Holy Trinity Ankeny
287 episodes - English - Latest episode: 5 days ago - ★★★★ - 5 ratingsHoly Trinity Lutheran Church
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God's Law. God's Gospel.
July 06, 2020 17:10 - 18 minutes - 13.7 MBWe often make much out of God’s law. Mostly we believe that the Law is that which tells us what we can and cannot do. Paul would say, not so fast. Law and Gospel are deeply connected, one serving the other in offering us grace and new life.
Devoted to What?
June 29, 2020 12:00 - 20 minutes - 14.6 MBDevotion is a necessary and unnoted part of life. We all need something to drive or guide us to live and love. St. Paul wants us to think about the object of our devotion. Does it lead to life or death? Paul sees sin as not a bunch of mistakes, but as a life devoted to the things of death. That will cause us to do mean and rotten things. Devotion to Christ is a whole different thing. The difference is very good news.
Living Our Identity
June 22, 2020 13:41 - 16 minutes - 13 MBPaul’s Letter to the Romans is filled with the Good News of God’s grace, which is Good News indeed. Now that we have received God’s grace, does sin even matter anymore. Can I just sin as much as I want and God will take care of it? Paul gives an emphatic “No.” Instead, God has given us new life in Christ. What does that mean for me? Hear what Paul teaches us about our identity in Christ and how this new identity changes everything.
Boasting in the Hope of the Gospel
June 15, 2020 13:19 - 15 minutes - 12.9 MBIt is not that we must be good enough or wise enough or obedient enough to gain God, it is that God has already gained us. That is good news. That is what grace looks like. And that is why the only adequate response for us who have been justified by faith is to work each and every day to extend that same radical grace to our deeply divided and suffering world. As Jesus charges the disciples in today’s gospel passage: you received without payment; give without payment.
Fierce Love of the Trinity
June 08, 2020 13:19 - 10 minutes - 5.47 MBWhat is the Holy Trinity, the God of Relationship and Love, doing in the midst of our current national turmoil? Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton points to the fullness of God as creator, incarnate, and present to give us both hope and call to be about the work of the Trinity.
The Spirit Speaks
June 01, 2020 13:16 - 15 minutes - 10.5 MBPentecost is a celebration of the gift of the Holy Spirit. In the power of the Spirit, God breaks through all the barriers that keep people apart; crosses all the obstructions that keep God at bay and speaks words of peace, grace, transformation. Do you hear what the Spirit is saying right now?
Christ Descended and Ascended
May 23, 2020 22:00 - 19 minutes - 14.1 MBThe Ascension of Jesus is an important part of Christian faith. But what is the Ascension? Where did Jesus go? More important, what does it have to do with how we live and engage our faith today? Does it mean that we’re on our own? That Christ has left the building? That’s not what his disciples concluded. Nor should we.
Grounded in God’s Presence through Love
May 18, 2020 13:18 - 14 minutes - 11.4 MBTo love Jesus is to love and serve our neighbors, and it is through love that the presence of the Holy Spirit dwells within us, guiding us, inspiring us, and reminding us that even in the midst of uncertainty, we are never alone. Through love, through the presence of God within us, the Spirit of truth gives us the antidote to fear and suffering, the answer to worries about a virus and all that the future holds. The promise is true: God will not leave us orphaned. The God who was, who is, and...
Troubled Hearts
May 11, 2020 13:25 - 19 minutes - 15.8 MBDon't let your hearts be troubled. Really Jesus? That's how you're going to start this conversation. It seems like a pretty tall order, what with being in the middle of a pandemic. After all, lives are being threatened, our economy is collapsing, every day the death toll rises, and Jesus starts our Gospel reading with these words, "Do not let your hearts be troubled." Jesus has a message for our troubled hearts as he addresses the fear, anger, and anxiety that occupy the disciples. If your h...
A New Song
May 04, 2020 12:51 - 11 minutes - 10.7 MBOur guest preacher, Bishop Michael Burk of the Southeastern Iowa Synod, reflects on Jesus, who says he is our gate, our shepherd, our Lord. With this Jesus there is always much more life… especially when things don’t seems to be the way they should be.
