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Pentecost—June 9, 2019
Preacher: Intern Pastor Andy Flatt-Kuntze
Lessons: Acts 2:1–21 | Psalm 104:24–34, 35b | Romans 8:14–17 | John 14:8–27
Summary: When I was young, my friend Allen brought kites for us to play with. He was able to fly his kite easily, but I had trouble. In our lesson from Acts, the disciples have their day disrupted by a mighty wind and tongues of fire. Some try to rationalize and comprehend what has happened, just as we try to comprehend and control God. But God’s living spirit challenges us, and we are called to work the spirit not try to control it. With my friend Allen and the kite, I had to let go and allow the wind to make the kite fly. We need to learn to trust God’s spirit and share it with others so that can all soar like that kite.
Ascension Sunday—June 2, 2019
Preacher: Pastor Jeff Lilley
Lessons: Acts 1:1–11 | Psalm 93 | Ephesians 1:15–23 | Luke 24:44–53
Summary: In our Gospel and the lesson from Acts for this Ascension Sunday, the disciples are gathered with Jesus, who had called them, lived with them, died, and risen again. They have been reunited, and then Jesus ascends and leaves them again. Just before ascending, they ask if this is the time when God will restore power to Israel, but Jesus says that it is not for them to know the time. Many of us want to hold onto the person of Jesus and ask when God will restore the faithful. The question we should ask is when we will rely on God’s presence in the Holy Spirit and work out justice, love, and peace through our caring hearts.
Sixth Sunday of Easter—May 26, 2019
Preacher: Intern Pastor Andy Flatt-Kuntze
Lessons: Acts 16:9–15 | Psalm 67 | Revelation 21:10, 22—22:5 | John 14:23–29
Summary: In our lesson from Revelation we hear about the Heavenly City lit by the light of God and the Lamb. This is in sharp contrast to the world of hopelessness experienced by John of Patmos who wrote Revelation. Like John, we can often feel that God is no longer with us. Ten years ago I was in New Orleans with the ELCA Youth Gathering, just a few years after Hurricane Katrina, and while riding a streetcar, I spoke with a woman who had survived the storm. She told me of her suffering and how God brought her back to the city because, in her words, “resurrection is real.” She disappeared when we got to our stop, so I only have a glimpse of her in my memory, but I will never forget the lesson I learned from her. We may only have glimpses of God our lives, but those glimpses show us God’s loving face.
Fifth Sunday of Easter—May 19, 2019
Preacher: Pastor Jeff Lilley
Lessons: Acts 11:1–18 | Psalm 148 | Revelation 21:1–6 | John 13:31–35
Summary: In our lesson from Acts, Peter has returned to Jerusalem after baptizing Gentiles without first requiring them to be circumcised, and the disciples who had remained there were angry. From the Gospels we know Peter as someone who has been eager to follow the rules, but his encounter with God in a dream and with the Gentiles has shown him that God’s vision of faith is wider and deeper than his—or ours. We have all been part of faith communities that have decided who is welcome and who is not. The love of God expands beyond our walls and calls us to love freely without restraint or expectation.
Fourth Sunday of Easter/Good Shepherd Sunday—May 12, 2019
Preacher: Intern Pastor Andy Flatt-Kuntze
Lessons: Acts 9:36–43 | Psalm 23 | Revelation 7:9–17 | John 10:22–30
Summary: In our lesson from Acts, we hear about Dorcas, famous for her good works, who has died. Peter calls her to get up and go to work. At our recent synod conference, people kept asking me about the future of the church. Do we take seriously God’s promise of resurrection, the message from Revelation of people from every nation praising God, the message in today’s Gospel that Christ is the Good Shepherd? The church has a choice to die and remain in the tomb or to trust in God’s promise. Like Dorcas, we are not dead; we are called to get up and go to work.
This sermon was not recorded due to technical issues.
Third Sunday of Easter—May 5, 2019
Preacher: Pastor Jeff Lilley
Lessons: Acts 9:1–20 | Psalm 30 | Revelation 5:11–14 | John 21:1–19
Summary: In our Gospel, the disciples have returned home and gone fishing but haven’t caught anything. Jesus appears on the beach and tells them to cast their nets on the other side, and they catch lots of fish. This story is often used to tell us to fish for converts, but it is really about Jesus making and remaking community. They recognize Jesus in the meal of bread and fish and realize again who they belong to. Jesus’ love shows Peter that discipleship is about being sent out to feed God’s flock in the world. God is at work in the world; will we as the church join God in that work?
Second Sunday of Easter/Earth Day Sunday—April 28, 2019
Preacher: Peter Flachsbart
Lessons: Acts 5:27–32 | Psalm 118:14–29 | Revelation 1:4–8 | John 20:19–31
Summary: The earth, God’s good creation, nourishes and protects us, but human action has outstripped the earth’s ability to regenerate, so we experience extreme weather, sea level rise, and climate change. Because the earth and environment are God’s creation, we are called to be good stewards. A sustainable environment allow us to love and care for our fellow creatures. (Read a PDF of this sermon)
Easter Sunday—April 21, 2019
Preacher: Pastor Jeff Lilley
Lessons: Acts 10:34–43 | Psalm 118:1–2, 14–24 | 1 Corinthians 15:19–26 | Luke 24:1–12
Summary: This morning I asked the children what Easter means to them, and they had no idea. Even though we know the Easter story conceptually, it often does not seem real in our lives. Rather than believing in general theological principles, we need to see God’s grace as a personal invitation. The Gospel transforms each of us so that we don’t have to worry about ourselves and our salvation. We know that God loves for us and calls us children of God, so we are free to love our neighbors.