Augustana Podcasts

Sermon Title: Sabbath Embracing. Preacher: Intern Pastor Nathan Adu-Gyamfi. Preaching Text: Isaiah 56:1-8. What flourishes requires intentionality. Farmers know it. Healthy relationships prove it. Today, we hear how God built that same intentionality into creation through the gift of Sabbath. As we worship, may we embrace God’s rhythm of remembrance, trust, and renewal.

Sermon Title: Sabbath Resting. Preacher: Deacon Stephanie Anderson. Preaching Text: 1 Kings 19:1-12. In a world of constant striving, God offers the gift of Sabbath - not just pausing, but trusting, resting, and delighting in God. In 1 Kings 19, Elijah moves from triumph to exhaustion in the wilderness. There, God meets him with rest, nourishment, and a quiet voice. As we continue our sermon series, Keeping the Sabbath Wholly, we’re invited to receive that same gentle restoration.

Sermon Title: Sabbath Ceasing. Preacher: Pastor Jason Bryan-Wegner. Preaching Text: Philippians 4:4-9. We begin a new worship series today called Keeping the Sabbath Wholly. Sabbath is an underutilized spiritual practice in our culture. We are a people on the go. We fill schedules full to overflowing. We have a hard time saying no. We let our calendars run us, rather than us run our

Sermon Title: The Galilean Authority. Preacher: Intern Pastor Nathan Adu-Gyamfi. Preaching Text: Matthew 28:16-20. Today’s Gospel takes us to a mountain in Galilee after the resurrection. The disciples gather before the risen Christ carrying both worship and doubt. And there Jesus declares: “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.” Yet the authority of Christ does not look like the authority of empire or domination. The One who reigns is the same One who washed feet, carried the cross, and wore a crown of thorns. In Him, we see the authority of the Triune God revealed through self-giving love. We too come carrying many things —faith and questions, comfort and struggle. Yet the risen Christ still gathers us, still calls us, and still sends us into the world in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. So come and worship the enthroned Christ. Come and bow before the King whose crown rested upon the cross. Let us worship God.

Sermon Title: The Sustaining Breath of the Spirit. Preacher: Pastor Jason Bryan-Wegner. Preaching Text: John 20:19-23. Today is Pentecost. This is the third high holy day of the Christian calendar. But it doesn’t get the fanfare of Christmas and Easter. However, it is just as important as its more celebrated holiday siblings. Pentecost marks the point at which God’s Holy Spirit is given to followers of Jesus. If Christmas shows us who God is in human flesh, and Easter shows us how God provides our eternal salvation, Pentecost shows us what we are to do with this one precious life we’ve been given. We are instruments of God’s Holy Spirit.

Sermon Title: Sent with Great Joy. Preacher: Deacon Stephanie Anderson. Preaching Text: Luke 24:44-53. Today we celebrate two holy moments woven together: Ascension of Our Lord and Confirmation Sunday. In Luke’s Gospel, Jesus blesses his disciples and sends them out with joy, trust, and purpose. As we celebrate our confirmands affirming their baptismal promises, we remember that this is not the end of a journey, but the beginning of a lifelong walk with Christ. Just as the disciples were sent into the world with blessing and promise, so too are these young people (and all of us!) sent to live, grow, serve, and trust in God’s abiding presence.

Sermon Title: Getting Ready to Take on the World. Preacher: Pastor Jason Bryan-Wegner. Preaching Text: John 14:15-21. Spring is a season of transition. Today in worship at 9:45 am, we honor and bless those in our church who are preparing for the transition beyond high school. This milestone brings with it significant changes for families and for our congregation, as we prepare to send them into a new chapter of life, we send them with God’s Spirit, who is calling them into a life filled with promise and purpose.

Preacher: Intern Pastor Nathan Adu-Gyamfi. Preaching Text: John 14:1-14. Sermon Title: Not Every Road Leads Home. As we continue to reflect on the works of Christ and the power of His resurrection, in this Easter season, the Gospel of John brings us into a moment of uncertainty. Jesus speaks to His disciples as their world is about to change. And into their fear, He says: Do not let your hearts be troubled. In a world full of many roads and many voices, Jesus does not offer directions—He offers Himself: I am the way, the truth, and the life. Not every road leads home—but Christ does. So come as you are. Let us worship God.

Preacher: Deacon Stephanie Anderson. Preaching Text: John 10:1-10. Sermon Title: The Voice That Leads to Life. In this Easter season, we continue to live into the promise of resurrection - new life breaking through in unexpected places. Today, Jesus names himself as both shepherd and gate, the one who calls us, gathers us, and leads us into abundant life. In a world full of competing voices, we are invited to listen for the voice that knows us, loves us, and leads us toward life. Come and hear again the good news: Christ is risen, and in him, life is opened wide.

Preacher: Pastor Jason Bryan-Wegner. Texts: John 20:11-18, Luke 24:13-35, Matthew 28:16-20. This morning, we celebrate the joy of Christ’s resurrection through music. The Hymn Festival practice of worship is a uniquely Lutheran tradition, developed and promoted by Minnesota based Lutheran organists throughout the mid-20th century. This unique style of worship has now spread across the globe. The characteristics of a good hymn festival include choral anthems, organ hymn improvisations, scripture readings, reflections, and most importantly, congregational song. The music preaches the sermon for the day.