Sermon Audio 10/9/2022, 18th Sunday after Pentecost C

Hope Lutheran Church, Saint Paul (in person and live on Zoom)

Lectionary 28 / 18th Sunday after Pentecost, Revised Common Lectionary Year C

Luke 17:11-19

In this sermon immediately prior to the special congregational meeting in which Hope Lutheran Church voted to close and dissolve our congregation and give away our remaining funds, the story of Jesus healing ten men with skin disease helps us remember how thankfulness stands at the heart of the choices we are making.  

To hear this podcast: listen here, use this link, or use Amazon, Spotify, Audacy, iHeartRadio,  or other sites by searching "Reverend Killjoy" or “Tengwall.”

Sermon Audio 10/13/2019, 18th Sunday after Pentecost C

Hope Lutheran Church, Saint Paul

Eighteenth Sunday after Pentecost, Lectionary Year C

2 Kings 5:1-3, 7-15c

God miraculously heals Naaman of his leprosy, and it gives us a lot to talk about.

To hear this podcast: listen here, use this link, or use iTunes or Google Play Music to subscribe or listen by searching "Tengwall." 

Changes

News! After nearly nine years in Kalamazoo, I am now the pastor and mission developer with Hope Lutheran Church in Saint Paul, Minnesota.

I have a lot of questions. What will a faithful, committed, aging, low-numbers congregation become as they continue to follow the Holy Spirit? How will our partnership with Good Samaritan Lutheran Church, a Hmong-American ELCA congregation that shares our space, shape our shared ministry by responding to the needs of the neighborhood? What might God do next in the northeast corner of Saint Paul? 

I will try again to post audio of my sermons online, and possibly to write more in this space again - but no promises. Between moving, buying a house, getting a kid into school, starting two new jobs, and enjoying Lake Phalen just a couple of blocks a way, its' been a busy month around here. Hopefully things will settle down enough that I can find some kind of balance between family, house, health, and the various aspects of church present in my call to Hope. 

Sermon Audio 11/23/2016, Thanksgiving C

Lutheran Church of the Savior, Kalamazoo 

Thanksgiving, Lectionary Year C

Deuteronomy 26:1-11 

Our annual Thanksgiving Eve worship is an opportunity to reflect on what God has done for us and on how we live out our thanks to God. This lesson from Deuteronomy offers a ritual and a profession of faith to use when God's people give thanks for all God has done for us.

To hear this podcast: listen here, use this link, or use iTunes or Google Play Music to subscribe or listen by searching "Tengwall."

Sermon Audio 9/25/2016, 19th Sunday after Pentecost C

Lutheran Church of the Savior, Kalamazoo 

19th Sunday after Pentecost, Lectionary Year C

Matthew 6:25-33 

Our season of stewardship begins with thankfulness for what we have, rather than with worry about what we lack. 

To hear this podcast: listen here, use this link, or use iTunes or Google Play Music to subscribe or listen by searching "Tengwall."

Sermon Audio 9/11/2016, Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost C

Lutheran Church of the Savior, Kalamazoo 

Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost, Lectionary Year C

Luke 15:1-10 

Jesus tells his parables about a lost sheep and a lost coin in the midst of two audiences: the tax collectors and sinners with whom he eats, and the grumbling Pharisees and scribes. With which of these audiences do you identify, and how does that change how you hear the parables? 

As a bonus I talk about how "All lives matter" in response to "Black lives matter" is merely the grumbling of jealous Pharisees. 

Why Stewardship is the Way I Follow Jesus

This week my family has much to celebrate. Today is our fifth wedding anniversary, and the tenth anniversary of our first date (give or take a day). Monday is my 38th birthday. Our son had his first day of preschool. We announced a new pregnancy, to the joy of apparently all our Facebook friends.

In fact, so many people have shared in our joy that we wanted to give an opportunity to celebrate with us. Instead of hosting a party, we created a Facebook event and offered our loved ones an opportunity to support a cause we believe in.

What? Why in the world do we think asking our friends to give money to something they may never have heard of counts as celebrating with us?

If you are reading this, you probably know how much I love generosity, fundraising, and giving money. It brings me joy to live out my values by giving material support to things I say I believe in. Ever since we paid off all our debt last year, we have had the opportunity to give more and think more about what giving means in our lives.


Last September I introduced our annual stewardship campaign with a newsletter article that does a good job of explaining why stewardship is my basic framework for following Jesus.

Sermon Audio 7/5/2015, Acts Sermon Series Week Five

LutheranChurch of the Savior, Kalamazoo 

Acts Sermon Series Week Five

2 Corinthians 8:7-15

This week our detour from Acts continues with an exploration of generosity in Paul's second letter to the Corinthians. My passion for generosity combines with translational nerdery, congregational participation, and Jesus' first sending of his twelve disciples to address a 20-year-old mystery. Much excitement!

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

Sermon Audio 6/15/2014 Holy Trinity

Lutheran Church of the Savior, Kalamazoo

Holy Trinity Sunday

2nd Corinthians 13:11-13


The doctrine of the Holy Trinity can make for a boring and obtuse sermon, as I have likely demonstrated in the past. Instead, today we focused on how the Trinity reminds us that we, created in God's image, are made for relationship. Thankfulness is a vital part of any relationship, particularly our relationship with God. So, at the recommendation of our esteemed Rev. Sarah Friesen-Carper, on this day we introduced a new way of publicly thanking God and one another at LCS: the Blessings Basket.



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

Sermon Audio 11/27/2013

Lutheran Church of the Savior, Kalamazoo

Thanksgiving Eve Worship, Lectionary Year C

John 6:24-35

Eucharist is the fancy church word that means "thanksgiving," so when we celebrate the sacrament at our Thanksgiving Eve worship, the sermon practically writes itself!

Sermon Audio 10/13/2013

Lutheran Church of the Savior, Kalamazoo

21st Sunday after Pentecost, Lectionary Year C

Luke 17:11-19

Today'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. Oh, and hHappy National Coming Out Day this past Friday 10/11/13.



Edit: As always, you can listen to this sermon and subscribe to the podcast of my sermons at iTunes by searching my name, "Tengwall." It has come to my attention that the embedded link on this page does not work on iPhones, and my solution to that dilemma it to recommend iTunes to those people. Other suggestions are welcome, and thanks to folks who care enough about listening to my sermons that you'll tell me what doesn't and does work.

Sermon Audio 11/21/12

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

Worry, thankfulness and the Kingdom of God