About the Fifth Sunday of Easter: God's Kingdom is revealed in a New Heaven and a New Earth in the book of Revelation. It is described as a New Jerusalem coming down out of the heavens, where God's dwelling place is with man. This New Jerusalem is a place where there is no separation along the usual sinful lines that we are so used to in this world. In this New Jerusalem there shall be no bigotry, no racism, no cruelty. Instead, the reign of the Lamb will be one of Love, and we will know it by i...
Apr 26, 2016•16 min
About the Fourth Sunday of Easter: The fourth Sunday of Easter is often called "Good Shepherd Sunday" because the readings traditionally center around the image of Jesus as a shepherd. Even in the book of Revelation, Jesus is pictured as a shepherd - here a sort of ironic shepherd, a Lamb who is a shepherd. The least of the flock, the young lamb, is pictured here as leading a great multitude of all of God's people in the last days. The realities of living in a sinful world are pictured all aroun...
Apr 18, 2016•16 min
About the Third Sunday of Easter: The readings this week revolve around the idea of worthiness. In the reading from the book of Revelation, we see that it is only the Lamb, who is Jesus, that is found worthy. No others are worthy of the responsibility and action of heaven. Because we learn that it is "only the Lamb", we may be struck to the heart because we are excluded. We are not the Lamb. Yet the Lamb seeks to include us, as He shows in Acts 9 and John 21 with the inclusion and restoration of...
Apr 11, 2016•16 min
About Easter Sunday: Alleluias return to the sanctuary of University Lutheran as we consider emptiness again, but this time joyously, as we consider the empty tomb of our Lord whom death could not hold. Together with Mary Magdalene, Joanna, Mary the mother of James, and the other women and disciples, we consider the mystery of the question of the angels: "Why do you look for the living among the dead?"
Mar 29, 2016•18 min
Throughout the lectionary readings this week, we see hints of Jesus' crucifixion and how we are called to lose our lives in His life. As Jesus was persecuted, we are given the command to give of ourselves in love as well.
Mar 14, 2016•16 min
Sometimes culture views the Christian God of judgment, and while this is true about God's fairness, it neglects God's love and restoration of the human being. As we consider the God whom Jesus portrays as the father in the story of the prodigal, we consider a God who has given grace and forgiveness.
Mar 14, 2016•19 min
The readings this week are about repentance, and so it makes sense that we talk about how we are called to something greater than simple songs in our worship, but how we are turned around by God in our repentance.
Feb 29, 2016•16 min
The Word of God is something that is central to all of these readings, and as we see in the readings, the prophetic Word of God often causes sinners to reject it when they hear it. As we consider the use of Word in worship, from the readings to the other places where God's Word shows up in our worship, we thank God that He sends us His Word and makes us His friends.
Feb 22, 2016•22 min
This week's readings all tell us something about the concept of worship, which kicks off our Lenten series about what worship is and how we worship. We see that throughout time - from the Israelites worshiping in Deuteronomy to Paul's understanding of the Word being near - that God works in and through worship to make us His people. God brings Himself and blesses us on earth in the worship service
Feb 15, 2016•15 min
The “celebration” of Ash Wednesday is actually the beginning of a fast, the fast of Lent. Throughout the Bible, God’s faithful people would memorialize a time when they saw that they had to turn around and repent (the word “repent” literally means to turn around). It was a time of recognizing where one had lost their way and needed to get back to God. Of course, we don’t get back to God, God gets back to us by giving us His Son to die on the Cross for our sins. This Ash Wednesday and all of Lent...
Feb 12, 2016•16 min
About the 4th Sunday after Epiphany: In this Sunday's Gospel from the lectionary we have another incidence of Jesus performing miracles, but here it is specifically His healing and demon-casting miracles that are highlighted. We consider what it means for Jesus to be not only the healer of the body, but also his divinity that has made the body and sustains it.
Feb 01, 2016•15 min
About the 3rd Sunday after Epiphany: This could be also be called "the Sunday of the Law", but in it, we see how Jesus is the fulfillment of the Law of God, and how He has inaugurated new commandments that are in sync with God's commands to Israel.
Feb 01, 2016•15 min
About the First Sunday after Christmas - The first Sunday after Christmas is one in which we continue our celebration of Christ's birth and appearing, noting especially the hope that His arrival brings to us and to all people.
Dec 29, 2015•17 min
About Christmas Eve - We will be using the more traditional "Midnight" Christmas Eve readings even though our celebration will be at 7pm. Christmas Eve is a time to remember the tender grace that was born to mankind in Jesus Christ, a grace that makes its first appearance to us here but that has implications for our entire lives even into eternity.
Dec 29, 2015•13 min
About this Sunday: Micah prophesies the coming of Jesus saying that "He shall be their peace". All of these readings give us a sense of peace as we wait, a calm that washes over us as we await the Savior who shall come and finally bring peace to this war-torn earth. This peace is the product of our waiting and the outgrowth of our patience. We need not be filled with things and trinkets because of our anxiety. Rather, we can live our lives with contentment.