On the Road
April 27, 2020 14:07 - 14 minutes - 10.1 MBBeing on the road means we’re going somewhere. The destination is the most important part of the trip. For two disciples who witnessed the death of Jesus, the road to Emmaus led them away from the darkness and disappointment of Jerusalem. Yet, it was along the way that Jesus came alongside them and began to transform their sorrow. Like so many of the stories of scripture, God came near on the way, in the middle of the journey. Maybe there is something to learn from that in this time when we ...
God Still Shows Up
April 20, 2020 14:42 - 16 minutes - 12.6 MBDespite the fact that this was, indeed, a strange Easter, perhaps this is the year in which we discover anew that the true gift of Easter is that it makes the unknown known. In the unknown, we find that fear can still take control and win the day. But because of Easter, we live in the certainty of the presence of the One whom even death could not contain. We live in the light of the Risen Christ and so we rest in the assurance that God will continue to show up even in the midst of our doubts...
When Normal is Not Normal Anymore
April 13, 2020 14:26 - 18 minutes - 15.3 MBNone of us can call life “normal” right now. Everything seems changed by the pandemic we are enduring. When normal is no longer normal, we can be filled with fear about the changes. We can doubt that the future holds any hope. We can even question how it is we're supposed to act, behave and live each day. What does the Resurrection of Jesus have to say about all this? Quite a bit, actually.
Three Words from the Word
April 11, 2020 01:30 - 19 minutes - 16.3 MBGood Friday is among the holiest days of the Christian faith. Adorned by the cross alone, we encounter a Crucified Savior. Why must he die? What does Jesus’ death have to do with my life? Those are the questions at the heart of Good Friday. In the Gospel of John, Jesus says three things before he dies. They help reveal why the cross stands at the epicenter of an earth-shaking revelation of God. In the cross, we hear words from the Word made flesh that address us in this age of isolation, suf...
The Importance of Meals
April 10, 2020 01:30 - 16 minutes - 13.2 MBTonight’s texts center around meals. Meals are more than just nourishment for the body, they are also about relationships. Jesus uses a meal with his disciples to teach what he demonstrates to his disciples. Listen as Jesus empties himself in serving and in love.
The Way Things Are
April 06, 2020 14:04 - 18 minutes - 15 MBThe advice of this world is acceptance. When bad things happen, you just have to accept it; get over it; move on; because that’s the way things are. Yet, deep in our souls, we know that the way things are is not the way they should be. Being cloistered in our homes, fearful of a bug that we can’t even see just doesn’t seem right. Hungry kids, racism, violence and death just don’t seem right. So, is thinking about the way things should be just wishful thinking? Not on Palm Sunday…
All Shall be Well
March 30, 2020 14:23 - 16 minutes - 16 MBOur sermon is based on John's story of Lazarus (John 11). Where Jesus is, there is life. Jesus takes death and turns it into life.
I Can See Clearly Now
March 23, 2020 14:39 - 13 minutes - 14.9 MBThe gospel of John offers a wondrous story of how Jesus restores the sight of a man born blind. It is not just his eyes that see by the end of the story, but his heart. He sees Jesus. The other folks in the story? Not so much. In this time of Covid-19 disruptions, the question is, can we see the world as Christ does? Can we see, in the midst of the chaos, the creative work of God?
Unexpectedly Beloved
March 16, 2020 16:29 - 14 minutes - 18.2 MBDear friends in Christ, our world is facing a challenge the likes of which have not been seen in many of our lifetimes. In the coming weeks we will be called anew to see and acknowledge those unnamed women at the well in our own communities. In the coming weeks, we may even see ourselves in the woman at the well, paralyzed by fear and questioning what the future holds. In those moments, know that our God is the One who always meets us where we are with living water and the promise of new lif...
Beloved Son. Beloved World.
March 09, 2020 15:28 - 18 minutes - 16.9 MBJohn 3:16 is one of the most known verses in the New Testament. It is part of the story of Nicodemus, who approaches Jesus one night to size up this miracle worker. Why does he need the cover of darkness? My guess is fear… of many things. His fear keeps him in the dark and his faith in the closet. All the while, Jesus is offering something that gives light – the love of God. Why do we prefer darkness to light? Fear to love?
