ST. STEPHEN’S EVANGELICAL LUTHERAN CHURCH
Striving to speak God’s saving truth in love. Ephesians 4:15
10Mar
Hands of Brutality
Hands of Brutality Sermon on Matthew 27:27-31 March 10, St. Stephen’s March 17, St. John’s Juneau March 24, Good Shepherd What do you know about the Romans? First thing is probably Roman numerals, using letters for numbers. Somehow, MMXXI means 2021. The Romans have made many contributions to architecture and culture. Our national buildings like…
28Feb
Our True Worth before God
Sermon on Mark 8:31–38 for Lent 2, February 28, 2021 There’s a quirk in our English language that the words “price” and “worth” mean the same thing…. “What is that new car worth?” “The price is $15,000.00” …but add the suffix -less to both, and the words become opposites. You look through some baby pictures…
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17Feb
Judas-The Hands of Betrayal
A sermon on John 13:21-29 for Ash Wednesday, February 17, 2021. They say not to bite the hand that feeds you. A person can take a lot of things from people that they do not know or have no close relationship with. They can be given dirty looks. They can be ridiculed. They can be…
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31Jan
We Stand in Awe of the Gospel
The pictures just do not do it justice. As beautiful as it looks like on TV or in the movies, being there in person is so much more breathtaking. We can try to picture some of the great wonders in the world, however, those pictures in our mind do not do justice. If we stand…
24Jan
A Balanced Message from (the Book of) an Unbalanced Prophet
Sermon on Jonah 3:1–5, 10 for Epiphany 3, January 21, 22 & 24, 2021 It seems that almost everything in life is about balance. In art—is there a proper balance of color. Are the items in the picture positioned to balance the frame. In food—are the flavors in balance, sweet, salty, sour. In building—are the…
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14Jan
Baptism Sets You Apart
Sermon on Mark 1:4-11 for January 10, 2021 – 1st Sunday after Epiphany – Baptism of our Lord Dear friends in Jesus, Let’s take a little Bible trivia quiz this morning. What is Jesus’ last name? A logical guess might be “Christ”, since he is often referred to in Scripture and by Christians as “Jesus…
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03Jan
God’s Treasure Reveals Great Riches
A sermon in Romans 11:13-15, 28-32, for Epiphany Sunday, January 3, 2021. How many of you have ever watched the television show Pawn Stars? This History Channel show highlights a pawn shop in Las Vegas, NV. People bring in their possessions to either sell or pawn. Some bring in big ticket items. Rare books, collector…
28Dec
Simeon Teaches Us about Christmas Peace
Sermon on Luke 2:22-40 for the First Sunday after Christmas (B), December 26, 2020 Peace is probably the most important Christmas word. It’s on our Christmas decorations. I got three or four Christmas cards with the word peace displayed on the covers. And biblically it’s in the song of the angels: “Peace on earth, goodwill…
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25Dec
The Long Wait Comes to an End
A sermon on Isaiah 62:10-12 for Christmas Day, December 25, 2020. All the preparations have been made. Maybe for some plans have changed many times due to unforeseen circumstances, especially this year with everything happening around us. Exhausted UPS, FedEx, Amazon, and mail carriers breathe a sigh of relief that all the packages and cards…
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13Dec
Our Light Shines
A sermon based on John 1:6-8, 19-28 for the 3rd Sunday of Advent, December 10/13, 2020. 400 years. That is lot of time to pass. Just think of what happened in history 400 years ago. The year would be 1620. The first merry-go-round debuted at a fair in Turkey. The Mayflower set sail across the…
06Dec
It’s All about Jesus
Sermon on Mark 1:1-8 for Advent 2, B, December 3, 4 & 6, 2020 There are some people mentioned in the Bible who only get a verse or two. We are told very little about them—that makes them even more interesting. An Old Testament example would be Enoch. “[He lived] 365 years. Enoch walked with…
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26Nov
Rejoice, Dear Christian!
A sermon in Philippians 4:6-20 for Thanksgiving, November 25/26, 2020. If we listen to the news media and believe everything we read on Facebook, Instagram, or any other social media post, we might feel like our reasons for rejoicing have been snuffed out. Debates rage on about the election results, although more and more of…
22Nov
God Says, “I Myself Will Shepherd My Flock”
Sermon on Ezekiel 34:11-16, 23-24 for Christ the King, November 19, 20 & 22, 2020 Ezekiel was a prophet in Judah at a very rough time. About 700 B.C. (722 B. C.), a hundred years before his time, a great empire, Assyria, destroyed and scattered the tribes of the north. If you ever heard of…
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08Nov
Wake Up!
A sermon based on Isaiah 52:1-6 for the 23rd Sunday after Pentecost, November 5/6/8, 2020. The alarm rings. A tired hand slams the snooze button. Just as quickly as the alarm goes off, eyes shut for a few more precious minutes of sleep. All too quickly the alarm blares again. Maybe this time a voice…
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18Oct
Honoring God Means Honoring His Representatives
I can remember sitting in my homiletics, or preaching class, my first year at the Seminary. The professor in introducing us to the basics of preaching talked about the importance of the pericope, the lessons picked out for each Sunday. He explained how these lessons allow us to preach on various topics, so that we…