Watch and Pray! Lent's call to prayer
Imagine if you will tonight, that you are alone in the woods in the dead of winter. It is night and the temperature is dropping with every passing moment. The cry of coyotes and the howl of wolves surround you. You jump at the rustlings of leaves. There is only one recourse: build a fire! You gather old branches, old logs, dry bark, and dry leaves. You build a teepee fire. Click here for full sermon.
Behold the Blessed Kingdom of Our Father David
Why do we celebrate this scene? I mean, when you stop and think about it, there is really nothing all that impressive about it. The arrival of a movie star on the red carpet is met with more fanfare. After all, these eleven verses only record for us Jesus acquiring and riding a donkey into Jerusalem with a very excited crowd. Click here for full sermon.
Holy Communion: A participation with Christ!
There is a game I play called "I wonder what they were like." I wonder, what did Julius Caesar sound like when he spoke? I want to ask Napoleon how he lost the battle of Waterloo. I wonder what it would have been like to hear a Martin Luther tell a joke or teach a class.Click here for full sermon.
The Light that breaks the darkness
Solomon wrote in his inspired book of songs, "Love is as strong as death, its jealousy unyielding as the grave. It burns like a blazing fire, like a mighty flame. Many waters cannot quench love; rivers cannot wash it away." Indeed, the women of our text fulfill this description this morning.Click here for full sermon.
The Lord stands among you!
When I received your invitation to preach on this occasion, I climbed into the attic of my mind and started to dust off old memories long stored away. And if I had to use one word to sum up my Friedens years: magnificent. I recalled this building, with its massive pipe organ, real bells, the beautiful stained glass and thinking, "Now this is a church." I never before or never since worshipped in a congregation with such earthly magnificence.Click here for full sermon.
