Explore past sermons from Peace Lutheran Church. Read a summary, find the scripture references, and download the original sermon manuscript.
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The Stone is Rolled Away
Working before dawn to prepare spices to anoint Jesus’ body, their voices are muted. An “inconsolable emptiness” eats away at them; the emptiness that comes to all of us when we realize our dreams have died. Pushing away this conclusion, they give themselves to the task at hand. They could do nothing to save him—but…
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The Patient Teacher
Everything in this 13th chapter of John’s gospel seems to have slowed to a crawl. Jesus’ hour has arrived and he knows exactly what’s coming. Yet, in spite of all that will unfold in the coming days, this last meal Jesus shares with his disciple community is devoid of any urgency on his part. Instead,…
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Seed of New Life
Nikolai Vavilov was a pioneer in plant genetics who, beginning in 1916, mounted 100+ expeditions to collect seeds and tubers from as many of the world’s indigenous plant species as he could get his hands on. Through the efforts of Vavilov and his colleagues, the seed collection grew to number more than 200,000 separate species,…
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Mirror of Death, Mirror of Life
When you look in the mirror, what do you see? If you’re like me, much of the time, the person you see when you gaze in the mirror is a very ambiguous character. I wonder if this snake business in the story from Numbers isn’t so much about God taking vengeance on the complainers as…
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Covenant of Relationship
The first lessons this Lenten season focus on the COVENANTS God initiates in the Hebrew Scriptures. This week’s covenant takes place at Mount Sinai—the Ten Words or Ten Commandments—the core curriculum of God’s Torah or teaching. In Exodus God gathers the Hebrew children, liberated from slavery, and like a caring parent gives them a set…
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Following the Christ of Bojayá
The Christ of Bojayá—a mutilated Jesus without arms or legs that hangs on the cross in the village church of Bojayá along Columbia’s Pacific Coast–has become an infamous emblem of the cost of war. A mortar round in 2002 took the lives of 119 people who’d sought refuge in the church in the midst of…
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Wilderness Journey
Following in the footsteps of his ancestors and the prophets, Jesus moves from a baptism by water in the Jordan to a baptism by fire in the desert. The way Matthew and Luke tell it, Jesus was “led” by the Spirit into the wilderness after his baptism. But Mark tells us Jesus is DRIVEN by…
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Heart’s True Home
The sound of beating hearts echoes through our texts this evening on this Ash Wednesday / Valentine’s Day. It’s no coincidence that the word “heart” occurs over 800 times in the Hebrew Scriptures and 150 times in the books of the New Testament. This whole journey of faith we’re on together is all about finding…
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Exquisite Light
Some experiences are more challenging than others to put into words. This seems especially true when numinous moments break into ordinary time and we find ourselves awestruck, disoriented, or overwhelmed—which is what happened to Peter, Andrew, James and John that day on the mountain with Jesus, Elijah, and Moses. These experiences are often fleeting, and…
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Searching for God
This picture of our Blue Marble planet hanging above the grey lunar landscape was taken by Apollo 8 crewman Bill Anders in 1968 and became one of the most recognized photo of all time. The photo evoked a new and even mystical response on the part of the astronauts that witnessed the sight. Four years…