Holy Trinity Ankeny
287 episodes - English - Latest episode: 5 days ago - ★★★★ - 5 ratingsHoly Trinity Lutheran Church
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Episodes
I, Me, Mine
August 05, 2019 15:40 - 20 minutes - 18.8 MBSelf-absorption, greed, and the fear that we are missing out manifests as sickness of soul and society. Those who have, constantly seek more because enough never comes. Those who don’t have, nurture resentment and anger until hate erupts in violence. Bigger barns, storage facilities and ever more garages full of things do not make you rich. Jesus calls us to be rich toward God and reject the world of I, me, and mine.
What Kind of Listener is God?
July 30, 2019 15:11 - 19 minutes - 18.2 MBThe Gospel reading for today finds the disciples asking Jesus to teach them to pray. This passage helps us to understand who this God is that we come to in prayer and the assurance that God listens. But sometimes we don’t receive what we pray for and we wonder if God even cares. How do we make sense of a loving God who seems to be ignoring our petitions?
Breathe In. Breathe Out.
July 22, 2019 13:49 - 16 minutes - 15.3 MBMartha, Martha, you are worried and upset about many things. You are worried and upset about many things. Does that sound familiar? It sounds familiar to me. It's almost as if Jesus is saying that to me instead of Martha. Modern life is full of things that keep us preoccupied and living life in the present. Worry and distractions are all around us. Jesus calls us into a different way of life.
Won't You Be My Neighbor
July 15, 2019 12:36 - 15 minutes - 14.4 MBIt’s a beautiful day in this neighborhood, a beautiful day in this neighborhood, would be mine, could you be mine, won’t you be my neighbor. That is how every episode of Mr. Roger’s Neighborhood started. You would be invited to be Fred Roger’s neighbor. The topic of neighbors came up one time when Jesus was having a conversation with some of the religious leaders of the day. And he was asked “And who is my neighbor?” As he often does, Jesus takes a different approach to answering that questi...
Free to Follow; Free to Serve
July 08, 2019 12:43 - 17 minutes - 15.8 MBThe hardest thing about being a disciple of Jesus is the fear. We are afraid to follow because of what it may cost us, we’re afraid to serve because we have needs of our own. For a people who have just celebrated Independence Day, it is remarkable that our fear and our desire to be in control keeps us enslaved, unable to move into the blessed life of God’s reign. True freedom comes only from God in Christ.
Swimming in Deep Water
July 01, 2019 15:15 - 21 minutes - 19.7 MBYou really aren’t a swimmer if you’re hanging on to the side of the pool. You’re probably not a disciple if you’re holding on to anything other than Jesus. There are many reasons following Jesus is hard because of what one has to leave behind. The destination, however, is worth the sacrifice.
It's Not About the Pigs
June 24, 2019 13:19 - 16 minutes - 15.4 MBToday’s gospel lesson from Luke 8 tells about a time when Jesus healed a demon-possessed man. The man was possessed by so many demons, they collectively called themselves Legion. We’re told about the demons being cast out of the man and then being allowed to enter a herd of pigs. Then the pigs drown themselves. We can get caught up in trying to figure out the significance of the pigs in the story. We can get stuck on why the pigs, and why did they drown themselves. But it’s not about t...
The Truth, the Whole Truth, Nothing but the Truth
June 17, 2019 16:08 - 15 minutes - 14.1 MBWhere can truth be found? If we can’t trust what we read in newspapers, or what we hear on television, how do we find truth? People have always been searching for truth. Yet so much of the world is shades of gray. Is it possible to know truth? On this Holy Trinity Sunday, listen to find out where truth is found.
Let Everyone Who is Thirsty Come!
June 03, 2019 13:28 - 15 minutes - 13.9 MBThere’s been a lot of controversy over the years about the book of Revelation. It isn’t an easy book to understand. Blood moons, earthquakes, angels, and beasts are all described in the book. It is hard to make heads or tails of what John is trying to tell us. Revelation is a book of encouragement for early Christians, and in that light, it is also a book of encouragement for us today.
