Text: Psalm 81:1-10 Theme: “Hear, O my people, while I admonish/testify/warn you!” (v.8) ___________________________ Intr – We read together Psalm 81 today, and even though it is the psalm assigned for this Sunday with or without confirmation, it seems fitting for our special day today. The psalmist writes: “Sing aloud to...

Text: Acts 2:22-36; John 3:15-17; Isaiah 6 Theme: Creator, Redeemer, Comforter ___________________________ Intro – I thought of starting my sermon today by making a special smoothie for us. (pastor adds usual and unusual ingredients to a blender and blends them).Would any of you be willing to taste it? I’m pretty...

Text: Acts 2:1-12 Theme: “Speaking another language” ___________________________ Intro –  Today we celebrate Pentecost, remembering the miracle of the tongues of fire in Jerusalem. The disciples spoke in different languages to reach various people and nations with the Gospel. My initial question to you today is: how many languages other...

Text: 1 John 5:9-16; John 17:11-19; Psalm 1; Theme: Eternal Life in our daily life ___________________________ Intr – You are watching a game with you friend and it is the final game of the series. Your friend celebrates every good play and gets super tense at every difficult moment. You...

Text: John 15:1-8 Theme: “Abide in Me” ___________________________ Intr – Imagine a person who became very invested in giving access to food to as many people as he noticed many families struggling to survive in his neighborhood. He then came up with an idea: he started giving Grocery Store free...

Text: John 10:11-16 Theme: “Love for the sheep” ___________________________ Intr –  The Good Shepherd Sunday is always a deep, rich well we can draw from. Here are a couple of highlights I wanted to reflect about with you today thinking especially of our Gospel reading.[1] 1 – The hired hand ...

Text: Luke 24:36-49, 1 John 3:1-7 Theme: Identity in Jesus Edited transcript[1] ____________________________ Intro – Dear friends in Christ, what is your “story of everything”? What is the story arc that explains life as you know it and  as you live it? I borrowed this concept from Professor Okamoto(Concordia Seminary,...