Sermon Audio 11/25/12

Revelation 1:4b-8

Christ the King, Lectionary Year B

How is the new Sufjan Stevens Christmas album, Silver and Gold, like the book of Revelation?

http://music.sufjan.com/album/silver-gold

Sermon Audio 11/21/12

Matthew 6:25-33
Thanksgiving Eve, Lectionary Year B

Worry, thankfulness and the Kingdom of God

Sermon Audio 11/18/2012

Mark 13:1-8
25th Sunday after Pentecost, Lectionary Year B

The Temple in Jerusalem will be destroyed, which seems like the end of the world to Jesus' disciples.

Sermon Audio 11/11/12

Ah, Stewardship Commitment Sunday. How I love thee. I was told afterward by a longtime parishioner that this is the first sermon she'd ever heard at LCS that focused solely on stewardship. I guess time will tell whether that ends up a good thing or not. Anyway, this congregation has an amazing history of generous giving. Last year about 60% of givers increased their pledge from the previous year. We've increased our giving to mission and social outreach each year I've been here, to the wider church and to specific organizations locally and around the world. I'm extremely proud to be the pastor of such a living-out-the-Gospel, trusting-what-God-will-do bunch of folks.

Sermon Audio 11/4/12

All Saints Sunday. The sermon was about weeping, and there was a lot of weeping. Success?

Sermon Audio, 10/28/12

Sermon Audio, 9/30/12

Still trying. Let me know if any of this works.

This sermons talks about Libya, and Doctor Who, and Brother Ali, and the Minnesota Golden Gophers, among other things.

Sermon Audio, 9/23/2012

I'm trying again to publish audio recordings of sermons. We'll have to see how it goes!

This sermon was about questions.

Mark  9.30-37
17th Sunday after Pentecost, Lectionary Year B

November 2012 Newsletter Article

The following is reprinted from Lutheran Church of the Savior's monthly newsletter.

Treasure, too, you have entrusted,

gain through pow’rs your grace conferred;

ours to use for home and kindred,

and to spread the gospel word.

Open wide our hands in sharing,

as we heed Christ’s ageless call

healing, teaching, and reclaiming

serving you by loving all.

-          Robert L. Edwards, , “God, Whose Giving Knows No Ending,” ELW 678

In the past year, I have received so many blessings that I barely know where to begin. Sarah and I had just finished our amazing wedding and moved to our rented house in Battle Creek to start the often-hilarious process of transforming from two independent adults into one family. We had a baby, already three months old, who loves to smile and laugh (taking after his mother) and stare at brightly-colored moving objects (after his father, of course). I am thankful to have received six weeks of paid parental leave, time to learn now to be a dad, to change diapers and teach my kid to smile and tell him about how much fun it will be for him to mow the lawn in a few years.

God has also richly blessed Lutheran Church of the Savior. We have supported the Free Store from dream to reality. We have greatly increased our number of volunteers there and at our nearby Loaves and Fishes pantry, and have given record support to local ministry partners like Kairos House and Ministry With Community. We have welcomed new visitors, baptized babies, and commended into God’s eternal care some of our most beloved older members. We hosted our first-ever Family Fest in September, gathering some 70 people of all ages for fun, games, and elephant ears. We paid off our mortgage just last month, and began completing long-awaited building upgrades while planning how to better use our resources for mission and outreach. We deepened our relationship with our neighbors at Sunnyside United Methodist Church, from service to the community to the most vibrant, wonderful Easter Vigil worship Kalamazoo has ever seen.