Holy Trinity Ankeny

Holy Trinity Ankeny

By Pastor Timothy OlsonReligion & SpiritualityChristianity
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Holy Trinity Ankeny episodes

  • Finding the Way

    On 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.  

    16 min
  • Let Christ

    2018 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 other things. But Paul doesn’t tell them (and us) that they must do this all on our own. In fact, the work isn’t ours to complete. In this season of resolutions, Let Christ. 

    15 min
  • No Room for Jesus

    “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 make room, grace, revealed in Christ, appears anyway.

    20 min
  • God's Instrusion

    Today 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 intrusion that enters Mary’s life nine months before. Today we hear about Mary…

    17 min
  • Recognize You Again
    There are a lot of things that I don’t recognize these days. 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 Jerusalem have become unrecognizable to God. God makes a way for us to become recognizable again.
    16 min
  • Work in Progress
    Advent calls us to prepare not just our homes for Christmas, but our lives for the fulfillment of the Reign of God when Christ comes in glory. For Paul, the Christian life is a work in progress: “the one who began a good work in you will not fail to see it through to completion at the day of Jesus Christ.” We are already the beloved of God, and not yet the people God calls us to be.
    18 min
  • Jesus, Fig Trees, and the End of the World
    Jesus proclaimed a word of great hope in the midst of the destruction and death of this world. The fig tree puts forth leaves declaring summer is at hand and a harvest is on the way. Jesus is that fig tree, and our salvation is at hand.
    21 min
  • Let Every Knee Bow Down
    Today’s gospel reading describes Pilate interrogating Jesus. Pilate and Jesus represent two kingdoms: Pilate represents the kingdom of world, and Jesus represents God’s kingdom. We have our feet planted in both kingdoms, but the question we each have to ask is, “Which kingdom has our loyalty? To which king do we bow?”
    20 min
  • Thanksgiving Eve: Don't Worry; Be Grateful.
    Jesus says, “Don’t worry.” That is harder than it sounds. We worry about food, clothing, housing and a host of other things that seem to matter more than anything else. Thanksgiving seems to provide a one-day break to give thanks for what has gone right in life and suspend worrying about what could happen for at least an afternoon. What if gratitude is more than that? What if gratitude is a means of worry-free living?
    15 min
  • Behold, I Will Make All Things New
    Life will sometimes kick you in the gut. For Jesus’ disciples hearing that the Temple would be torn down was a kick in the gut. We all have something, at some time or another, that will kick us in the gut. Life can be hard. Life for some of us is a lot harder than it should be. Jesus tells us that our present circumstances will eventually change, whether we want them to change or not. Jesus makes all things new.
    17 min

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Holy Trinity Lutheran Church