ASLC Podcast

A little faith goes a long way is Jesus’ point in the gospel. A mustard seed’s-worth of faith has miraculous potential. The patience, tenacity, and endurance required for the life of faith are the blessings received in holy baptism, holy communion, and the word read and proclaimed in this assembly. Anticipate them. Receive them with thanksgiving.

Reading: Habakkuk 1:1-4; 2:1-4, Psalm 37:1-9 and Luke 17:5-10

Consideration of and care for those in need—especially those “at our gate,” the folks we actually see and know about—isn’t just a nice add-on to stewardship, it’s the heart of it. Scripture reminds us that hoarding stuff doesn’t make us safe, it just makes our garages hard to walk through. In fact, sharing what we’ve been given is how we loosen wealth’s chokehold before it tightens like last year’s skinny jeans. And here’s the Good News: it’s not on us to muscle our way out of greed’s grip. The one whom death could not hold—Jesus, risen from the dead— meets us right in our clinging and frees us, so our hands can open, not just to drop our offerings in the plate, but to receive life, joy, and maybe even a casserole at the church potluck.

Reading:  1 Timothy 6:6-19, Psalm 146 and Luke 15:1-10

As we are invited today to consider what it means to be managers (rather than owners) of all that we have, it is crucial to recognize that we are bought with a price. “Christ Jesus, himself human, . . . gave himself a ransom for all.” Apart from the generosity of God we have nothing—we are nothing. By God’s gracious favor we have everything we need.

Readings: Exodus 32:7-14, Psalm 51 and Luke 15: 1-10,

The religious leaders grumbled: “This Jesus welcomes sinners and eats with them.” Thanks be to God—because if Jesus only ate with the perfect, church potlucks would be very small. Our hope isn’t in being flawless, but in a God who keeps pulling up more chairs. As 1 Timothy says, “Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners.” Which means—he came for us. Thanks be to God.

Readings: Amos 8:4-7, Psalm 113 and Luke 16:1-13

Called to contemplate the cost of discipleship, we might be helped by translating Paul’s request to Philemon into our prayer of the day: Refresh my heart in Christ. Strengthened by the company and forgiveness of Christ in holy communion and recalling God’s grace in remembrance of baptism, we can be strengthened in this hour to “choose life”—to choose life in God as our own.

Scripture Reading: Psalm 1; Philemon 1-21; Luke 14:25-33

Invited and inviting—that’s the heartbeat of the church. God doesn’t hand out VIP passes to a select few; in holy baptism, everyone gets a seat at Christ’s big, messy, joyful banquet table. And let’s be honest: no one’s asked to bring a casserole to earn their place. When the Spirit stirs up humility and mutual love among us (instead of, say, squabbling over the thermostat or the hymnal selection), the church becomes even more inviting. Imagine a community where the welcome is as warm as the coffee and as wide as God’s grace—that’s the kind of table Jesus keeps setting.

Scripture Reading: Proverbs 25:6-7a; Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16; Luke 14:1,7-14

The word of God is a refining fire—think of it like the church kitchen stove: it can boil things over if you’re not paying attention, but it mostly just gets the casserole to the perfect “golden and bubbly” stage. Jesus is the big turning point in human history—like the moment someone finally brought lutefisk to the potluck and no one ever forgot. He calls for our undivided attention, which in church terms means putting down the bulletin doodles and really tasting the grace. Today in worship, we’re surrounded by a great “cloud of witnesses,” which is basically a heavenly potluck crowd—Aunt Mabel, Martin Luther, and maybe even a few apostles making sure there’s enough lefse for everyone. In the word and in holy communion, we’re invited once again to look to Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of our faith—the one who not only started this feast but is also staying to do the dishes.

Scripture Reading: Isaiah 58:9b-14; Psalm 103; Luke 13:10-17

Introduction

The word of God is a refining fire. Jesus is the great divide in human history. He invites our undivided attention and devotion. Today in worship we are surrounded by a great “cloud of witnesses.” In the word and in holy communion we are invited yet again to look to Jesus, “the pioneer and perfecter of our faith.”

Jesus says, “It is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the kingdom.” It is God’s promise from the beginning—to Abraham, to the early church, and to the “little flock” of which we are a part in today’s assembly. Faith, God’s baptismal gift, trusts the promises of God. Have no fear.

Scripture Reading: Genesis 15:1-6; Hebrews 11:1-3,8-16; Luke 12:32-40

Jesus encourages us to stick with prayer—not to earn God’s attention, but because we already have it. As people rooted and growing in Christ through baptism, prayer is how we stay connected to the source of our life and strength. God listens. God responds. And God keeps showing up with what we need. As the psalmist says, “When I called, you answered me; you increased my strength within me.”

Scripture Reading: Psalm 138; Colossians 2:6-19; Luke 11:1-13