Grace Lutheran Church

September 8, 2024 Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost

Jesus’ thought-provoking and life-changing words challenged existing wisdom, stretching the boundaries of belief, forcing each person who heard them to reevaluate everything they thought they knew. At the outset, rules seem simple. They divide the world into good and bad and help us restore a measure of order to a chaotic world. Unfortunately, the same rules we use to bring order out of chaos are often insufficient to deal with the complexity of our lives, which is one of the reasons there truly is an exception to every rule.
Rules are simple, but our world is not. Through the incarnation, the Word made flesh, God meets us at the intersection of law and life. In Jesus, God the judge enters our world in a new way and interprets the law. And through Jesus, we come to understand God’s will in a messy world.

September 1, 2024 Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost Jesus’ thought-provoking and life-changing words challenged existing wisdom, stretching the boundaries of belief, forcing each person who heard them to reeva...

This is a good reminder of the unique character of Jesus. Might we become like him?

Jesus’ thought-provoking and life-changing words challenged existing wisdom, stretching the boundaries of belief, forcing each person who heard them to reevaluate everything they thought they knew. How could they eat this bread and live forever?
Is it any easier for us to wrap our minds around Jesus’ teachings? How do we open our hearts to the mystery of flesh given for us, blood shed for us, and bread come down from heaven when our culture insists that there is a simple black-and-white answer to every question? Who takes time to slow down and reflect on challenging Bible passages?
Questions remain, but the good news is that God’s love is stronger than our doubts and fears, calling us back to worship, filling us with strength, and giving us peace in the midst of uncertainty.

August 25, 2024 Fourteenth Sunday after Pentecost Jesus’ thought-provoking and life-changing words challenged existing wisdom, stretching the boundaries of belief, forcing each person who heard them to reeva...

“You are what you eat.” This week’s gospel continues Jesus’ long teaching that he is the true bread from heaven: “Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood have eternal life”- no wonder those gathered around him get upset! The Gospel of John doesn’t include the institution of the Lord’s supper; indeed, in John, Jesus himself is the Passover lamb, slain at the cross. When we take into ourselves Jesus’ words, his healing touch, the power of his love, they become part of us. They nourish our spirits wo we can live in wholeness, health, and salvation.
It is not surprising, then, that holy communion, the sharing of the literal food and drink, became a profound means by which the church receives - and becomes - the body of Christ. In a mysterious way we can’t fully understand, we truly are what we eat, and no other meal is more life-giving.

August 18, 2024 Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost “You are what you eat.” This week’s gospel continues Jesus’ long teaching that he is the true bread from heaven: “Those who eat my flesh and drink my blood h...

The struggles one faces in life often lead us to a sense of despair. Here is a connection to the story of Elijah in 1 Kings.
We often wish to bail out on God when things don’t go or turn out like we had desired. God doesn’t bail on us, though. God is faithful and fulfills the promise made to Abraham in the person of Jesus, our Savior.
Jesus confronts the grumblers in the gospel reading. He challenges them and us to a deeper understanding of what it means to find eternal life. He offers himself as the nourishment needed for our lives.

August 11, 2024 Twelfth Sunday after Pentecost The struggles one faces in life often lead us to a sense of despair. Here is a connection to the story of Elijah in 1 Kings. We often wish to bail out on G...

In a world filled with seemingly endless options and an overload of information, it can be hard to know what we really want, and even harder to know what we actually need. As a society we are perhaps more mobile and more connected than ever. For those with a certain level of privilege, opportunities abound for careers, for education, for travel. Many of us own more stuff than we can reasonably use or even store in our homes. And yet, our collective mental health and overall well-being might be worse than ever. What are we missing? In a society of excess, what needs are going unfulfilled? What are we still longing for?
The crowds didn’t seem to know what they were longing for either. They came to Jesus seeking more loaves of bread (a fair request!) but missed their deeper spiritual need: spiritual nourishment.
The distractions in our world are many, so we need to be reoriented regularly to Christ’s gift for us. We celebrate this gift in Christ through bread and wine at the Lord’s Table.

August 4, 2024 Eleventh Sunday after Pentecost In a world filled with seemingly endless options and an overload of information, it can be hard to know what we really want, and even harder to know what we ...

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Perhaps like the disciples, we tend to panic and turn inward when resources start to dwindle. And yet, again and again, God calls us together, taking our fears and transforming them into gifts of abundance. A few crumbs become a feast. A hungry crowd becomes a community bearing witness to God’s grace.
We are granted the gifts of acceptance and love through God’s grace. We are called to practice generosity. We witness how the gifts and talents of a community come together to create something that on our own would never be possible. Because, in Christ, we have life and salvation and are called upon to share the good news.