There is Freedom and There is Freedom
May 28, 2019 13:48 - 18 minutes - 17.3 MBThe appreciation of our freedom comes to the forefront of our lives this weekend as we remember those who gave their lives for our country. Freedom is important to each one of us, yet we are still imprisoned by much in the world and in ourselves. Listen to a story of freedom for a woman named Lydia, and hear what ultimate freedom is like.
The Last Word
May 20, 2019 14:29 - 19 minutes - 18.2 MBIn Revelation 21:6 God says, “I Am the Alpha and Omega; the beginning and the end.” God speaks the first Word, and God will get the last Word. That final Word will create a new heaven and a new earth. That said, we live in a world where lots of other words seem to be spoken: violence, brokenness, hatred, disease, death. The tears have not been wiped from our eyes. So, when Lord? When will you speak a final Word that can give us hope? What will the Word be?
The Lord is My Shepherd
May 13, 2019 16:22 - 19 minutes - 17.4 MBPsalm 23 is one of the most famous pieces of Jewish and Christian scripture. It renders powerful images to give us hope and sustain us in darkness. But how do those beautiful images play out in our Christian living? This sermon reflects on the way that this psalm is lived out week in and week out as the Good Shepherd gathers, guides, feeds and accompanies us.
The Resurrection Invitation
May 06, 2019 14:36 - 18 minutes - 17 MBThe Gospel of John gives us one more story of Jesus’ appearance to the disciples. It’s an invitation given to Peter and each of us: a call and commission. Listen and hear how the resurrection of Jesus makes a difference in our lives today.
Locked Doors
April 29, 2019 15:25 - 17 minutes - 15.9 MBWe all lock our doors in all sorts of ways to keep all sorts of things out. Jesus appears to the disciples in a room where the door is locked. Jesus shows these unbelieving disciples his hands. He shows them his side. He shows them that Mary’s story, the one they thought was an idle tale, was true. But Thomas was missing. Jesus returns a week later so that Thomas may also believe. Jesus keeps coming back week after week…
In the Dark of Morning
April 23, 2019 15:09 - 13 minutes - 12.3 MBEaster Eve and Sunrise Service: In the dark of the morning, that's what John tells us. It was dark when Mary makes her way to the tomb. In the dark of the morning, she discovers that Jesus has risen from the dead. She runs to the disciples and makes a declaration to them, "I have seen the Lord." That declaration she made to them is also to us.
Low Expectations
April 21, 2019 17:15 - 16 minutes - 15.1 MBResurrection Sunday: Life is full of disappointments and worse. Some say the key to happiness is to lower our expectations to avoid disappointment and live in the “real world.” Is that true? On the day of the Resurrection, God weighs in with some advice that might surprise.
Seven Words from a Crucified God
April 21, 2019 17:07 - 38 minutes - 35.5 MBGood Friday: The witness of the four gospels is that Jesus spoke seven words as he hung, dying on the cross. Those words are more than the utterances of a dying man. They are the words of a Crucified God to the world, and to each of us.
Love...Love...Love
April 19, 2019 14:59 - 17 minutes - 16.5 MBThis is Maundy Thursday, the day Jesus gives a new command to his followers to love one another as Jesus has loved them. Even in the midst of betrayal, Jesus continues loving. Listen to hear about love and how Jesus’ love enters your life.
Give Me Jesus
April 08, 2019 14:36 - 14 minutes - 13.6 MBIn a house in Bethany, Jesus comes to find respite before making his way into Jerusalem for the last time. His friends, Mary, Martha, and Lazarus, take him in and care for him, shutting the door on the world, for this one night at least. John tells us a story about that night. In that story, we find Mary anointing Jesus’ feet. It is an odd thing, but we see an example of what it means to be saved. In a moment of vulnerability, we see Mary pouring out perfume, and her heart, to Jesus.
