3900 Winnetka Avenue N., New Hope, MN 55427

Sermons by Rev. Ashley Updegraff

October 16, 2022 Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost “The Struggle is Real”

FIRST READING      Genesis 32:22-31 Returning to the home he had fled many years before after stealing his brother’s birthright and his father’s blessing, Jacob wrestles all night long with a divine adversary who ultimately blesses him and changes his name to “Israel,” a name that means “he wrestles with God.” 22The same night he got up and took his two wives, his…

September 25, 2022 Sixteenth Sunday after Pentecost “You’ve Only Got One Shot”

FIRST READING                  Amos 6:1a, 4-7 The prophet Amos announces that Israel’s great wealth is a cause not for rejoicing but rather sorrow, because God’s people have forgotten how to share their wealth with the poor. The wealthy will be the first to go into exile when judgment comes. 1aAlas for those who are at ease in Zion, and…

September 4, 2022 Thirteenth Sunday after Pentecost “Faith Charades”

FIRST READING                Deuteronomy 30:15-20 Moses speaks to the Israelites, who are about to enter the land promised to their ancestors. In this passage, he lays out the stark choice before them: choose life by loving and obeying the Lord; or choose death by following other gods. 15See, I have set before you today life and prosperity, death…

August 14, 2022 Tenth Sunday after Pentecost “Faith: Don’t Leave Home Without It”

FIRST READING           Jeremiah 23:23-29 Because Jeremiah preaches the unpopular message of God’s judgment, he suffers rejection. Today’s reading 23Am I a God near by, says the Lord, and not a God far off? 24Who can hide in secret places so that I cannot see them? says the Lord. Do I not fill heaven and earth? says the Lord. 25I have heard what the prophets have said…

July 10, 2022 Fifth Sunday after Pentecost “Make it Small”

FIRST READING                  Deuteronomy 30:9-14 Moses calls the people who are about to enter the promised land to renew the covenant God made with their ancestors. Through this covenant God gives life and asks for obedience. God’s commandment is neither burdensome nor too far off, but dwells in the people’s hearts. 9and the Lord your God will make you abundantly prosperous…

July 3, 2022 Fourth Sunday after Pentecost “Lambs and Wolves”

FIRST READING                   Isaiah 66:10-14 Those who returned from the exile found that the hopes for the glorious restoration of Judah were not completely fulfilled. For these disappointed people, the prophet envisions salvation in the image of a nursing woman. Mother Jerusalem and a mothering God remind the community how they are sustained and supported. 10Rejoice with Jerusalem, and…

June 19, 2022 Second Sunday after Pentecost “Possessed”

FIRST READING                   Isaiah 65:1-9 The prophet announces God’s impatience. The people’s self-absorption is idolatry, and images of practices that displease God fill this reading. Like a vintner who crushes the grape to release the wine, God will use Israel’s exile to establish a new community of the faithful. I was ready to be sought out by those who…