Temptation of the Beloved Son
March 02, 2020 14:57 - 18 minutes - 17 MBWe are taking the beginning steps in our forty day Lenten journey. These are forty days to slow down and examine ourselves, our relationship to God, and our relationship to our neighbors. Jesus begins his forty days after his baptism in the wilderness. Led by the Spirit, he fasts and is famished. The devil is right there to tempt him. What does temptation look like? Listen and find out how God’s beloved Son deals with temptation, and hear what brings us hope when our lives are bombarded with...
Who is this Jesus?
February 24, 2020 15:35 - 14 minutes - 12.9 MBOn the Feast of the Transfiguration we encounter a Christ who shines with the glory of heaven, consorts with the greatest leaders of Israel, and is proclaimed the beloved Son of God by the very voice of God. This Jesus reveals his identity as one with the very power that makes everything exist. Is that, however, the whole story? Matthew tells us there is another whole side to the identity of this Jesus.
Choose Life
February 17, 2020 15:03 - 18 minutes - 16.9 MBAt the end of the day, whether we succeed or fail, it is always God and only God who guarantees the growth of the Kingdom, and God never gives up. So, brothers and sisters in Christ, at every opportunity, choose life so that you and your descendants may live, loving the LORD your God, obeying him, and holding fast to him; for that means life to you and length of days. Live with a higher calling. Choose life.
Why Worship?
February 10, 2020 15:42 - 15 minutes - 13.8 MBPeople come to worship expecting lots of things. Some want to feel good, others want to be challenged. Some seek affirmation, others insight. In the end however, if the worship expectations are about us, we may be disappointed. God sets the agenda for our encounter with God is worship is God’s alone. We should never expect to be left the same as when we gathered. We are to be salt, light, hope, grace in a world that desperately needs all of that and more. How do we worship?
A Blessed and Enviable Life
February 03, 2020 15:24 - 17 minutes - 15.6 MBWho are the blessed and enviable people? The world would have us believe it is the rich, self-sufficient, the powerful, those with smooth skin, the athletic, those who have a dog, and last but not least, those who are Scandinavian as research shows they are the happiest people. Jesus turns the world's values upside down. Listen to hear why the blessed and enviable people might be different than who you think and why that might be.
Unity Around the Cross
January 27, 2020 15:11 - 14 minutes - 13 MBSo, for this seemingly impossible task in this seemingly impossible time, we start at a seemingly impossible place: the cross. When we start at the cross, we find that the things that divide us, the things that cause us fear, are broken down and unity reigns. The unity we find at the cross overcomes even the deepest of disagreements because it represents the very saving power of our God. It is from this place of unity that we begin to counteract and reject the divisions that have permeated o...
All About Jesus
January 20, 2020 17:40 - 14 minutes - 13.6 MBPaul knows the congregation has lots of troubles. Their dysfunction is not revealing the hope of Christ to anybody. We live in a world, not unlike Corinth, where the Church is as likely to reveal despair as it is hope. The opening of Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians sets a tone for how he will address the bad behavior and revive hope in the congregation then and now. It all has something to do with Jesus…
Words
January 13, 2020 15:22 - 17 minutes - 16 MBWords are important. We use them everyday to communicate in casual conversation, work correspondence, and handling basic activities around the house. Words are the building blocks of communication. Today we hear some important words for God at the baptism of Jesus. I invite you to hear those words and listen to what they mean for you.
The Disappointment of Christmas
January 06, 2020 15:38 - 17 minutes - 15.7 MBAs the twelve days of Christmas comes to a close once again we might wonder what difference it makes that the “Prince of Peace” was born. We are a nation functionally at war, violence is in the streets, death is still a grim reality. The hope we are supposed to have in a world changed by Christ seems a disappointment on every front. So, what is one to do? Maybe hope – real hope – is found elsewhere. Perhaps Matthew points the way as he tells us the story of the gentile astrologers from the d...
God Moves into the Neighborhood
December 30, 2019 15:11 - 13 minutes - 12.3 MBWe are called to the work of Christmas, not just during this twelve-day feast but all year long. As we prepare to begin another new year and another decade, we are called anew to witness to a changed reality, to the hope that has been born in us. We are called to proclaim to the world that the darkness has not overcome the light, to be messengers who bring good news, who announce salvation, who say to the world “Your God Reigns!”
