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 Big Picture
On the final Sunday of the church year, Reign of Christ Sunday, as we live through post-election realities, St. Paul’s Letter to the Colossians provides us with a big picture view of what God is up to in Christ. This balcony view allows us to live in the present with hope, and allows us to…
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When the World Seems to Crumble
The results of the presidential election has left many dealing with a range of thoughts and emotions, and many unanswered questions. What words does God have for us at a time like this? What is our vocation as a community of formation? How should we carry ourselves in the world?
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Fledging
This second of three stewardship sermons uses the image of FLEDGING to talk about the church as a community of formation. Being a fledgling is a vulnerable place to be in the world. Whether you’re a being of the avian variety or a being of the human variety, getting connected to a community that can…
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Nesting
This is the first in a series of 3 sermons on stewardship using the image: Nesting, Fledging, Soaring. “Even the sparrow finds a home and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young at your altars, O God.” This quote from Psalm 84 provides a fitting frame for Week 1. A…
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A New Foundation
Charles Darwin called Chili’s Atacama Desert “a barrier far worse than the most turbulent ocean.” The setting for our first reading from Jeremiah is not far, spiritually speaking, from this desert wasteland, for a great drought holds the land of Judah in its grip. The drought is a wake up call that can’t be ignored….
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Tenacious Prayer
The film “THE 33” tells the true life story of a mine collapse in Chili that strands 33 miners 2,300 feet below the surface for 69 days. The drama above ground includes the families of those miners and the relentless voices of family members like Maria Segovia calling for action on their behalf. In today’s…
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Fan the Flame
Kindling a fire in Yosemite’s back country during a storm? We all know what it’s like to be discouraged; to feel we’ve failed and failed miserably at something. We know what it’s like to wonder if the broken pieces in our lives can be repaired. Christ calls us into community so we can set aside…
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Seeing Lazarus
Today the themes of poverty and wealth collide in our readings and this time it gets personal. Neither Amos nor Jesus will allow us to stand back as dispassionate observers, but insist that we come right up close. In our globally connected world, scenes of suffering are more accessible than ever, yet, ironically, we’ve become…
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The Economics of Justice
Today’s parable from Luke has always been a puzzler. Like an E. M. Escher drawing, it both fascinates and confuses. You won’t find the story in any of the other gospels—only here—where Luke couples it with warnings about wealth that end with the summary statement in verse 13: No slave can serve two masters; for…
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Lost and Found
Today’s sermon is a “parable” based on experiences I had as an elementary student in Montana. Names have been changed. Like the parables Jesus told, this story is not historically factual; nonetheless, I hope it rings true. It connects to Jesus’ parables about the lost sheep, lost coin, lost son in Luke’s chapter 15, which…