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…
3900 Winnetka Avenue N., New Hope, MN 55427
3900 Winnetka Avenue N., New Hope, MN 55427
Sermons on Lent
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…
FIRST READING Isaiah 50:4-9a The image of the servant of God is one of the notable motifs in the book of Isaiah. Today’s reading describes the mission of the servant, whom early Christians associated with Jesus. Like Jesus, the servant does not strike back at his detractors but trusts in God’s steadfast love. 4The Lord God has given me the tongue…
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 Numbers 21:4-9 Though God provides food and water for the Israelites in the wilderness, they whine and grumble. They forget about the salvation they experienced in the exodus. God punishes them for their sin, but when they repent God also provides a means of healing: a bronze serpent lifted up on a pole. 4From Mount Hor they set…
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:…