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

26th Sunday after Pentecost, Lectionary Year CLuke 21:5-19It's stewardship season, and what better way to recognize that than by hearing Jesus talk about the end of the world? Seriously, though I love stewardship, and even though Jesus is talking about some scary things in this lesson, I find his words comforting. We know the world will be a mess, but in every challenge we face, we have the opportunity to testify that God's love is for us and for all.

All Saints Sunday, Lectionary Year CLuke 6:20-31Blessings and woes and some of Jesus' most famous words on how people ought to get along, plus the dedication of Lutheran Church of the Savior's new Memorial Recognition Tree. Do you know that you are blessed?

Reformation Sunday, Lectionary Year CRomans 3:19-28Reformation Sunday is less about what the church did that one time than it is about turning back, again and again, to knowing what God did that one time.

22nd Sunday after Pentecost, Lectionary Year C2 Timothy 3:14-4:5This line from today's lesson, "All scripture is inspired by God," has vexed me for years. How do we read the Bible, and why does the Bible have authority in our lives and in the church? These questions may be easier to address in a Bible study than in a sermon, but we took a shot at it, anyway.

21st Sunday after Pentecost, Lectionary Year CLuke 17:11-19Today's Gospel lesson about the Samaritan leper is a wonderful story of praise and thankfulness by the unlikeliest messenger of God's love. It got me thinking about how unlikely it is that I find myself as a Lutheran pastor, and the unlikely friends who guided me in this direction. This sermon contains a description of a set of circumstances vital to my faith and call as a pastor, including the role of LGBT friends therein. Happy National Coming Out Day this past Friday 10/11/13.

20th Sunday after Pentecost, Lectionary Year CWorld Communion SundayLuke 24:13-35We switched to Luke's iconic story of the walk to Emmaus to talk about the pattern of worship we share with churches around the world and the presence of Jesus we share at our table each Sunday.

19th Sunday after Pentecost, Lectionary Year CLuke 16:19-31Jesus' parable of the rich man and Lazarus seems pretty simple: poor Lazarus is rewarded in the afterlife, and the selfish rich man is punished. Each gets what he deserves. Is that how God's justice works? Does it tell us what happens to rich and poor after we die? I doubt it.

18th Sunday after Pentecost, Lectionary Year CLuke 16:1-13Jesus' parable of the dishonest manager may be the most confusing of all Jesus' parables. What can we make of it? Well, I can talk about money, which I'm always happy to do in a sermon. However, I don't think money is where we can learn the most from this story. God calls us to be like the manager in unexpected ways, if we look at this story from a new perspective.

17th Sunday after Pentecost, Lectionary Year CExodus 32:7-14God's mercy shines through this surprising and maybe-hilarious account of God losing an argument with Moses. God repents? Wait, that's totally backwards! But if God can repent and accept forgiveness, maybe we can too.

16th Sunday after Pentecost, Lectionary Year CLuke 14:25-33Cranky Jesus has some harsh words today for those who would follow him, that is, for us. “Whoever comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and even life itself, cannot be my disciple. Whoever does not carry the cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.... So therefore, none of you can become my disciple if you do not give up all your possessions." Yikes! Nobody said it would be easy to follow Jesus, but there is good news here that makes this a whole lot more manageable. Also, in this sermon I talk about my at-times-unhealthy dependence on fabulous shoes.

15th Sunday after Pentecost, Lectionary Year CLuke 14:1, 7-14In the Gospels we hear a lot about Jesus eating meals. In most cases, who he shared those meals with seems to have been more important than what they ate. What does this tell us about the meals we share, as a church and with others?

13th Sunday after Pentecost, Lectionary Year CLuke 12:49-56The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America held our biennial (becoming triennial) Churchwide Assembly last week, in which 1000 voting members from all over the country came together in Pittsburgh, PA to do the work of the church. Today I provided a summary of the work we did at CWA (as it is known to insiders), including electing a new Presiding Bishop, approving a new Social Statement on Criminal Justice, resolutions on various public issues, and an effort to increase the church's commitment to youth and young adults. The Gospel lesson for today is a frightening one, Jesus bringing fire and division instead of the oft-expected hugs and kumbayas. It's still the Good News for us, if you know what to listen for.

12th Sunday after Pentecost, Lectionary Year CGenesis 15:1-6At our annual outdoor worship service, we talked about how God called Abram outside to count the stars, so that Abram would believe and understand God's promise. How much does it matter where we hear God's word for us?

Tenth Sunday after Pentecost, Lectionary Year CGenesis 18:20-32This one is up a bit late, as I went on vacation after worship that day for over a week. I don't remember what this sermon was about. Something about Abraham arguing with God's decision to destroy Sodom and Gomorrah, which is a funnier scene than you might expect when the context is the height of God's judge-y / smite-y phase. Anyway, I recall that people liked this sermon, for whatever that's worth.

Ninth Sunday after Pentecost, Lectionary Year CLuke 10:38-42In the story of Jesus' visit to Martha and Mary, how did Mary chose the "better part?" After Jesus sassed her, did Martha fling a frying pan at his head and/or chase him out of her house with a broom? What's the hardest part of offering hospitality to people?

Eighth Sunday after Pentecost, Lectionary Year CLuke 10:25-37Jesus' parable of the Good Samaritan is one of the most famous and instructive stories in all of scripture or Christian history. The lawyer's question, "And who is my neighbor?" really sticks with me, because it mirrors my own impulse for self-justification. At 11:00pm the night before I preached this sermon, a jury in Florida acquitted George Zimmerman on second-degree murder charges in the death of Trayvon Martin, a 17-year-old African-American boy walking home from a convenience store. That's the context in which I preached this sermon. For helpful resources on the case, see my blog: http://unexpectedandmysterious.blogspot.com/2013/07/george-zimmerman-found-not-guilty-in.html

Sixth Sunday after Pentecost, Lectionary Year CGalatians 5:1, 13-25. Fornication! Circumcision! Castration, even! Keeping it lively this week, that's for sure. This sermon is indebted to the sermon I preached three years ago on this same lectionary date, but that sermon was at the Benson High School All-School Reunion in my hometown in Minnesota. It's far from the same sermon, but they share a spirit and a framework, and a couple of references. And since that sermon three years ago was pretty awesome, I feel good about this one as well. Note: I failed to record last week's sermon, which was tragic because it was the most roller derby-centric sermon I've ever preached, and I think lots of people would have enjoyed it. Unfortunately technology thwarted me, so I'll have to wait to share another derby-themed sermon. Also, next week (7/7) I'll be on vacation (my first vacation Sunday of the year, finally, yay!), so all six people who are waiting for these will need to wait another week for more of this festivity.

Fourth Sunday after Pentecost, Lectionary Year CLuke 7:36-8:3Forgiveness and the kingdom of God. People seemed to like it, even though I may or may not have included them in describing people as "jerks," so I think that's good?

Third Sunday after Pentecost, Lectionary Year CLuke 7:11-17Today we hear about a couple of miraculous resurrections, by Jesus and Elijah. I have difficulty connecting to resurrection stories, at times because I tend to skip to the end of the story, and at other times because I have no idea what the end of a resurrection story might look like. Today's sermon offers (to me, at least) a take on the challenge and hope of resurrection.

Second Sunday after Pentecost, Lectionary Year CLuke 7:1-10My blog is called "Unexpected and Mysterious," and today's sermon hits pretty heavily on the "unexpected" side of that. God surprises us all the time.