Sermons from 2021 (Page 5)

“Expectation Meets Reality”

Zechariah 9:9-10 {Prayer}             Expectations meet reality.  The sandwich looked good on the menu, but it didn’t look good when it was served.  You thought you had taken a great picture, but now you want a retake.  You thought loading the car for the trip would be easy, but your children wanted to bring way…

“Forgiven Traitors”

Luke 22:1:6 {Prayer}             Marcus Junius Brutus the Younger, Guy Fawkes, Robert Ford, Judas Iscariot … these four all have something in common with each other.  They are all traitors.             Marcus Junius Brutus, often referred to simply as Brutus, was a Roman senator who served under Julius Caesar.  He is best known from Shakespeare’s…

“The Redeemer’s Refinery”

Zechariah 13:1-2 {Prayer}             When Jessica and I were dating, she lived in Perryville, Missouri and I lived in the west suburbs of Chicago.  After work, which was in downtown Chicago, I would be driving down I-55 and see these large oil refineries in Joliet.  The jungle of tubes, pipes, valves, switches and pumps could…

“In the Cross of Christ I Glory”

John 12:23-36 {Prayer}             We just sang these words:            “In the cross of Christ I glory,           Tow’ring o’er the wrecks of time.           All the light of sacred story           Gathers round its head sublime” (LW 101, “In the Cross of Christ I Glory”)                      In the cross of Christ I glory.  Really?  Just listen to this …            “Roman citizens…

“First Secure Your own Oxygen Mask”

Zechariah 8:20-23 {Prayer}             “First secure your own oxygen mask.”  This directive is familiar to anyone who has traveled on commercial airplanes.  In the event of an emergency, like a sudden loss of cabin pressure, we’re told by the flight attendant that an oxygen mask for each person will drop from the overhead compartment.  In…

“Not to Deceive”

Matthew 23:1-12 {Prayer}             Deception … to some, it’s a game, to others … well, whether they mean it to be or not … it’s a way of life.  Either way … it is something which every single one of us is good at.             During the Prohibition Era a California product was being sold…

“Who Will Take the Garbage Out?”

Zechariah 5:5-11 {Prayer}             Who will take the garbage out?  That is a question which has been asked in households for years.  Obviously if your single that question doesn’t apply simply because you are the only trash-taker-outer there is.  But for married couples and those with kids … now that’s a whole different story.            …

“Silencing Satan”

Zechariah 3:1-10 {Prayer}             Dr. Reed Lessing, the author of our series on the book of Zechariah, tells the story of a time when he was stuck in the Atlanta airport.  His flight to St. Louis for whatever reason was canceled.  The next flight was jam-packed and he knew that if he didn’t get on…

“Who’s First”

Mark 12:28-34 {Prayer}             In high school but mainly in college, if I had to ride with someone and there was a group of us going, there was always a race to the car.  It didn’t matter if we were driving two blocks to the local convenient store or if we were going 20 minutes…