Christ Lutheran Church Harrisburg

Marching into the Lions Den

Oppressive systems hold everyone in bondage.  They use violence.  They are cruel.  Because at their core, they are weak and collapse from their rotten foundation.  But God's Kingdom has a different foundation that shares life to many.  We see it the story of Daniel and the Lion's Den and in the Civil Rights marches of 1965 in Alabama.  The sermon is based on Daniel 6:6-27.

Empires are naked

Fear, threats of violence, actual violence - these are the tools of empires and shallow men.  Our reading from Daniel 3:1-30 shows us that God doesn't abandon the faithful, is with them in the worst of situations, and that ultimately, the ways of violence do not work.  

The Long View

God takes the long view with creation.  The long view is the loving view.  The long view isn't stopped by set backs or obstacles.  The long view presents a vision of what is to be.  God invites us into the long view.  The sermon is based on Daniel 2:24-49.

What have you witnessed?

What do you see?  What do you witness?  What are you showing?  God shows up in a variety of ways and shows us what love is.  The sermon is based on 1 John 5:9-13.

Love is bigger than we think

Love is bigger than we think.  The sermon is based on 1 John 5:1-6.  The author talks about love, but also addresses where that love comes from that allows us to conquer the world.  We don't conquer the way the world does.  Instead we love, which transforms the world.  

Now is the Time

The world is throwing around a whole lot cruelty, violence, division, and hatred.  If ever there was a time for love, it would be now.  While we want to respond to what the world is offering in a similar way, Jesus calls us to respond differently.  Now is the time for us to live into this calling of love.  The sermon is based on 1 John 4:7-21.

What can we do?

There are so many terrible things in the world.  It can overwhelm us.  And we ask, "What can we do?"  1 John 3:16-24 offers some advice.  

The True Christians

Who are the real Christians?  What are the marks of a "real" Christian?  Humanity is obsessed with dividing people.  God brings us together.  That's good news.  The sermon is based on 1 John 3:1-7.

Praying

How do I pray?  Teach me God!  Jesus gives us the Lord's Prayer as an example.  But what is prayer?  And how do we do it.  The sermon is based on Matthew 6:9-13.

You're Invited!

God invites us!  We are invited to praise God, to remember what God has done and what God will do, and how God never forgets us, even in the midst of hardship.  Come and celebrate!  The sermon is based on Psalm 66.