FIRST READING 1st Samuel 16:1-13 Samuel anointed David even though he was the eighth-oldest son of Jesse and did not match his brothers in height or other physical characteristics. With the anointing came endowment with the spirit of the Lord, designating David as the Lord’s chosen successor to Saul. 1The Lord said to Samuel,…
3900 Winnetka Avenue N., New Hope, MN 55427
3900 Winnetka Avenue N., New Hope, MN 55427
Sermons on Lent
FIRST READING Exodus 17:1-7 Because the thirsty Israelites quarreled with Moses and put God to the test, Moses cried out in desperation to God. God commanded Moses to strike the rock to provide water for the people. The doubt-filled question – “Is the Lord among us or not?” – received a very positive answer. 1From the wilderness of Sin…
FIRST READING Genesis 12:1-4a God’s call to Abram and Sarai has a clear purpose – that through them all the families of the earth would gain a blessing. As they set out on their journey, they are accompanied by promises of land, nation, and a great reputation. 1Now the Lord said to Abram, “Go from your country and your kindred…
Today’s sermon is by retired ELCA pastor Linda Wahlstrom, filling in for her son Pastor Jason who was out sick today. FIRST READING Genesis 2:15-17, 3:1-7 Human beings were formed with great care, to be in relationship with the creator, creation, and one another. The serpent’s promise to the first couple that their eyes…
FIRST READING Isaiah 50:4-9a This text, the third of the four Servant Songs in Isaiah, speaks of the servant’s obedience amid persecution. Though the servant has been variously understood as the prophet himself or a remnant of faithful Israel, Christians have often recognized the figure of Christ in these poems. 4The Lord God has given me the tongue of a teacher, that…
FIRST READING Isaiah 43:16-21 The prophet declares that long ago God performed mighty deeds and delivered Israel from Egyptian bondage through the waters of the sea. Now, God is about to do a new thing, bringing the exiles out of Babylon and through the wilderness in a new Exodus. 16Thus says the Lord, who makes a way in the sea,…
Today’s sermon is by Jonah Fuhrman, a U of M Lutheran Campus Ministry student. FIRST READING Joshua 5:9-12 9The Lord said to Joshua, “Today I have rolled away from you the disgrace of Egypt.” And so that place is called Gilgal to this day. 10While the Israelites were camped in Gilgal they kept the passover in the…
FIRST READING Isaiah 55:1-9 To those who have experienced long years in exile, the return to their homeland is a celebration of abundant life. God calls them into an everlasting covenant of love. Those who return to God will enjoy new life and forgiveness, because God’s ways are not our ways. 1Ho, everyone who thirsts, come to…
FIRST READING Genesis 15:1-12, 17-18 God promises a childless and doubting Abrah that he will have a child, that his descendants will be as numerous as the stars, and that the land of Canaan will be their inheritance. Abram’s trust in God is sealed with a covenant-making ceremony, a sign of God’s promise. 1After these things the word of the Lord came to…
FIRST READING Deuteronomy 26:1-11 The annual harvest festival, called the Feast of Weeks, provides the setting for this reading. This festival celebrates the first fruits of the produce of the land offered back to God in thanks. In this text, worshipers announce God’s gracious acts on behalf of Israel. 1When you have come into the land that the Lord your God…