SERMONS
Click here to watch sermons on our YouTube page.
Also find us in your podcast app under “Holy Trinity Lutheran Church” or listen on Soundcloud.
Salt of the earth
Have you ever described someone as “salt of the earth”? Maybe you’ve even been described this way.
The big reveal
The big reveal. It’s about the hype. It’s about the spectacle. Some young parents stage elaborately choreographed events. Synchronized in real-time on social media. To announce the gender of their expected baby.
Raised eyebrows
There is an emoji for everything. Our texts to each other are unable to capture emotion without a little digital assistance. The emoji for this sermon: raised eyebrows. Raise your eyebrows with me. When do you do that? When you disapprove of something or someone? When you are shocked or surprised? This non-verbal quick “eyebrow flash” signals our attention or need for more information.
Are you the one?
John is in prison, and prisons in those days were less about internment and more like a place to await trial or execution. They didn’t provide for the needs of the imprisoned at all. It was up to the community of the prisoner to provide food, clothing, even medical care. John’s visitors are faithful to him - bringing food, clothing, as well as news of the outside world.
Harm and Harmony
If a Christmas tree falls in the forest, and no one is around to hear it, does it make a sound? Does it say “ouch”?
Wake up
I’ve had nights where sleep hides from me. On those sleepless nights, I cannot find a comfortable position. My brain is busy–worrying, planning, wondering. I watch the hours tick by and the only way I know I’ve slept is by waking up. I glance at the clock to calculate how many hours it’s been since I last glanced at the clock. Two? Three? Even four?
Kindom
The words King and kingdom stand out in this gospel reading. Kings books and movies are often depicted as either just rulers, or evil tyrants. They rule unquestioned and without the need for their people’s approval. Whether they are just or unjust, they have full control over the lives of their people. When I think of “kings and kingdoms” I think of colonization. I think of wars and famine and an imbalance of power. The opulence of royalty and the devastation of poverty.
Out of the ruins
Of course, our country has ruins. Being from Colorado, I have to name Mesa Verde National Park. These cliff dwellings are the largest archeological site in the United States. They date back to the Ancestral Puebloan people that built these structures in 1000-1100 AD.
Endurance
Empires only last so long, are we living in a crumbling empire? Where are people actually being disappeared to? Is ICE sending them home or to some kind of concentration camps or is this human trafficking? Will we ever have another election? Should I leave the country? How would I even go about doing that and when?
To what end?
Maybe Happy Ending. That’s the provocative title of a Broadway musical that one six Tony awards this past June, including Best Musical. When I first heard that the plot involved two robots that fall in love, I was initially skeptical about seeing it. But two Holy Trinity members told me, “you have to see it. It’s moving and beautiful.” By the way, a Broadway in Chicago touring production will be here fall of 2026.
Everything is temporary
I still remember the phone call. Last Thanksgiving night. Mike called to say that his wife, Theresa, had died unexpectedly her sleep. Theresa, my friend of thirty years. Mike was the one who had health challenges and I was certain Theresa would outlive him.
Looking down on others
Nobody’s immune. I don’t know if the birds do it. I don’t know if the bees do it. But we sure do. We look down on others. We pass judgment. We sneer. We gossip. We find fault. We spruce up our resumes. We curate ourselves on social media. All to puff up our fragile egos. And to look better than other people.