July 28, 2024 Tenth Sunday after Pentecost Perhaps like the disciples, we tend to panic and turn inward when resources start to dwindle. And yet, again and again, God calls us together, taking our fea...

“Jesus sees us for who we are and is willing to be our shepherd.” Mark reflects that the crowds who followed Jesus were “like sheep without a shepherd” (v. 34), people who were looking for someone or something to put their trust in.
Amazingly, Jesus sees us for who we are, in all the depth of our lostness, and is willing to be our Shepherd. He has compassion for us (v. 34). He is willing to lead us through all of the chaos and confusion in which we find ourselves. He takes our sin to the cross – all of the things we have done that come between us and a right relationship with God – and there puts them to death in his own body.
Christ heals us from our transgressions and gives us his promise of the life of the resurrection. He restores our souls and leads us in right paths for his name’s sake, as the Psalmist so eloquently states(Ps. 23:3).

July 21, 2024 Ninth Sunday after Pentecost “Jesus sees us for who we are and is willing to be our shepherd.” Mark reflects that the crowds who followed Jesus were “like sheep without a shepherd” (v. 3...

Why invest in empty promises? The Ephesians must have wondered. Deprived of any sense of purpose, deprived of the assurance that comes with trusting God’s promises, they drifted-drifted from the church, and drifted away from the gift of forgiveness that Christ had given them. And, living outside the forgiveness of Christ left their community Godforsaken.
The promises of Christ do not distinguish between Us and Them. Instead, the promises of Christ call Us and Them forward, into a future that is for both Us and Them. So, Paul assures the Gentile Christians (and reminds the Jewish Christians) that the word of truth and gospel of salvation is for “you [Gentiles] also” (v. 13). Worthiness to stand before Christ depends on Christ himself, and not old ethnic or cultural distinctions. In fact, God’s new household management plan depends on Christ breaking down the walls of hostility that have separated them for so long (2:14). And, with a faith reconstituted by the promises of God, the Jewish and Gentile Christians could look forward to Christ doing exactly that. And maybe, just maybe, they could begin to live toward that common future together.

July 14, 2024 Eighth Sunday after Pentecost Why invest in empty promises? The Ephesians must have wondered. Deprived of any sense of purpose, deprived of the assurance that comes with trusting God’s pr...

Jesus creates a reaction in this gospel reading. Stirring up all kinds of dust, creating commotion and controversy, he returns to his hometown boldly preaching with authority. He displays amazing wisdom and even performs some deeds of power.
Offended by the fact that he has been able to stir up the dust and get such attention, the home-town folks resent that the home-town boy is able to attract so many eyeballs. Even worse, he pays attention to the kinds of folk that no prophet or God-fearing man would give the time of day. They despise this guy who has dared to come back home to show them up. The dust, which he has stirred up, has clogged their hearts. They will have nothing to do with him. Who does he think he is? The messiah? God? Ridiculous!

July 7, 2024 Seventh Sunday after Pentecost Jesus creates a reaction in this gospel reading. Stirring up all kinds of dust, creating commotion and controversy, he returns to his hometown boldly preachi...

Do you ever feel left out? Do you ever wonder if Jesus is really for you? Perhaps you wonder if your sins are too many, or too bad. Or perhaps life has dealt you a rotten hand, and if people only knew what was going on behind your shallow “I’m fine” at church fellowship time, they wouldn’t be so friendly. Or maybe you have heard that Jesus is for the marginalized, the victims, and the irreligious - and you’re none of those things. Perhaps Jesus is too busy to be bothered with my concerns, you think.
There were lots of people in line seeking Jesus’ action on their behalf. It was a crowded space. You may wonder if it’s worth the effort to get in line.
Thankfully, Jesus paid attention to those in need. He even paid attention to those who crucified him. “Father, forgive them for they know not what they do.” Thankfully, stepping away from the crowd - all of whom he dearly loves - he seeks to enter deeply into our sleep of death, taking our hand in compassion, and waking us together wit the whole beloved creation that all may be alive with promise.

June 30, 2024 Sixth Sunday after Pentecost Do you ever feel left out? Do you ever wonder if Jesus is really for you? Perhaps you wonder if your sins are too many, or too bad. Or perhaps life has dealt...