Grace is Bad for Business
April 01, 2019 13:46 - 22 minutes - 20.2 MBIn the debit-credit, tit-for-tat, scratch-my-back-and-I’ll-scratch-yours world we inhabit we are always suspicious of anything free. In the story of the “prodigal son” Jesus reveals a God of such grace that we should be scandalized. Giving people things they don’t deserve is, well, bad business. God’s grace is, nevertheless, the business God is in and so, then, our business as well.
Give it Another Year
March 25, 2019 15:17 - 15 minutes - 14.4 MBLife is short and we know it. When you hear of disasters, do you worry that it could have been you? Or do you try to distance yourself from the possibility of death with false reassurances; “That can’t happen to me," “I’m safe,” “I’m different.” Jesus addresses this concern with the crowds and shows them another way to life. Find out how God saves us in a way you might not have imagined.
Living in the Present; Hoping in the Future
March 18, 2019 13:47 - 14 minutes - 13.1 MBPaul tells the Philippians that “our citizenship is in heaven.” He knows that they are living in the present, in this world where the promises of God seem distant. But he points them to the hope of the future. The hope that we can all have because our citizenship is in heaven. Abram does the same, where he knows God has promised to bless him with descendants too many to count. But he and Sarai remain childless. He lives in the present, but also hoping for the future and trusting in God’s gre...
The Story I'm Sticking To
March 11, 2019 14:22 - 18 minutes - 16.7 MBWe all have our own stories that tell us a little about who we are as human beings. Our individual stories, however, are connected to bigger stories that give meaning and impart identity. As people of Christ, our lives are part of the story of God’s saving work in all creation. When trials come we can live by the stories told to us by culture and a broken world, or we can cling to the story of Jesus Christ to give us direction and save us from the time of trial. That’s the story I’m sticking...
Honest to God
March 08, 2019 00:23 - 22 minutes - 20.8 MBTo have a real relationship with God (or anyone, for that matter) we must be honest. Sadly, saying “Honest to God,” is often a sign we’re lying. Being honest to God begins with being honest with ourselves. On Ash Wednesday the mark of the cross in ashes on our brow tells us the truth: we are finite, and death is inescapable; we are of the dust, formed form the very fabric of the earth itself; we are marked with the cross of Christ, which brings hope in the midst of hard truth.
Something Beautiful
March 04, 2019 15:46 - 17 minutes - 16.2 MBToday is Transfiguration. In Luke’s Gospel, the Transfiguration event leaves behind Jesus’ ministry in Galilee and Jesus will now begin his journey to Jerusalem. Through the event of the Transfiguration, the glory of God is made known in Jesus with an absolute shimmering radiance of Jesus’ face and body. The disciples are not transfigured, but instead, will be transformed later in their ministry. If God can transfigure Jesus, and if God can transfigure the disciples, God can transform us to...
Salt and Light
February 25, 2019 16:18 - 19 minutes - 17.6 MBWhat makes us Christian? Is it beliefs? Stands on a social issues? A feeling? Jesus tells his disciples that being a Christian (a follower of Jesus) makes you salt in a bland and bitter world. It makes you light in the darkness. If you don’t add flavor, heat, illumination to the world as you live, well – you’ve lost your way. This sermon explores how we lose our “saltiness” or cover up our light.
This Little Light
February 17, 2019 14:20 - 17 minutes - 16.3 MBWe live in a dark world. It doesn't take long to come to that realization if you look around this world for any time at all. But God has called us and claimed us as children of light. And we shine our light, our little light, into that darkness.
Dim Bulbs and the Light of Christ
February 11, 2019 18:32 - 18 minutes - 16.6 MBPeople often ask why God doesn’t do something about the evil, suffering and darkness in the world. At first flush, that seems a fair question. If you read the story of God and God’s people, however, you will see that God has indeed acted consistently to place light in the darkness. The light is generated by God’s people. As we receive the light of Christ in Word and sacrament, we are then sent out to reflect it in the dark corners we encounter. We are God’s plan. Generous hearts and hands an...