Dec 21, 2015•15 min
About this Sunday: We cheer together when we are filled with the expectation and hope of something good. We do not even need to see it - we can cheer in expectation. That is what this Sunday of Advent is all about, about the cheer of faith that waits but still rejoices. It is about the absolute certainty that celebrates what hasn't happened yet.
Dec 14, 2015•18 min
Every year University Lutheran puts on a German language Christmas service. The liturgy, readings, and hymns are in German, but the sermon is in English. This year, the sermon's major illustration was the original story of the Nutcracker - a German story by a man named Hoffman. The sermon is based on Hebrews, Chapter 1.
Dec 09, 2015•19 min
About this Sunday: Our Baptisms were the first steps of our journeys to heaven, but we experience the length of the journey as we go through life. This Sunday of Advent, we look at the wisdom of knowing that the journey is not instantaneous, but that we are called to journey well as we go through life. We look forward to our arrival, but we also enjoy being on the journey of our pilgrimage toward the Resurrection.
Dec 07, 2015•16 min
About this Sunday: The season of Advent is a season of waiting - its discipline and wisdom. The discipline and wisdom of waiting begins with the feeling of the VOID, the feeling of emptiness that we try to fill up with all sorts of short term solutions. This Sunday we will talk about what we do in the midst of the void of Jesus being physically with us (outside of the Lord's Supper), and how the wait for Him to come into our world is something that moves us to cherish and look expectantly to His...
Dec 03, 2015•17 min
About this Sunday: The season of Advent is a season of waiting - its discipline and wisdom. The discipline and wisdom of waiting begins with the feeling of the VOID, the feeling of emptiness that we try to fill up with all sorts of short term solutions. This Sunday we will talk about what we do in the midst of the void of Jesus being physically with us (outside of the Lord's Supper), and how the wait for Him to come into our world is something that moves us to cherish and look expectantly to His...
Nov 23, 2015•17 min
About this Sunday: Our last Sunday in the series "Gift of the Lamb" and the second to last Sunday in the church year. During it, we begin to turn our "Advent eyes" to the dawning of the day of Jesus' returning when we will see the Lamb upon the Throne and how we are to live our lives until that time.
Nov 19, 2015•21 min
About this Sunday: The readings for this Sunday lead us to consider what it is like to be prayed for and how intercession works. As we consider the intercession of the prophet, and even the intercession of the widow, our eyes are turned to our High Priest who makes intercession for us in both sacrifice and prayer.
Nov 09, 2015•21 min
About this Sunday: Like our Reformation Sunday, this celebration of All Saints continues with the readings for the 23rd Sunday after Pentecost. Again, the readings fit the celebration of the specific day, even if they were not tailored to do so. In this Sunday we look at the covenants of God - the Old Covenant renewed at Sinai, and the New Covenant found in the person and work of Jesus. As we remember those who have passed on before us, we remember how their lives have been hidden in Christ and ...
Nov 02, 2015•18 min
About this Sunday: While this Sunday is Reformation Day, we are using the readings from the 22nd Sunday after Pentecost in order to keep with the theme of the Lamb. The readings, however, are very good readings for the celebration of the Reformation - especially since the Priesthood of Jesus figured heavily into the original Reformation arguments of Jesus. As we look at these readings, we see Jesus restoring (reforming) His Church from its blindness through reminding us of His priesthood and cen...
Oct 26, 2015•15 min
About this Sunday: The Sabbath or "rest of God" is something that figures prominently into the theme of Hebrews. This Sunday is our opportunity to see this theme brought before our eyes. This rest is something that we are called to remember at the heart of our lives, rather than chasing after our vanities, we are reminded to find time to sit and rest and know that God is present and active in our lives.
Oct 19, 2015•17 min
About this Sunday: This week we see sharp contrast between the believer and the unbeliever. As we look at the Hebrews reading, we consider the stern warning to not associate ourselves with those who would rebel against God. In not associating with the rebels, those who have sold out their share with God for other things, we look to those with whom we ARE called to have fellowship with and how we attempt to have that fellowship grow stronger.
Oct 15, 2015•17 min
About this Sunday - This opening Sunday of our series begins with our contemplation of who Jesus is for us - family. The writer of the book of Hebrews makes the case that we are something special because Jesus came to have our flesh and blood, something that the angels cannot claim. We are special not because of our works, but because of our relation to the Lamb, who is our heavenly Brother.
Oct 08, 2015•20 min
About this Sunday: Our "Selfie" series comes to a close with an affirmation of who we are as God's people. When we take the picture of ourselves, we see God in the midst of that picture, working on us and making us who we are becoming.
Sep 30, 2015•13 min
About this Sunday: Our third Sunday of the "Selfie" is one that encourages us to look around at the way that the world operates, and separate ourselves from that picture. We are encouraged to be different and to live in a way that separates who we are from the background of the pictures that we are a part of.
Sep 21, 2015•16 min
About this Sunday: Our second Sunday of the "Selfie" sermon series is about seeing ourselves in the lens of possibility. All of the readings point to the realm of possibility, even including the father of the mute boy who says "I believe, help my unbelief". During this Sunday we will be talking about the gift that God gives us to be able to do things in His power and with His Word.
Sep 16, 2015•16 min
