect nothing good to come. But wait upon the Lord!

Sermon Text: Matthew 5:1-12 All of us were destined to spend our eternity apart from God. Because of Christ Jesus and His suffering, death, and glorious resurrection, a great reversal of our fate has taken place. By God’s grace we are now saints and true believers who are destined for heaven.

Sermon Text: John 8:31-36 Psychologists speak of “self‐authoring” — a way of controlling the narrative to become the person you want to be. But what if God is writing the story of your life? In other words, what if we’re saved by grace?

Sermon Text: Mark 10:47 Faith is a beggar before God. It offers nothing; it receives everything as a gift. When we look at Bartimaeus, the blind beggar, we see what faith in Christ looks like, and we take our place at His side, praying to Jesus for mercy. 

Sermon: Mark 10:21 The Law of God is centered in a love that cannot bear to see us dying in our sin. The Law of God is given to us to show us how great our need truly is, to uncover our attempts to do it on our own, and to lead us to the one and only path to eternal life.  

Sermon Text: Hebrews 2:11-12, 17-18  Jesus is our brother because He is fully human as well as being fully God. The Son of God became man in order that He might be our great high priest and the sacrifice atoning for our sins. As our brother, Jesus knows all about the temptations that we experience. As the Son of God, He can give us the help that we need.

Sermon Text: Revelation 12:9 Popular today among both young and old are action hero figures. These heroes in different ways act in service of good. God gives Christ followers the greatest action heroes – angels – who act in and on behalf of the greatest good: in service of good and in service of God!

Sermon Text: James 3:13-4:10 The text is all about “Spiritual Warfare.” But that often isn’t a topic we feel comfortable discussing. Why is that? Might the difficulty lie in the fact that we might too readily be reminded of our sin? Our victory is through Jesus Christ. What makes it difficult?