Inflatable Jesus
December 27, 2019 14:38 - 15 minutes - 14.6 MBOur best attempts to have a Merry Christmas often end up like inflatable holiday lawn decorations – deflated and unplugged from the light. In a world that frightens us and causes despair, we need something more than “good cheer” because the world so often seems against us. Hope is born when Christ is born. Hope becomes real when God is incarnate among us. Hope is born if we can trust that the universe is bent toward love.
Mercy Not Sacrifice
December 23, 2019 14:35 - 19 minutes - 18 MBMatthew declares that Jesus is “God with us.” But what kind of God do we get? Matthew begins to reveal the answer in the story of Joseph, a righteous, (read law-abiding) man faced with a dilemma: what to do with what appears to be an unfaithful fiancé. Listen to the law or God’s messenger who speaks to his heart? In the story of his family tree he finds an answer.
We Hope. We Expect. We Wait.
December 16, 2019 18:26 - 14 minutes - 13.3 MBIn a way, this is the very nature of discipleship. We are called to wait, to be patient until the coming of the Lord. The waiting we are called to, however, is in no way passive. We are called to strengthen our hearts, to wait with active expectation that doesn’t hesitate to ask tough questions and confront the ills of the world head-on. This is, really, what Advent is all about: a call to the rejuvenation of our discipleship and a revitalization of our faith to welcome Christ into our midst...
Faithful Malcontents
December 09, 2019 15:24 - 18 minutes - 16.6 MBAnyone else tired of the world the way it is? Anyone tired of hearing that rottenness and pain are just the way things are and won’t change? In this season of Advent we prepare for the reign of God to come and wipe away our tears; to put an end to injustice… and we, like John the Baptist, seem a little cranky about the wait. Advent is about preparing for the transformation God is bringing to our world and to our own hearts and minds. Come, Lord Jesus!
Precarious Presence
December 02, 2019 15:34 - 15 minutes - 14 MBWhat kind of presence are you after this season? As we start this season of Advent, we are drawn to how precarious the present world is. We often think that this world will last forever, but the text raises fearful images. Listen to what Jesus is saying about this world, us and his presence among us.
A Worm in Horseradish
November 25, 2019 16:42 - 18 minutes - 17.1 MBWhat is it about this world that can harden our hearts and turn us in our own lives so much that we believe everything is all about us? More important: Once that happens, what is powerful enough to bend us back in the direction of love? We live like a worm in a jar of horseradish, not even realizing how distorted life has become. Christ rescues us from that existence to live in the light. Under Christ’s gracious gaze from the cross we learn the truth.
Faithful in Much
November 18, 2019 15:56 - 19 minutes - 18.2 MBWe all desire to have balance in our lives, but find it to be challenging. We also try to balance our spiritual disciplines, but at times it can be hard, especially when it comes to our relationship with money. Jesus spoke a lot about money. He taught the disciples about their relationship with money so it wouldn't control them. How are we to use the money that has been entrusted to us?
The Freedom of Generosity
November 11, 2019 17:14 - 19 minutes - 18.1 MBYour generosity, your counter cultural decision to give back to the God from whom all blessings flow, is our foundation. From that foundation we are free to share God’s love far beyond the walls of our community. The ministries of this congregation show that we are already living into the gospel freedom. We are already a light in the darkness of this world. But here’s the thing about light, it can always get brighter. As the gathered people of God we are called not to complacency or contentm...
Who are the Saints?
November 04, 2019 18:21 - 16 minutes - 15.1 MBOn the Festival of All Saints who do we celebrate? The famous faithful who officially bear the title? Those immortalized in art and icon? The “extra good” folks who made a big difference in the world? Saints are people in time and across time who are united in the person and purpose of Jesus. That is Paul’s witness to the Ephesians and it is the direction Jesus points in Luke’s gospel. Does that include anyone you know?
Who’s Got Your Back?
October 28, 2019 14:02 - 15 minutes - 14.4 MBOn this Reformation Weekend we hear Psalm 46. A Psalm that speaks of and about the chaos of life, not unlike what we live through when a loved one is suddenly hospitalized, or when we experience the death of someone dear to us, or when we struggle through relationships that end bitterly. Chaos invades our lives. Martin Luther searched for refuge in his times of trouble, as we do also. Who finds us in our trouble?