We often find ourselves swamped by the storms of life, wind and waves beating into our boat. Perhaps it’s a literal storm like the disciples experienced in the reading of today’s gospel. Natural disasters such as hurricanes, tornadoes, wildfires, and even brutal blizzards have the power to upend our lives. So, too, do health crises, financial struggles, lost jobs, divorce or other relationship difficulties, the death of loved ones, and so many other situations.
The storms may beat against your boat with unimaginable force. But in your baptism, Jesus “climbed in your boat” and promised to be with you forever. You may be holding on for dear life. But truly Jesus is holding onto you. Do not be afraid.

June 23, 2024 Fifth Sunday after Pentecot We often find ourselves swamped by the storms of life, wind and waves beating into our boat. Perhaps it’s a literal storm like the disciples experienced in t...

In the reading from the fifth chapter of Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, the apostle rambles on for a while, talking about the kind of transformation that takes place in us when we are transformed by grace through Jesus Christ.
Before I was transformed by God’s grace, I related to other people as one who walked in darkness. But now, grace has been given to me as a gift from God as God comes to us in Jesus Christ and I am transformed. I am transformed by grace and, as I am transformed, they are transformed as well. “So, if anyone is in Christ,” says Paul, to sum it all up, “there is a new creation: Everything old has passed away. Look, new things have come into being!”
Let us pray that God will grant us more experiences of this grace that transforms us and bridges our estrangements with love and acceptance.

June 16, 2024 Fourth Sunday after Pentecost In the reading from the fifth chapter of Paul’s second letter to the Corinthians, the apostle rambles on for a while, talking about the kind of transformatio...

Some might find relief in joining the people gathered around Jesus’ home who concluded that it would be best to ignore him. “He has gone out of his mind.” Others, like his family, stay on the edge of conflict and attempt to restrain him - “Hush, you‘re making a scene.” Tensions are high, not only out among the crowds, not merely close to home, but in the center of the home, the very heart of community and family. The air sizzles with discord. It must have been like the many broken bonds and hollowed-out relationships familiar to us today, at a time roiling with division. Pursing hope and finding healing might not seem like worth the effort.
To that temptation Jesus delivers a scorching, confounding warning: by ascribing his actions to the evil one, rejecting good as though it were demonic, judging the spirit of God’s love to be wicked - all of this is to choose against forgiveness and mercy.
The good news is this: Christ offers us a world where evil is bound up and good reigns supreme because the king of all righteousness has a throne in our hearts and in our neighbor’s needs.

June 9, 2024, Third Sunday after Pentecost Some might find relief in joining the people gathered around Jesus’ home who concluded that it would be best to ignore him. “He has gone out of his mind.” Ot...

Here’s what the point of this gospel reading is NOT: it’s not about grain, and it’s not about bread, and it’s not about Pharisees, and it’s not about David, the temple, or the priests; it’s not about the synagogue, a withered hand, or lawfulness, and it’s not even, finally, about the sabbath - as important as ll these details are to the story.
The point of this gospel is to set eyes on and crack open hearts to what is most holy. Jesus would, over and over again, insist in word and deed that compassion and mercy trump tradition and supersede ritual when it comes to the sacred.
Elie Wiesel, a Jewish survivor of the N**i Holocaust who became a writer, activist, and teacher, taught that “if even the most authoritative teaching, the most sacred text, leads to dehumanization, to humiliation, to harm, then we must reject it.” So, too, did Jesus reject the misuse of the law, demonstrating instead how God intended it as gift, as grace.
In a mere four words - “Stretch out your hand” - Jesus defied tradition and chose the holy, the sacred - making his point. That’s gospel.

June 2, 2024 Second Sunday after Pentecost Here’s what the point of this gospel reading is NOT: it’s not about grain, and it’s not about bread, and it’s not about Pharisees, and it’s not about David, ...

The perplexing nighttime conversation with Jesus that leaves Nicodemus in a state of wonderment - “How can these things be?” - leads to Jesus’ climactic revelation: “God so loved the world . . .” In the gospel’s original Greek, “world” (kosmos) indicates that literally every bit of the universe receives God’s mercy and compassion, saving us all from perishing into iron-clad division between who is in and who is out.
How can these things be? On this Sunday that celebrates the wonder of the Trinity, the answer comes from God the Creator, saying that creation is good; from God the Redeemer, teaching us to love the world as God loves it; and from God the Spirit, continuing to draw us into wonderment. That’s how this can be.
Let us be willing to go and be the presence of Christ in loving service.

May 26, 2024 Holy Trinity Sunday The perplexing nighttime conversation with Jesus that leaves Nicodemus in a state of wonderment - “How can these things be?” - leads to Jesus’ climactic reve...

