Pastor Eric Schroeder - Thanksgiving - Thursday, November 25, 2021

Text: Deuteronomy 8:10-18

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I’d imagine that we’ve all said it at some point in our lives: “I’ll be so thankful when this is over.” Maybe it was a tough stretch in school, when the homework projects all came due, and the big final tests piled up. Or it could have been a stressful family situation where strong personalities refused to budge, and tension was high. Perhaps it was one of those weeks at work when everything seemed to go wrong, and the weekend couldn’t come quickly enough; everyone just needed some space and time apart. Or maybe it was an illness that you couldn’t shake or a long, lingering injury that sure took its time to heal. If you’ve been through one or more of those situations, you certainly know the feeling…” I’ll be so thankful when it’s over.”

Pastor Eric Schroeder - Saints Triumphant Sunday - Sunday, November 14, 2021

Text: Mark 13:24-27

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²⁴ “But in those days, following that distress, “ ‘the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light; ²⁵the stars will fall from the sky, and the heavenly bodies will be shaken.’ ²⁶ “At that time men will see the Son of Man coming in clouds with great power and glory. ²⁷ And he will send his angels and gather his elect from the four winds, from the ends of the earth to the ends of the heavens. Every now and then, life presents us with those critical moments when everything seems to change in an instant. And when that happens, when we go through a sudden life-changing event, which way does it normally go? What I mean is this: of all the huge moments that you have observed in people’s lives or that you have been through yourself—especially the unexpected ones, does life get better or worse immediately after?

Pastor Eric Schroeder - Reformation - Sunday, October 31, 2021

Text: Mark 13:5-11

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You may have heard it said, “You’ve got to stand for something, or you’ll fall for anything.” I suppose one way to rephrase the sentiment is to say that we all need one or more foundational principles that we live by—they guide our goals, our plans, our decisions and how we look at the world. “You’ve got to stand for something, or you’ll fall for anything.” A simpler way to say it would be this: if you don’t know what’s true, you’ll never recognize all the lies that will be told to you. “You’ve got to stand for something, or you’ll fall for anything.”

Pastor Eric Schroeder - The Seventeenth Sunday After Pentecost - Sunday, September 19, 2021

Text: Jeremiah 38:1-13

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Do you sometimes feel like these are dark days that we’re living in? Jeremiah would certainly understand. If we do a quick comparison of our situation and his, we’d find that his days were probably darker than ours (not that it is a competition anyone wants to win); there is a good reason why Jeremiah is often called “the weeping prophet.” When God first called Jeremiah, God warned the young man that his ministry would be characterized by the daunting task of calling God’s people to repentance for abandoning God…and not just his fellow countrymen, but the people in power: kings, officials, priests—in other words, the kind of people who could make life extremely difficult for a young man like Jeremiah.

Pastor Eric Schroeder - The Fourteenth Sunday After Pentecost - Sunday, August 29, 2021

Text: Psalm 71

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Some of us might remember well one of the longest running ad campaigns in the last century.  Those who are too young can still find it on YouTube… It was way back in the days before you could skip over commercials on your DVR, so anyone watching TV in those days saw them on a regular basis. From 1991-2004, an advertising agency hired by Chevrolet ran a campaign that aimed to brand Chevy trucks as dependable, reliable, strong enough for any task, powerful enough to pull any fully-loaded trailer, built for whatever one might need it for. The agency gained permission to use a song from Detroit’s own Bob Seger, and then it was easy to put it all together and remind us all time and time again that Chevy Trucks were made in America and built “Like a Rock.” 

Pastor Eric Schroeder - The Eleventh Sunday After Pentecost - Sunday, August 8, 2021

Text: Psalm 145

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I know it’s August, but do you remember what Thanksgiving looks like? Of course, you do. If you have been to church on Thanksgiving Eve or Thanksgiving Day before, you can almost picture the decorations up front. In our part of the world, Thanksgiving generally coincides with the harvest season, and so there might be corn and pumpkins and squash, and maybe other fruits and vegetables on display as a reminder of God’s glorious provision of all that we need and all that we have. Some churches even have a wicker cornucopia, a horn of plenty, and it’s usually overflowing as a symbol of abundance. Today, we don’t have any of those decorations up front. But we do have Psalm 145 as a reminder of how today and every day is a good day to practice thanksgiving and praise to God.

Pastor Eric Schroeder - The Sixth Sunday After Pentecost - Sunday, July 4, 2021

Text: Psalm 30

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¹I will exalt you, O Lord, for you lifted me out of the depths and did not let my enemies gloat over me. ²O Lord my God, I called to you for help and you healed me. ³O Lord, you brought me up from the grave; you spared me from going down into the pit. ⁴Sing to the Lord, you saints of his; praise his holy name. ⁵For his anger lasts only a moment, but his favor lasts a lifetime; weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning. ⁶When I felt secure, I said, “I will never be shaken.” ⁷O Lord, when you favored me, you made my mountain stand firm; but when you hid your face, I was dismayed. ⁸To you, O Lord, I called; to the Lord I cried for mercy: ⁹“What gain is there in my destruction, in my going down into the pit? Will the dust praise you? Will it proclaim your faithfulness? ¹⁰Hear, O Lord, and be merciful to me; O Lord, be my help.” ¹¹You turned my wailing into dancing; you removed my sackcloth and clothed me with joy, ¹²that my heart may sing to you and not be silent. O Lord my God, I will give you thanks forever.

Pastor Eric Schroeder - The Second Sunday After Pentecost - Sunday, June 6, 2021

Text: Psalm 126

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¹When the Lord brought back the captives to Zion, we were like men who dreamed. ²Our mouths were filled with laughter, our tongues with songs of joy. Then it was said among the nations, “The Lord has done great things for them.” ³The Lord has done great things for us, and we are filled with joy. ⁴Restore our fortunes, O Lord, like streams in the Negev. ⁵Those who sow in tears will reap with songs of joy. ⁶He who goes out weeping, carrying seed to sow, will return with songs of joy, carrying sheaves with him.

Pastor Eric Schroeder - 8th Grade Graduation - Wednesday, May 26, 2021

Text: 1 Timothy 4:12

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I know how you guys love hypothetical questions. Part of it might be because you are developing your critical thinking skills; and part of it might be because you like to waste time…. At any rate, how about a quick lightning round of “would you rather…”?  You know how it usually works, but you won’t have much time; we’ll have to go fast. Hold up one finger for the first choice and two fingers for the second. Are you ready?

Pastor Eric Schroeder - The Seventh Sunday of Easter - Sunday, May 16, 2021

Text: Hebrews: 7:11-27

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Over the past year and a half, a whole bunch of new terms have entered our vocabulary through conversations that we never would have thought we’d be having. But we started hearing them enough that we picked up these terms along the way and started talking about herd immunity, proper social distancing, an asymptomatic carriers as if we had always known what we were talking about.  Maybe those conversations might have made a difference…but probably not. One new distinction did make a big difference in our lives and in our homes, however: that line between essential and non-essential workers. Some people were told that they get to keep working, or had to keep working, whether they felt comfortable or not; others were told they had to stay home.