Salvation Come Today
October 21, 2019 14:57 - 17 minutes - 16.3 MBWhat does it mean to be saved? Is it a far off, post-mortem event? For Luke the Evangelist (who we remember this day) it was much more and very present. Salvation was an encounter with Jesus that brought restoration and allowed people to be what God called them to be more fully. It was healing, but more than that. It was forgiveness, but more than that. Salvation – is it for you? Today?
Called to See the Other
October 14, 2019 14:52 - 17 minutes - 15.6 MBWe are often very good at making those who are different than us, those we fear, into “others” but we serve a God who is always working in unexpected ways and through unexpected people to include rather than exclude. The good news is, even when we fail, God is still present, working through others to reach us and heal us. When we are tempted to fall into the trap of othering people, we remember Jesus Christ, who breaks the chains that bind us and frees us to live into God’s grander and more ...
To Till and Keep
October 07, 2019 15:32 - 20 minutes - 18.9 MBCan one believe in God and science at the same time? Was creation actually made in seven, 24 hour days? Isn’t redemption all about saving our souls and escaping this world? Those are relevant questions in our age. They also can lead to ignoring the call from God to “till and keep” the creation as partners with God in the redemption of all creation. Caring for creation is a sobering call to joyous, hopeful work.
Do You Matter?
September 23, 2019 14:20 - 19 minutes - 17.7 MBToday is the Feast of St. Matthew, an apostle and evangelist. The first gospel found in the New Testament is named after him, but mainly we remember Matthew as the tax collector called by Jesus. Tax collectors were considered cheats and would use every opportunity for theft and extortion. They were needed by the Roman government to collect taxes from the Jews, yet Matthew was a commodity that could be replaced by someone else. To the Jewish people, his people, Matthew was considered an outs...
Foolishness
September 16, 2019 14:31 - 18 minutes - 17.2 MBThe Cross of Christ is so familiar a symbol it is hard to think of it as controversial or strange. Yet, Paul tells the Corinthians that it is “foolishness.” It rebukes the wisdom of the world. It judges human pretensions. To find the grace, mercy and radical, life changing love of God in the cross does require a reality check. What “wisdom” of your world is undone by a God who hangs on a cross?
Counting the Cost
September 09, 2019 14:38 - 18 minutes - 17.2 MBLife is full of decisions, from determining what to make for dinner, to determining whether a job change is in order, or whether to relocate. Decisions require weighing the cost of our choices. But how do you determine how to weigh the cost and count the cost? What variables need to be considered? Listen to hear what Jesus has to say about our priorities, our choices and counting the cost.
Mutual Love
September 03, 2019 13:52 - 23 minutes - 21.9 MBOn the cross, Jesus gave birth to a community born to emulate His love to the world. We often sing the glories of love, but living it out is what changes things. Love provides shape to the relationships we have, the values we trust and even the morals and ethics that define what is right. Too often, however, love doesn’t even get a start among us. What does it mean to “let mutual love continue” among the people of God?
A Place at the Table
August 26, 2019 13:52 - 18 minutes - 17.2 MBWhen God is worshipped and served, Love rules. What gets in the way of Love’s rule is that we too often love rules. It is in the name of rule-keeping that we often fail to make a place at the table for those who don’t measure up, fit in, or mirror our own existence. Both the prophet Isaiah and Jesus have words for communities that love rules rather than letting love rule. What would the Church and the world be like if God’s people were dedicated to loving God and neighbor instead of rules? W...
Following Jesus: At What Cost?
August 19, 2019 16:05 - 20 minutes - 18.5 MBWhat does it cost us to come to church each week? Perhaps it costs a Sunday to sleep in, perhaps it means sacrificing the Sunday morning TV shows which now need to be DVR’ed or streamed. Perhaps it means missing a baseball game or a football game. But does it cost any more than that? Listen and hear what following Jesus looks like.
Faith, Hope, and Things Unseen
August 12, 2019 15:21 - 18 minutes - 16.7 MBSometimes we think faith is believing the unbelievable. Sometimes we think that faith is about what happens to me (and my adversaries) after death. In the book of Hebrews, it is none of this. “Faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen..” (Hebrews 11:1) We’re not good at hope – it seems like wishful thinking. We’re not good at trusting unseen things – that makes them un-real. How then do we live by faith?