Attention-grabbing as the wonders on the Day of Pentecost may be - a house filled with rushing wind, tongues of fire alighting on the heads of apostles, and the whirling of alien languages from stupefied mouths - take care to not let their bewildering extraordinariness blunt the true and greater wonder of this gospel event: the Advocate comes.
The Advocate comes! Yes, we retell the story now of an extraordinary moment of one ancient day on Pentecost, but oh, the greater, true gospel wonder is the ever- extraordinary presence of Jesus’ Spirit bringing us hope and the way of God’s mercy and love meant for, given to, and enduring in the world forever. Pray that we have eyes to see it, ears to hear of it and a willingness to live it.

May 19, 2024 Pentecost Sunday Attention-grabbing as the wonders on the Day of Pentecost may be - a house filled with rushing wind, tongues of fire alighting on the heads of apostles, and ...

What must it have been like for the disciples to witness Jesus’ ascension and then to be told to wait for the gift of the spirit? If they are anything like us, waiting patiently is not one of our attributes.
Peter, in this high anxiety time of waiting, decides to do something. Looking around, Peter decided they best do something to restore the total number of disciples to twelve. So, in his anxiety, they propose two names. Joseph called Barsabbas and Matthias. Now rather than pray and wait for the spirit to lift up the one called to this position, they turn to the lottery. In the lottery, Matthias is chosen. Now, maybe this is who God’s Spirit wanted, yet one has to wonder since we never hear about him again.
When our anxious hearts trust in chance over the promise of God, we find ourselves in the hands of fate. God does not act indecisively. The promise of Easter is that God actived decisively doing a new thing.
Can we wait, watch and pray as God does new things in our midst?

May 12, 2024 Seventh Sunday of Easter What must it have been like for the disciples to witness Jesus’ ascension and then to be told to wait for the gift of the spirit? If they are anything like u...

Jesus invites the disciples to become part of a community where selfless, sacrificial, unconditional agape love is the core criterion. The kingdom, or “kin-dom,” of God is present wherever God’s people are affirmed as children of God and siblings in Christ. But Jesus gives his disciples an additional identity: that of “friends.”
In the new status Jesus coffers on his disciples, the single most important criterion is love, including the readiness to lay down one’s life for another. Jesus has just taught this lesson by example when he washed the feet of his disciples, including Judas Iscariot. The new commandment to love one another as Jesus loved us summarizes the whole of the gospel mandate. It is not an easy commandment by any human standards, but it is possible because Jesus himself showed us the way and forgives us when we fall short. The status of “disciple-friends” is not a request for the church but a faith mandate.
How might we live as disciple-friends of Jesus in this world?

May 5, 2024 Sixth Sunday of Easter Jesus invites the disciples to become part of a community where selfless, sacrificial, unconditional agape love is the core criterion. The kingdom, or “kin-d...

God’s hope and love for us is abundant and plentiful in God’s sending of the Son. Such hope we find in God cannot be contained. God moves constantly to transcend and break out of boundaries, bringing hope to a tired and weary world. God’s hope surprises us as it works in ways beyond our understanding. It pushes to the limits of our imagination and invites us to dream bigger, because God’s hope works in ways that do not always align with the way things have been done, but always aligns with God’s mission of boundless love and endless grace. Sometimes all we need to do is just get out of our own way, and be present in the immensity of God’s love and burgeoning Kin-dom. We are bound up in the expansive, flourishing, and inclusive covenant of Jesus Christ, our Risen Savior and Lord. - Andrew Larsen

April 28, 2024 Fifth Sunday of Easter God’s hope and love for us is abundant and plentiful in God’s sending of the Son. Such hope we find in God cannot be contained. God moves constantly to trans...

Jesus' actual ministry corresponded precisely to the words he spoke in the synagogue. He spent most of his time not among the rich and powerful in Jerusalem, but among the poor in the cultural and economic backwater of Galilee. He healed the sick and blind. He fed the hungry. And he warned his followers in the strongest possible words that those who do not feed the hungry, clothe the naked, and visit the prisoners will experience eternal damnation (Matthew 25:31-46).
Lest we forget the warning, God repeats it here in 1 John 3:17-18. "How does God's love abide in anyone who has the world's goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help? Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action" (See also James 2:14-17). The words seem pretty plain.
God’s command to love one another is good and possible when we follow the Good Shepherd’s lead. The Love we know flows from our faith that is latching on to Christ’s death and resurrection. The goods of the world are now reclassified as the means by which we care for others and creation. And when these means are coupled with God’s grace it is reckoned as right and good.
Create in me a clean heart, O God, and put a new and right spirit within me. Do not cast me away from your presence, and do not take your holy spirit from. Restore to me the joy of your salvation and sustain me with a willing spirit.