It's Not the Sermon They Expected
February 04, 2019 14:56 - 18 minutes - 17 MBToday Jesus preaches in his hometown church. They are thrilled that the hometown boy is back, and his reputation for healings and other good works precedes him. But they didn’t hear the sermon they expected, and their joy and excitement turns into anger and rage. Listen to what they heard Jesus preach, and see if you would react any differently.
The MIraculous Body of Christ
January 28, 2019 16:01 - 22 minutes - 20.2 MBHave you ever thought it would be easier to trust God if a few of those miracles from scripture happened today? Maybe they do. In a world that is so deeply divided that government can’t even run and a shooting happens every day, would it be a miracle if people could actually transcend differences and come together around a common purpose? Paul thinks so as he teaches about the presence of Christ in the world as the Body of Christ – the people of God. What if you and the gathered people of Go...
Motto
January 21, 2019 15:07 - 17 minutes - 16.2 MBCompanies have many different mottos. If there is a motto that would describe today’s culture it might be, “there’s not enough.” We operate in a culture where everything is scarce, except rules. Where the world says there isn’t enough (food, money, time, or grace), Jesus shows us differently. In the Kingdom of God, there is abundance. Jesus declares, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly."
I Love You. You are Mine.
January 14, 2019 16:19 - 16 minutes - 14.8 MBGod’s word to the people of Judah who are facing the collapse of everything they hold dear and the chaos and suffering of life is: I love you, you are mine. (Isaiah 43) This pronouncement is made over us as we are baptized, giving us an identity and purpose that transcends all the other attempts to make us fear and doubt ourselves in this world. When the government is shutdown, the economy uncertain and even the church seems to be fading, God still proclaims this essential truth.
Finding the Way
January 09, 2019 15:35 - 15 minutes - 14.3 MBOn Epiphany we remember the wise men who journey from Persia to Bethlehem following a star. In order to follow the star, someone had to first notice it. The star was in the sky for all to see -- why didn’t more people notice it? Or maybe they did and just didn’t take any action. Hear of the journey of those who follow the light and have a life changing event. We also are on a journey, looking to the light to lead us.
Let Christ
December 31, 2018 15:43 - 14 minutes - 13.6 MB2018 is nearly gone and 2019 is almost here. In this time of making (and breaking) resolutions, we can try to do everything on our own. The culture tells us that we can do anything if we set our minds on it and work hard. Want to lose weight, just try harder and it will happen. Want to be nicer, well try harder and just well, be nice. In Colossians, Paul is telling the church at Colossae that they need to make some resolutions. They need to be more kind and compassionate and a whole list of ...
No Room for Jesus
December 25, 2018 05:10 - 19 minutes - 17.6 MB“And Mary gave birth to her firstborn son and wrapped him in bands of cloth, and laid him in a manger, because there was no place for them in the inn.” (Luke 2:7) There was no room for Jesus. This shouldn’t surprise us. To this day, it is quite easy to be unable to find room for Jesus in the life of the world or our own daily living. But even though no one makes room for Jesus, the good news is that, “The grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all” (Titus 2:11). Even when we won’t ...
God's Instrusion
December 23, 2018 19:02 - 16 minutes - 15.3 MBToday is the 4th Sunday of Advent. Homes are decorated, Christmas Cards are arriving. Some cards will have scenes of Mary, Joseph and baby Jesus with halos on their heads, surrounded by well-behaved animals. The picture looks planned, so well arranged, so peaceful. Not a stress in the world. Everyone is in their place, dressed in their best clean clothes, hair readied, ready for the photographer of the day to click this picture for the baby book. Imagining this scene, we hardly recall the in...
Recognize You Again
December 17, 2018 15:41 - 15 minutes - 13.8 MBThere are a lot of things that I don’t recognize these days. This country is hard to recognize. This town has changed so much it is hard to recognize. Sometimes when I look in the mirror in the morning, I wonder where that young 20 year old went and I have a hard time recognizing who the middle aged person is looking back at me is. John the Baptist looks out at the crowds that gathered and he didn’t recognize them, so he calls them a brood of vipers. Zephaniah tells us the people of Jer...