Sermons by Pastor Gewecke (Page 7)
Epiphany 4A Reciprocating God’s Love
Micah 6:1-8 The Lord has shown you what is good, what is required of you. Is it a sacrifice in hand? Something of great value such as our firstborn? No. Nothing from our hands changes God. In fact, that is the point. We need to change, not God. As recipients of his loving kindness we are called to love God in return, to reciprocate his love. Without disparaging formal worship and offerings, Micah reminds us that love from the heart…
Epiphany 3A A Call to What?
Matthew 4:12-25 The story of Jesus calling Andrew, Peter, James and John can be rather intimidating. “Follow me and I will make you fishers of men.” They left everything and followed Jesus. Are we called to do the same; leave our occupations and homes to follow Jesus? A closer look at this passage reveals a paradigm for both apostleship and discipleship. The application of this passage to your life will depend upon which of these you are being called to.…
Epiphany 2A
John 1: 29-42a Evangelism can be a scary word for some. Perhaps that is because it can seem so foreign to us. In our minds, evangelism is marvelous and miraculous. But we live in the mundane, meaning evangelism happens in some place other than our lives. So we don’t relate. But John shows us that evangelism is simply sharing the good news within our relationships; the everyday relationships of our mundane lives. More likely than not, that’s the way it…
Baptism of Our Lord
Isaiah 42:1-9 “Not by might, nor by power, but by my Spirit” God said through the prophet Zechariah. So does Isaiah describe God’s Servant in chapter 42nd of the book that bears his name. This prophecy points forward to Jesus who is the fulfillment. Matthew, in his recording of the baptism of Jesus, makes sure we understand that Jesus is indeed God’s Servant. As we look at Jesus’ ministry, it should be no surprise then, that we see he works…
Epiphany A Cosmic, Political and Personal
Matthew 2:1-12 The story of the visit of the Magi may seem like child’s play as we think of children rearranging the figurines. Yet it is anything but child’s play. It is cosmic, political and most of all personal. Sermon Date: January 5, 2020
Advent 3A Be Patient
James 5:7-11 Patience is of two kinds. The kind we practice with one another and the kind we practice in relation to God. One mark of a Christian congregation is that we are patient with one another, not grumbling. It is important for us to show this kind of patience. The other is a patience of faith, as we wait for God to fulfill his promises in spite of the challenging circumstances we may face. We may think things ought to…
Advent 2A Prepare the Way
Matthew 3:1-12 At the beginning of the Church Year we are again reminded that our salvation begins with God coming to us. The story begins in the Old Testament with God’s promises, finds its fulfillment in the coming of Christ, and continues in our day through the work of the Spirit in Word and Sacrament. The key to receiving the kingdom, as John the Baptizer tells us, is repentance; contrition, faith and the fruit of repentance. Sermon Date: December 8,…
Advent 1A Stewardship; A Response to Advent
Stewardship might seem to be a strange theme for the season of Advent, but actually it is quite appropriate. God’s coming to us in the incarnation of Christ redeems our lives and our world. Giving these things back to God in faith then becomes pleasing to God. It is a joy to know that God uses our offerings to him for his purposes and ongoing work of redemption. Sermon Date: December 1, 2019
Last Sunday of the Church Year; Building on the Promises of God Part 15: God’s Promises Give Hope
The Last Sunday of the Church year reminds us that history is linear; there is a last day and God is moving history to that end. The promise of Christ’s return, along with all of his promises, gives us hope. We may be tempted to lose hope given the circumstances of our world. But in faith we build on the promises of God and are given hope. Sermon Date: November 24, 2019
Pentecost 23C Building on the Promises of God Part 14: Your redemption Is Drawing Near
Luke 21:5-28 It may seem rather strange to us the way that Jesus places violence and troubled times before our eyes with his words in Luke 21. They can be difficult to hear and we would rather dwell on positive themes. However, a closer look at the passage indicates that Jesus’ purpose is to help us so that we don’t get stuck in the scenes of violence but can see through them to our redemption that is drawing near. Sermon…