Sermon 1/18/2015, Second Sunday after Epiphany B

Lutheran Church of the Savior, Kalamazoo

1 Samuel 3:1-20

Young Samuel heard the voice of God, and Phillip told Nathanael to "come and see" what Jesus was all about. Our Psalm today describes our bodies as marvelously made by God, and Paul's letter to the Corinthians describes our bodies as temples of the Holy Spirit. How do we experience God in our bodies, with our physical senses? And why does God come to us in these ways?

As always, listen here or subscribe to the podcast on iTunes by searching "Tengwall."

Sermon Audio 1/11/2015, Baptism of Our Lord B

Lutheran Church of the Savior, Kalamazoo

Mark 1:3-11

Today we remembered Jesus' baptism and our own by hearing that each of us is a child of God. Our sermon today was less a proclamation of the gospel than an explanation of the ritual that would proclaim the message more clearly. And what better way to receive this good news than from a child?

Listen here or subscribe to the podcast on iTunes by searching "Tengwall." 

Sermon Audio 1/4/2015, Second Sunday of Christmas B

Lutheran Church of the Savior, Kalamazoo

Ephesians 1:3-14

The Christmas season offers us so many ways to see and experience the overwhelming grace of God. Today's lesson from Ephesians is actually one incredible run-on sentence bursting with images of God's powerful grace for us and the world God loves. 

Listen here or subscribe to the podcast on iTunes by searching "Tengwall." 

Sermon Audio 12/24/2014 Christmas Eve

Lutheran Church of the Savior, Kalamazoo

Luke 2:1-20

The Christmas narrative in Luke's Gospel is very familiar to us, with Mary and Joseph and the stable and the shepherds and the angels. That familiarity sometimes obscures the many surprises in this story. Mary and Joseph? Why them? A stable? Angels? Shepherds? Every part of this story surprises us when we look with fresh eyes at the amazing tale of God's gift of love to the world in the birth of Jesus. In order to emphasize the surprising core of this story, I tried something new on this Christmas Eve, a small gift to reflect the amazing gift God gave at Christmas.

Listen here or subscribe to the podcast on iTunes by searching "Tengwall." 

Sermon Audio 12/21/2014, 4th Sunday of Advent

Lutheran Church of the Savior, Kalamazoo

Luke 1:26-38

As we celebrate another baptism this Sunday, we remember that God always chooses us, and God's promises are so much greater than our own. Our response to God's promise is the wonderful freedom to love God and love one another, and I am excited to share this freedom with another baby and his family today.

Listen here or subscribe to the podcast on iTunes by searching "Tengwall." 

January 2015 Newsletter Article: Jubilee

After a holiday hiatus, this blog is back in business! In addition to this newsletter article, look for sermon audios for Sunday 12/21, Sunday 1/4, and Christmas Eve in the coming days. 

^“10And you shall hallow the fiftieth year and you shall proclaim liberty throughout the land to all its inhabitants. It shall be a jubilee for you: you shall return, every one of you, to your property and every one of you to your family. ¹¹That fiftieth year shall be a jubilee for you: you shall not sow, or reap the aftergrowth, or harvest the unpruned vines. ¹²For it is a jubilee; it shall be holy to you: you shall eat only what the field itself produces.”

- Leviticus 25:10-12

During the five years I have served you as pastor, I have been immensely proud of all the tremendous work we have done together for the sake of the gospel. The love of God in Jesus Christ has guided Lutheran Church of the Savior to faithfully take risks on new endeavors, to faithfully let go of things that no longer serve the gospel as they once did, and to faithfully continue many of our successful ministries. The place of “the church” in our world continues to evolve, and we, LCS, have met this challenge with trust that God is leading us to participate in God’s work in Kalamazoo and around the world.

Growth and change in recent years haven’t always been easy. We have faced challenges and conflicts, lost beloved members and sometimes hurt one another’s feelings even though that was not our intent. Helpfully, scripture reminds us that following Jesus was never meant to be easy. From disciples who left their boats and families when Jesus said “Follow me,” to the apostles whose proclamation of Jesus Christ led to imprisonment and even death, following Jesus has always been about trusting God to lead us through the unknown.

And.