FIRST READING Isaiah 25:6-9 More than 700 years before Christ, the prophet Isaiah proclaims the good news of God’s salvation and calls all people to rejoice! God will make a rich feast for all people. God will wipe the tears from their eyes. And most importantly, God will destroy death itself. 6On this mountain the Lord of hosts will make for…
3900 Winnetka Avenue N., New Hope, MN 55427
3900 Winnetka Avenue N., New Hope, MN 55427
Sermons by Rev. Jason Wahlstrom
FIRST READING Jeremiah 31:31-34 The Judeans in Babylon blamed their exile on their ancestors, who had broken the covenant established at Sinai. Here the prophet looks to a day when God will make a new covenant with the people. There will be no need to teach the law, because God will write it on their hearts. 31The days…
FIRST READING Exodus 20:1-17 After escaping from slavery, the Israelites come to Mount Sinai, where God teaches them how to live in community. The Ten Commandments proclaim that God alone is worthy of worship. Flowing from God, the life of the community flourishes when based on honesty, trust, fidelity, and respect for life, family, and property. 1Then God spoke all these words:…
Scripture Reading: Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7 15 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall…
FIRST READING Genesis 9:8-17 Today’s reading is the conclusion to the flood story. Because of human sin, God destroys the earth by flood, saving only Noah, his family, and the animals on the ark. Yet divine destruction gives way to divine commitment. As in the first creation, God blessed humanity and establishes a covenant with all creatures. 8 Then God said…
FIRST READING Deuteronomy 18:15-20 Today’s reading is part of a longer discourse in Deuteronomy, an updating of the law for the Israelite community as the people wait to enter the promised land. Here Moses assures the people that God will continue to guide them through prophets who will proclaim the divine word. 15 The Lord your God will raise up for you…
FIRST READING 1st Samuel 3:1-20 At a time when visions are rare and unexpected, the Lord comes to Samuel and calls him to speak the divine word. Though just a boy, Samuel responds to God obediently, as Eli the priest has taught him to respond. This marks the beginning of Samuel’s prophetic ministry. 1 Now the boy Samuel was ministering to the Lord under Eli.…
FIRST READING Genesis 1:1-5 Out of chaos, God brings order. Out of the formless void, God brings light. This familiar story was good news for the Israelites, who experienced much chaos in their history. It remains good news for us. God created and continues to create new life. 1 In the beginning when God created the heavens and the earth, 2 the earth was a formless…
FIRST READING 2nd Samuel 7:1-11, 16 Instead of David building a house (temple) for God, God promises to establish David’s house (dynasty) forever. Centuries later, after the Babylonian exile, no king sat on the throne. Even then, however, the people of Israel remembered this promise and continued to hope for a king, the messiah, God’s anointed. 1Now when the king…
FIRST READING Isaiah 61:1-4, 8-11 Though the people had returned to Jerusalem from exile in Babylon, they continued to face hardship and oppression. In the language of the jubilee year described in Leviticus 25, the prophet, moved by the spirit of God, announces deliverance for those who are oppressed and comfort for those who mourn. 1The spirit of the Lord God is upon me,…