Pastor Joel Leyrer - The Second Sunday in Advent - Sunday, December 5, 2021

Text: Philippians 1:3-11

Watch Service Video

Dear Friends in Christ, Today clearly belongs to John the Baptist. Two of our three readings reference him (Old Testament and Gospel). Next week’s Gospel reading will also revolve around his work. The announcement of his birth was the subject of our first midweek Advent service this past Wednesday. And he’s mentioned a number of times in our hymns for today.

Pastor Joel Leyrer - Midweek Advent 1 - Wednesday, December 1, 2021

Text: Luke 1:5-25

Watch Service Video

Dear Friends in Christ, In each of our three midweek Advent services this year we will consider a person whose life was intertwined with the birth of Jesus Christ. By taking a closer look at who they are and the part they played in the overall Christmas story as they waited for it to unfold, it will be our goal to learn from them and through them.

Pastor Joel Leyrer - Christ the King Sunday - Sunday, November 21, 2021

Text: John 18:33-37

Watch Service Video

Dear Friends in Christ, It is an early hour on the first Good Friday, perhaps first light. Jesus had been arrested the night before and subjected to a mock trial convened illegally by Jewish leaders. (According to their own strictly enforced rules, advance notice for such a meeting was required. But when you see your power and influence slipping away, apparently exceptions can be – and were – made.)

Pastor Joel Leyrer - The Twenty-Second Sunday After Pentecost - Sunday, October 24, 2021

Text: 2 Chronicles 26:16-23

Watch Service Video

Dear Friends in Christ, By definition, a “cautionary tale” is a story or the remembrance of a real-life event that serves as a warning. We find them throughout the literature and folklore of every age and every culture and, in one form or another, parents today still use them when giving guidance to their children.

Pastor Joel Leyrer - The Fifteenth Sunday After Pentecost - Sunday, September 5, 2021

Text: Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

Watch Service Video

Dear Friends in Christ, In the early 1930’s a husband-and-wife team of historians named Will and Ariel Durant took up the rather ambitious project of writing a history of the world. Forty years later the end result was a monumental eleven-volume set of books entitled, “The Story of Civilization.” Each of the volumes had their own separate title corresponding to a period of time, many of which used the same formula: “The Age of…” (Faith, Reason, Napoleon, etc.).

Pastor Joel Leyrer - The Tenth Sunday After Pentecost - Sunday, August 1, 2021

Text: Psalm 84

Watch Service Video

Dear Friends in Christ, we sometimes hear people talk about escaping bad news or a stressful situation by saying they are going to their “happy place.”  It’s usually said in a lighthearted yet wistful manner. Maybe you’ve used this cliché yourself. What does it mean, and where is it?

Pastor Joel Leyrer - The Eighth Sunday After Pentecost - Sunday, July 18, 2021

Text: Psalm 78

Watch Service Video

Dear Friends in Christ, if you have never walked into a room and come to a dead stop because you can’t remember the reason you went there in the first place; if you have never searched the corners of your mind for a word or name you know you know but can’t come up with; if you have never wandered aimlessly around a parking lot, or worse yet, a multi-story parking ramp, because you thought you made a mental note of where you parked, only to discover your mental note had an extremely limited shelf life… two words come to mind…Just wait.

Pastor Joel Leyrer - The Seventh Sunday After Pentecost - Sunday, July 11, 2021

Text: Psalm 143

Watch Service Video

Dear Friends in Christ, maybe you’ve heard someone say to a parent about their child or to someone older who has had a longtime or close working relationship with someone younger, “You know, I can see a lot of you in him (or her).” Unless they’re specifically referring to a physical resemblance, what they mean is that some of the same kinds of emotional traits or approaches to life they see in you seem to have been passed down or somehow incorporated into that other person.

Pastor Joel Leyrer - The Third Sunday After Pentecost - Sunday, June 13, 2021

Text: Psalm 51

Watch Service Video

Dear Friends in Christ, On October 31, 1517, Martin Luther, at the time a 34-year-old Augustinian monk, University professor and parish pastor, nailed a document to the door of the Castle Church in Wittenberg, Germany. In itself, this was not unusual. The church was located in a high traffic area, and the door served as a local bulletin board. Attaching something to it ensured maximum publicity.

Pastor Joel Leyrer - Pentecost - Sunday, May 23, 2021

Text: Ezekiel 37:1-14

Watch Service Video

Dear Friends in Christ. By definition, a “silent partner” is someone who is involved in a business venture, but not in a noticeable and visible way. Their involvement is every bit as important as those who lead from the front; it’s just that by design the silent partner does their work beneath the surface.