Grace in Community

Text: John 17:1-11

Series: Jump in the River!

Last week we witnessed Jesus telling the disciples they will need to learn how to "adult." He was going away, but he would send them a helper - in this process: the Holy Spirit. Now he tells them of one vital ingredient for how to carry on his mission in the world; how to make the river of God's grace flow. And that essential ingredient that Jesus is most focused on may surprise you. The good news? We can all stand in the flow. 

Text: John 14:15-21, Acts 17:22-31

Series: Jump in the River!

In this Mother's Day sermon, Pastor Matt asks the question, "Is it appropriate to refer to God as Mother, or as 'She'?" Engaging this interesting question leads us to see an important truth in Jesus' promise to the disciples of what will come after he leaves them. Like a supportive mother, the Holy Spirit both nourishes and challenges us into our adulthood as disciples. In our "adulting" phase, we become the rivers of God's grace flowing out into the world. 

Text: John 14:1-14

Series: Jump In the River! 

For the next couple weeks our texts open up some controversial questions. This week: should we still be saying that "Jesus is the only way?" Rather than backing down from this claim, Pastor Matt reveals how we've misunderstood its true meaning—Jesus isn't offering us an exclusive ticket to heaven, but inviting us into a radical way of life that transforms everything. He warns against the dangers of both religious relativism (where we become our own gods) and domineering exclusivism (where faith becomes a weapon). Instead, Pastor Matt calls for "gracious orthodoxy"—boldly proclaiming Jesus as the way while embodying His way of radical love and service. When the early Christians called their movement "the Way," they weren't just talking about a destination but a journey of self-giving love that saves lives now. This isn't about determining who's in or out of eternity—that's God's gracious business—but about offering the world the most life-giving message in history. 

Text: John 10:1-10, Psalm 23

Series: Jump in the River!

Life can be filled with chaos. What if you could hear one familiar voice that provided calm in the midst of it? In this touching reflection on Psalm 23 and John 10, Pastor Matt reveals how the Good Shepherd has already found us; all we need to do is listen for his voice. Discover the still waters that restore your soul and flow out to bless others—listen now and find your shepherd's voice calling you by name!

Text: Luke 24:13-35

Series: Jump in the River!

In Christian circles you often hear the phrase "God's Word" thrown around. But what exactly do we mean by it? Pastor Matt's answer in this sermon may surprise you, because as Lutherans we think of it a bit differently than some. As we reflect on the story of two disciples encountering the resurrected Jesus on the road, we recognize how we too encounter the Word of God, made flesh, every Sunday in worship. 

Text: John 20:19-31

In this week's special episode, Bishop Dave Nagler of our Pacifica Synod brings us a message based on the text that gives "Doubting" Thomas his unfortunate nickname. In doing so, Bishop Dave brings us an important message about what it really means to have faith. Listen and explore what it means to move from intellectual belief toward life-changing trust. 

Text: Matthew 20:1-10

When the women went to see Jesus’ tomb early on that first Easter morning, we read that “suddenly there was a great earthquake.” Not surprisingly, in the ancient world earthquakes were associated with divine action. God had certainly acted! It was the most important event in history. Where death had reigned, now there is new life! It seems we could use some earth-shaking today. Jesus points these early disciples to the place of divine action now: sharing the good news of Jesus in community. That may not seem earth-shaking, but the message of Jesus has the power to shake open the human heart - and even to shake our world.

Texts: John 18-19, Psalm 22, Hebrews 4:14-16

We spend a lot of time "lifting up" God in praise. But sometimes we need a God who is lower. A God for whom despair is not foreign. We need to know a God who is with us at our depths, in our suffering. That's the God we find in Good Friday. No matter how low we go, Christ is lower still. In this sermon from last week's Good Friday service, Pastor Matt invites us to fall into his grace. 

The song at the end of the podcast is titled "Christ is Lower Still," by Dominique Jones, Isaac Wardell, Kate Bluett, and Matt Maher, originally recorded on the album Sanctuary Songs by the Porter's Gate. This live recording was led on Good Friday at Community Lutheran Church by Pastor Matt Anderson (vocals, guitar) and Sara Lehman (piano, vocals). 

Texts: Luke 19:29-48, Zechariah 9:9-10, Psalm 118:1-2,19-29; Philippians 2:5-11

How is true peace achieved in a world bent on violence? On Palm Sunday we see Jesus triumphantly entering Jerusalem as King. Except, is it really very triumphant, on a donkey? And he’s not technically king either. It turns out this is exactly the paradox Jesus wanted. True strength comes not through grasping power for oneself, but through submitting to the way of love, of giving oneself to lift others. As we enter the paradox of Holy Week, we join the ragtag bunch of disciples glorifying Jesus as King days before his humiliating death on a cross, in faith that against all odds, this is where true peace and wholeness is found. 

Text: John 11:1-45

Series: Together By Grace

Have you ever felt like God was absent when you needed Him most? In a powerful exploration of John 11, Pastor Matt delves into the story of Lazarus's resurrection, revealing it as the culminating miracle among seven signs in John's Gospel. Through the raw emotions of Martha and Mary—their grief, frustration, and even anger at Jesus's delayed arrival—we discover that questioning God can actually be an expression of deep faith. Pastor Matt illuminates how Jesus, despite knowing He would raise Lazarus, still wept with the mourners, demonstrating a God who doesn't stand distant from our pain but enters fully into it. The sermon reaches its crescendo with the parallel between God's creative word in Genesis and Jesus's life-giving command, "Lazarus, come out!" But perhaps most striking is the communal aspect of restoration—Jesus instructing others to unbind Lazarus, showing that our spiritual renewal is intimately connected to community. As the church, we are drawn together by the Holy Spirit not just for individual transformation, but to participate in each other's journey from death to new life.