In this morning's Gospel lesson, Jesus meets a man who has been tormented for a long time by a thousand demons - and by his community's fear-filled responses to his affliction.  It was only when Jesus entered that man's life and decisively dealt with the demons that he found true peace.  

You can view, download, or print the text of this service by clicking the link below or by copying and pasting it into your browser: https://app.box.com/s/aczjc5sap4s0e0w9kiuymdwn6gylbvzp

If you have a friend, relative, neighbor or coworker who you think might benefit from watching this service, why not send them a link or share it with them on Facebook?

Find and download this sermon as an episode of the Route 42 podcast at https://route42.buzzsprout.com/ or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, iHeart Radio, and more.

You can follow Christ the King Lutheran Church on Facebook and Instagram @ctkodi; you can now subscribe to Christ the King's YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtyvkXh49DQsfPowk5_xUiw; and you can follow Pastor Cahill on Twitter @revcahill.  You can reach Pastor Cahill by email through the Christ the King website at www.christthekinglodi.org.

Acknowledgments:

 Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.   Created by Lutheran Service Builder © 2018 Concordia Publishing House.

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In the calendar of the church, Sunday, June 12, was the Sunday of the Holy Trinity.  It's the day when we recognize that even though we can't fully explain what the Trinity is all about, we still believe, teach, and especially confess that the God we worship is one God, but three Persons - the Father, the Son who is Jesus, and the Holy Spirit.

You can view, download, or print the text of this service by clicking the link below or by copying and pasting it into your browser: https://app.box.com/s/ngrbumylwmwgt9n2i9fu1k939y6x8o9g

If you have a friend, relative, neighbor or coworker who you think might benefit from watching this service, why not send them a link or share it with them on Facebook?

Find and download this sermon as an episode of the Route 42 podcast at https://route42.buzzsprout.com/ or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, iHeart Radio, and more.

You can follow Christ the King Lutheran Church on Facebook and Instagram @ctkodi; you can now subscribe to Christ the King's YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtyvkXh49DQsfPowk5_xUiw; and you can follow Pastor Cahill on Twitter @revcahill.  You can reach Pastor Cahill by email through the Christ the King website at www.christthekinglodi.org.

Acknowledgments:

 Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture quotations are from the Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.   Created by Lutheran Service Builder © 2018 Concordia Publishing House.

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Today is Palm Sunday, the last Sunday in the season of Lent and the day when we remember that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on a donkey while crowds cheered and shouted "Hosanna to the Son of David!" - because they thought he would be some kind of king for them.  That wasn't Jesus' plan at all, as we see on Good Friday and again on Easter Sunday.

Throughout this Holy Week we're taking some final looks at the Forgiving Challenge acronym "S.C.A.R.S." and how that pattern can help us think about the Lord's Supper on Thursday, Jesus' suffering and death on Friday, and His rising from the dead on Easter Sunday.  On this Palm Sunday, though, we'll take the time to think about how the "S.C.A.R.S" pattern can help us think about our memory verse for the season of Lent, Luke 6:37-38 - “Do not judge, and you will not be judged. Do not condemn, and you will not be condemned. Forgive, and you will be forgiven.”  

You can view, download, or print the text of this service by clicking the link below or by copying and pasting it into your browser: https://app.box.com/s/of0fvg8yh7iu1fh7m0n59nhm39tfm68j

#ForgivingChallenge,#sin,#confession,#absolution,#restoration,#sanctification,#holyweek,#palmsunday

Find and download this sermon as an episode of the Route 42 podcast at https://route42.buzzsprout.com/ or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, iHeart Radio, and more.

You can follow Christ the King Lutheran Church on Facebook and Instagram @ctkodi; you can now subscribe to Christ the King's YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtyvkXh49DQsfPowk5_xUiw; and you can follow Pastor Cahill on Twitter @revcahill.  You can reach Pastor Cahill by email through the Christ the King website at www.christthekinglodi.org.

For up-to-date information on our ministry projects and events, check out our special website here https://ctkseasonofgrace.mystrikingly.com/

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Today we're beginning the final week of the season of Lent and our 40-day exploration of "The Forgiving Challenge."  The focus this week is on "Sanctification."

"Sanctification" means "the process of becoming holy."  Sometimes people think that it's all about behaviors, but it's as much about the attitude that drives the behaviors.  As the fifth unit in The Forgiving Challenge, we've waited until now to talk about behaviors because the Bible says that holiness is not the prerequisite for forgiveness and restoration (like, "you have to do things right in order to get God to forgive you") but it's the end result of everything God has done for you (like, "now that God has forgiven your sins and restored you to your rightful place in His love, here's how you can live as His child and heir").  We'll think about immigrants and athletes, and why "saint" isn't a word just for Christians who have died.