April 21, 2024 Fourth Sunday of Easter Jesus' actual ministry corresponded precisely to the words he spoke in the synagogue. He spent most of his time not among the rich and powerful in Jerusalem,...

Fight, flight, or freeze: that’s how our bodies tend to react when we perceive danger. Our heart rate increases,, our breathing speeds up, and even our vision changes to take in our surroundings quickly so we can protect ourselves. When Jesus appeared to the disciples on the evening of his resurrection, the disciples likely encountered this fight, flight or freeze phenomenon.
Once Jesus had brought the disciples back to a calm resting state, he opened their minds to understand how he had accomplished God’s plan to save the world. Jesus told the disciples that now that he was risen, it was their turn to tell his story in Jerusalem and to the ends of the earth.
Jesus comes to fre us from fear and to free us for faith. Receiving the bread and wine of his supper reminds us that Jesus lived, died, and rose again for the salvation of the world. We do not have to be afraid. We can do his work in the world so others can be set free in his love.

April 14, 2024 Third Sunday of Easter Fight, flight, or freeze: that’s how our bodies tend to react when we perceive danger. Our heart rate increases,, our breathing speeds up, and even our visio...

When the disciples were gathered in a locked room, the appearance of the risen Jesus transformed their fear into joy. On the evening of the resurrection, all the disciples except Thomas were together. They got to see Jesus standing among them, and they rejoiced. Immediately, Jesus gave them the gift of the Holy Spirit. He also sent them out to continue his work in the world, including the forgiveness of sins.
As a gift of grace, Jesus appeared a week later and brought Thomas into the new community. He let the skeptical disciple see and touch the wounds on his body. By doing so, Jesus extended the joy and sense of belonging that the others had experienced to Thomas, who responded with joy, “My Lord and my God!”
As disciples of Jesus, we belong to the same resurrection community that our risen Lord created that first Easter evening. As today’s reading from 1 John declares, when we celebrate Jesus’ resurrection and carry out God’s work in the world together, our joy is made complete.

April 7, 2024 Second Sunday of Easter When the disciples were gathered in a locked room, the appearance of the risen Jesus transformed their fear into joy. On the evening of the resurrection, all...

This is a powerful, hopeful word of life and a call to action from the Holy Land.

Munther Isaac Easter Vigil for Gaza 2024 Munther Isaac

The women ran away because they were shocked when the story didn’t turn out the way they expected. But soon they would learn that this was a happy ending: Where they had seen death, God made a way for new life! What seemed like the conclusion was actually a beginning. It was the dawn of a new day, a resurrection day. As followers of Jesus, we don’t know what our future holds or how our stories will end, but we can trust that Jesus is alive. He goes ahead of us, leading us into a future full of God’s love and grace. As the spiritual song says, “Thank God Almighty I’m free at last!” Let us live into that freedom with Christ.

March 31, 2024 Easter Sunday The women ran away because they were shocked when the story didn’t turn out the way they expected. But soon they would learn that this was a happy ending: Wh...

Jesus, the Word made flesh, knows that he will be with his disciples only a little longer. His “new” commandment to them, “that you love one another,” was hardly new at all; in fact, it dated back to God’s giving of the law to ancient Israel. But when Jesus washed the disciples’ feet, he was inviting them yet again into a new way of life. He did not wash their feet out of concerns for cleanliness. Instead, this tender act of care was about setting an example about the lengths to which love will go. The same love with which Jesus had loved them all along would take him all the way to the cross. On the cross, God’s love meets us in all our frailty and makes known to us anew the meaning of love.

March 28, 2024 Maundy Thursday Jesus, the Word made flesh, knows that he will be with his disciples only a little longer. His “new” commandment to them, “that you love one another,” was ha...

As we gather to hear the story of Christ's passion anew, the words and rituals of the church's worship life invite us to feel our way into this story for the inside out. We hear the shouts of blessings and come to the Passover in quiet hope. We follow to Gethsemane and the cross, with mixed emotions. What does betrayal feel like in our bodies? What about amazement? Fear? How have we experienced ridicule or shame? How have we ourselves dismissed or derided others?
We are invited to honestly glimpse the workings of own hearts. Nothing is off limits to God's grace. No human experience is untouched by the story of God's redemptive love.

March 24, 2024 Palm Sunday As we gather to hear the story of Christ's passion anew, the words and rituals of the church's worship life invite us to feel our way into this story for the...

Friends,
Holy Week begins with Palm Sunday. It continues with Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. The culmination is the celebration of Easter. Services are at St. Lukes for Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday and Easter. Good Friday Service is at Augustana Lutheran. May Christ attend your observance of this spiritual time.