Seminary Student Christian Willick - The Fifth Sunday After Pentecost - Sunday, June 27, 2021

Text: Psalm 46

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Grace to you and peace from God our Father and from the Lord Jesus Christ. Amen. Our sermon text for today is Psalm 46. It is God’s Word. My dear brothers and sisters in the name of our true brother Jesus Christ,  Just over a week ago, I was up north at my Grandma’s cottage for a family get-together. It was a Friday evening, so naturally we all went into town to enjoy a delicious outdoor fish fry. Brightly colored birds were chirping around us on bird feeders. The lake in the background sat quiet and still. And by the time we made it back to the cottage, the late evening sun was already slowly setting over our own lake as we digested our food and headed off to bed. It was the perfect picture of calm.

Pastor Kyle Bitter - The Fourth Sunday After Pentecost - Sunday, June 20, 2021

Text: Psalm 92

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Imagine a worship service...at the temple in the Old Testament. The blasts of the trumpets summon people to worship at 9 in the morning. You gather with others in the temple court. Smoke wafts up from the fire already kindled on the massive altar of burnt offering. Behind the altar, the towering façade of the temple building itself draws your eyes upward. A priest, dressed in ceremonial clothing, ascends the steps of the temple. He proclaims God’s blessing on the people. He reads the familiar words of the ten commandments. Then it’s time for the sacrifice – a gruesome spectacle. The sounds of a lamb being slain. The sight of blood running down the sides of the altar. The stench of burning flesh…but combined with the sweet smell of incense symbolizing the prayers of the people washed in the blood of the sacrifice ascending up to the throne of God. God’s blessing from the priest, the sounding of the trumpets again, and then a choir with a wide variety of instruments singing one or more of the Songs of Scripture from the book of Psalms. And if it happened to be a Sabbath Day, the psalm you might have heard sung could have been Psalm 92. Even though it’s not reprinted in your worship folders, Psalm 92 bears the following heading in the original Hebrew: A psalm. A song. For the Sabbath Day. (Psalm 92 – NIV84). As you read through this song, the psalm writer reminds why we Sing Praises to God both here in church and throughout our lives.

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

Text: Psalm 51

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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 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 Kyle Bitter - Trinity Sunday - Sunday, May 30, 2021

Text: Isaiah 6:1-8

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It was a quiet evening in the Italian restaurant where I worked during my college and seminary summers. The melodies of Italian opera music drifted through the air; the flavorful aromas of freshly cooked food wafted out from the kitchen. The patrons of the restaurant sat at their tables, talking quietly while the restaurant staff worked in the background. Suddenly, the peaceful atmosphere was pierced by a tremendous crash as a stack of dirty plates, a pile of silverware, and a bunch of wine glasses went crashing onto the stone floor and shattered into millions of pieces. Everyone jumped, there were a few startled gasps, and every head in the room immediately snapped around just in time to see my red-faced and blushing co-worker take a huge, exaggerated bow and then start picking up the pieces of glass that were scattered all over the floor. Stunned silence was gave way to awkward laughter and a little applause, and then people returned to their dinners and conversations. But during that brief moment of silence, there wasn’t a single person in the room who would have wanted to trade places with my co-worker. There was no hiding from his mistake – no disguising his clumsiness. I’m guessing that at one time or another, probably more than once, you’ve experienced something similar. Whether it was a random act of clumsiness in front of a lot of people, being late for class or work and having to walk in in front of everyone, or making a gaffe while giving a speech or presentation, you might try to cover it up by making a joke, but deep down you just want to disappear entirely!