You can view, download, or print the text of this service by clicking the link below or by copying and pasting it into your browser: https://app.box.com/s/qr70gj7xke8wvyv4f3hamm3vjxvz5cau

The Forgiving Challenge follows the acronym "S.C.A.R.S."  Each week we've focused on the meaning behind one of these letters: "S" for "Sin" (week of March 6); "C" for "Confession" (week of March 13); "A" for "Absolution" (also known as Forgiveness; week of March 20); "R" for "Restoration" (week of March 27); and "S" for "Sanctification" (also known as Being Holy; week of April 3).  You can find out more about the Forgiving Challenge at our special website https://ctkfc2022.mystrikingly.com/ or at https://redletterchallenge.com/40-day-challenges/forgiving-challenge/

#ForgivingChallenge,#sin,#confession,#absolution,#restoration,#sanctification

Find and download this sermon as an episode of the Route 42 podcast at https://route42.buzzsprout.com/ or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, iHeart Radio, and more.

You can follow Christ the King Lutheran Church on Facebook and Instagram @ctkodi; you can now subscribe to Christ the King's YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtyvkXh49DQsfPowk5_xUiw; and you can follow Pastor Cahill on Twitter @revcahill.  You can reach Pastor Cahill by email through the Christ the King website at www.christthekinglodi.org.

For up-to-date information on our ministry projects and events, check out our special website here https://ctkseasonofgrace.mystrikingly.com/

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Today we're beginning the fourth full week of the season of Lent and our 40-day exploration of "The Forgiving Challenge."  The focus this week is on "Restoration."

In the New Testament, the iconic parable of Restoration is Jesus' parable of the Prodigal Son (Luke 15:11-32).  It's a story about everything we've been talking about so far in "The Forgiving Challenge": Sin, Confession, Absolution, and now Restoration.  It's also about the determination of the loving and welcoming father to be as "prodigal" (="wasteful") in his love for his children as his younger son was in his rebellious lifestyle.  But it's also about that father's same determination to be loving and caring to the other son who sits in judgment over both his brother and his father.  Spoiler alert!  The story has no ending!  It just leaves us to wonder how everything will work out - or if it simply recycles itself in different forms again and again throughout history.

The Forgiving Challenge follows the acronym "S.C.A.R.S."  Each week we focus on the meaning behind one of these letters: "S" for "Sin" (week of March 6); "C" for "Confession" (week of March 13); "A" for "Absolution" (also known as Forgiveness; week of March 20); "R" for "Restoration" (week of March 27); and "S" for "Sanctification" (also known as Being Holy; week of April 3).  You can find out more about the Forgiving Challenge at our special website https://ctkfc2022.mystrikingly.com/ or at https://redletterchallenge.com/40-day-challenges/forgiving-challenge/

#ForgivingChallenge,#sin,#confession,#absolution,#restoration,#sanctification

Find and download this sermon as an episode of the Route 42 podcast at https://route42.buzzsprout.com/ or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, iHeart Radio, and more.

You can follow Christ the King Lutheran Church on Facebook and Instagram @ctkodi; you can now subscribe to Christ the King's YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtyvkXh49DQsfPowk5_xUiw; and you can follow Pastor Cahill on Twitter @revcahill.  You can reach Pastor Cahill by email through the Christ the King website at www.christthekinglodi.org.

For up-to-date information on our ministry projects and events, check out our special website here https://ctkseasonofgrace.mystrikingly.com/

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Today we're beginning the third full week of the season of Lent and our 40-day exploration of "The Forgiving Challenge."  The focus this week is on "Absolution" (= Forgiveness).

In this week's sermon we'll think about boats that are sometimes tied to docks, and have to be untied in order to sail free on the water.  We'll think about people that cannot experience the love and mercy of God the Father because they're so tied up by sin and Satan; and we'll think about how Jesus sets us free from sin through forgiveness so that we can set others free, too.

The Forgiving Challenge follows the acronym "S.C.A.R.S."  Each week, we'll focus on the meaning behind one of these letters: "S" for "Sin" (week of March 6); "C" for "Confession" (week of March 13); "A" for "Absolution" (also known as Forgiveness; week of March 20); "R" for "Restoration" (week of March 27); and "S" for "Sanctification" (also known as Being Holy; week of April 3).  You can find out more about the Forgiving Challenge at our special website https://ctkfc2022.mystrikingly.com/ or at https://redletterchallenge.com/40-day-challenges/forgiving-challenge/

#ForgivingChallenge,#sin,#confession,#absolution,#restoration,#sanctification

Find and download this sermon as an episode of the Route 42 podcast at https://route42.buzzsprout.com/ or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, iHeart Radio, and more.

You can follow Christ the King Lutheran Church on Facebook and Instagram @ctkodi; you can now subscribe to Christ the King's YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtyvkXh49DQsfPowk5_xUiw; and you can follow Pastor Cahill on Twitter @revcahill.  You can reach Pastor Cahill by email through the Christ the King website at www.christthekinglodi.org.

