Lutheran Church Of The Savior Sermon Podcast With Rev. Andrew Tengwall

Ninth Sunday after Pentecost, Lectionary Year CActs 17:16, 22-31Diving deeply back into Acts this week, we're talking idolatry, in ancient Athens and in our own lives today.

Eighth Sunday after Pentecost, Lectionary Year CActs 17:1-9Luke 10:25-37Back from two weeks of vacation to see that violence and division still rule our world. Who is our neighbor? How does Jesus turn the world upside down?

Fifth Sunday after Pentecost, Lectionary Year CActs Summer Sermon Series 2016 Week ThreeActs 15:12-21Our Acts series continues with a serious discussion of idolatry, our practice of placing our ultimate trust in that which is not God. As the horrific mass shooting in Orlando reminds us, murder is always idolatry.

Fourth Sunday after Pentecost, Lectionary Year CActs Sermon Series 2016, Week Two2 Samuel 11:26--12:10, 13-15Luke 7:36-- 8:3Today I abandoned the Acts reading in favor of a more complicated current issue related to our other readings. The sentencing after the Stanford rape case shows that rape culture is alive and well, even as it was when David killed Uriah so he could get Bathsheba as his wife. There is good news in this sermon, but it takes awhile to get there by a difficult path. Also, so concerned was I about this sermon that I avoided looking at news or social media this morning. Thus I didn't hear about the horrific massacre at a gay nightclub in Orlando until after worship, or that too would've made it into this sermon. My prayers are only the beginning of my response to that tragedy.

Third Sunday after Pentecost, Lectionary Year CActs Sermon Series 2016 Week 1Acts 14:8-18Thus begins a second summer of Acts readings, in which we see how the Holy Spirit transformed the early church. The Holy Spirit does amazing things, even miraculous things, but we don't always notice. What keeps us from recognizing the work of the Holy Spirit around us?

Second Sunday after Pentecost, Lectionary Year CLuke 7:1-10When even Jesus is surprised, we ought to pay attention.

Holy Trinity Sunday, Lectionary Year CProverbs 8:1-4, 22-31A baptism on Holy Trinity provides the opportunity to think about God not in lofty theological terms, but in how God relates to us and what God does for us in baptism.

Sunday of Pentecost, Lectionary Year CRomans 8:14-17Pentecost may be the most exciting day of the church year. It's the day the Holy Spirit transforms the church, expanding the boundaries of what is possible and who is welcome. Today Lutheran Church of the Savior receives our Reconciling in Christ certificate, a proud moment that signals a challenging future.

Seventh Sunday of Easter, Lectionary Year CRevelation 21:10, 22--22:5The Tree of Life is a powerful biblical image of God's healing presence among God's people. How can this image shape our own congregation's ministry?

Sixth Sunday after Easter, Lectionary Year CJohn 14:23-29"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you." Special guest preacher Rev. Sarah Friesen-Carper, Assistant the the Bishop for Congregational and Leadership Excellence of the North/West Lower Michigan Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, is ideally suited to bring us Good News from Jesus' declaration in today's reading from John's Gospel. And as ever, she does bring it. The recording started and ended a few seconds late, but should otherwise be good to go.

Fifth Sunday after Easter, Lectionary Year CRevelation 21:1-6Today's reading from Revelation, the vision of the Holy City, is my favorite thing in the entire Bible. What better day to illustrate it than through the lyrics of the fascinating faithful newly-departed saint, Prince Rogers Nelson?

Fourth Sunday of Easter, Lectionary Year CActs 9:36-43The story of Tabitha, AKA Dorcas, AKA the only woman in the New Testament explicitly called a "disciple," is a good place to start thinking about all the ways women live out their discipleship today.

Third Sunday of Easter, Lectionary Year CJohn 21:1-19"Follow me." With these words Jesus invites Peter, and all of us, into new life. It may not be the life we expected.

Commemoration of Dietrich Bonhoeffer (April 9, transferred)Romans 6:3-11Not a lot of original thought from me in this one, instead favoring heavy quotations from the apostle Paul, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, and Rev. Dr. Robert Saler, all of whom know better than me how to talk about following Jesus in this world.

Second Sunday of Easter, Lectionary Year CRevelation 1:4-8God's love is more powerful than hunman kings or human cultures or even that most human thing of all, death. Revelation draws us to that love as God's future for us.

Resurrection of Our Lord: Vigil of EasterLuke 24:1-12The Vigil is a time of fire and water, Word and Sacrament, story and sound and blessed chaos, all surprising us with the good news that Jesus is risen.

Maundy ThursdayJohn 13:1-17, 31b-35Foot-washing is divisive because it asks us to make ourselves vulnerable to one another.

Sunday of the Passion / Palm Sunday, Lectionary Year CPsalm 31:9-16A brief reflection on the story of Jesus' death and crucifixion, as seen through our Psalm for today. "For I have heard the whispering of the crowd; fear is all around."

This week I "swapped pulpits" with Rev. Christin Fawcett of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Holland, MI. It was a fun experience, and I'm wondering why I haven't done this sort of thing more often over the years. Fifth Sunday of Lent, Lectionary Year CJohn 12:1-8The famous story of Mary washing Jesus' feet with her hair sets up a stark contrast between Judas and Mary, with much more at stake than a question of how to spend money to follow Jesus. The nature of the Good News itself is in question here, and true to form, Jesus surprises everyone.

Fourth Sunday of Lent, Lectionary Year C2 Corinthians 5:16-21Forgiveness. It's a central part of our faith. We talk about it all the time in church. Still, it can be incredibly difficult to actually forgive. And our society offers a tempting alternative to forgiveness.