For up-to-date information on our ministry projects and events, check out our special website here https://ctkseasonofgrace.mystrikingly.com/

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Today we're beginning the second full week of the season of Lent and our 40-day exploration of "The Forgiving Challenge."  The focus this week is on "Confession."

We use the word "confession" two ways in the church, but they both have to do with telling the truth that we've learned from God's revelation to us in His Word.  

The first kind of "confession" has to do with truth that God tells us about HImself in the Holy Scriptures.  That truth is condensed and summarized in "confessions of faith" like the Apostles' Creed and the Nicene Creed, the catechisms, and other documents like those gathered together in the Book of Concord.

The second kind of "confession" has to do with truth that God tells us about us - that the sin that we focused on last week infects all of His creation, including every one of us, to such an extent that the only way to deal with it fully and completely was through Jesus' death on the cross.

You can view, download, or print the text of this service by clicking the link below or by copying and pasting it into your browser: https://app.box.com/s/untm854puv3lxya1caglrmzjwb6scamf

The Forgiving Challenge follows the acronym "S.C.A.R.S."  Each week, we'll focus on the meaning behind one of these letters: "S" for "Sin" (week of March 6); "C" for "Confession" (week of March 13); "A" for "Absolution" (also known as Forgiveness; week of March 20); "R" for "Restoration" (week of March 27); and "S" for "Sanctification" (also known as Being Holy; week of April 3).  You can find out more about the Forgiving Challenge at our special website https://ctkfc2022.mystrikingly.com/ or at https://redletterchallenge.com/40-day-challenges/forgiving-challenge/

#ForgivingChallenge,#sin,#confession

Find and download this sermon as an episode of the Route 42 podcast at https://route42.buzzsprout.com/ or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, iHeart Radio, and more.

You can follow Christ the King Lutheran Church on Facebook and Instagram @ctkodi; you can now subscribe to Christ the King's YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtyvkXh49DQsfPowk5_xUiw; and you can follow Pastor Cahill on Twitter @revcahill.  You can reach Pastor Cahill by email through the Christ the King website at www.christthekinglodi.org.

For up-to-date information on our ministry projects and events, check out our special website here https://ctkseasonofgrace.mystrikingly.com/

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Last Sunday morning I slipped on some very treacherous ice and went down just outside the door into the church.  Thank God that I came away with only a bruise on my left hip!  But I thought later that sometimes in life, when we're not sure of our footing, or when we're unsteady on our feet, we like to have something outside ourself to hang on to - a handrail, a cane, or maybe a shopping cart.  Whatever it is that gives us a sense of stability and safety, and ultimately comfort.

About two years into His earthly three-year ministry, Jesus took His disciples Peter, James, and John to the top of a mountain where, the Bible says, He was "transfigured" before them.  His entire person became blinding white, like the light of the sun; Moses and Elijah were seen talking with Him; and the voice of God the Father spoke from heaven and said "This is my beloved Son; listen to Him."  In today's sermon we'll consider the possibility that God intended this event to be a sort of a spiritual handrail for those disciples, for Jesus Himself - and for us.

You can view, download, or print the text of this service by clicking the link below or by copying and pasting it into your browser: https://app.box.com/s/nxxx7oojx38jwfxmkxv6ahgrn8y675o3

#transfiguration,#values,#caring,#measures,#lifting_up

Find and download this sermon as an episode of the Route 42 podcast at https://route42.buzzsprout.com/ or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, iHeart Radio, and more.

You can follow Christ the King Lutheran Church on Facebook and Instagram @ctkodi; you can now subscribe to Christ the King's YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtyvkXh49DQsfPowk5_xUiw; and you can follow Pastor Cahill on Twitter @revcahill.  You can reach Pastor Cahill by email through the Christ the King website at www.christthekinglodi.org.

For up-to-date information on our ministry projects and events, check out our special website here https://ctkseasonofgrace.mystrikingly.com/

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Some of us seem to go through life with a lot of confidence / determination / daring, as if nothing can stop us.  Others of us seem to go through life with hesitation and uncertainty.  A certain amount of realistic humility is not a bad thing; but sometimes that humility can be a smokescreen.  In today's Gospel lesson we'll hear how Jesus overcame His disciples' realistic humility with His own mercy for them and for many others - and we'll also see other places in history where God has done that for His people.

You can read about events mentioned in today's sermon in the Bible at Exodus 4:1-5 (Moses at the burning bush); 1 Kings 17:1-16 (Elijah and the widow of Zarephath); 2 Kings 4:1-7 (Elisha and the prophet's widow); Acts 3:1-10 (Peter and John heal a lame man); and in today's Gospel lesson, Luke 9:1-17

You can view, download, or print the text of this service by clicking the link below or by copying and pasting it into your browser: https://app.box.com/s/h1y5mm61hdf5npnf2m63cq3ti21ps7ip

#values,#caring,#measures,#going_low,#lifting_up

Find and download this sermon as an episode of the Route 42 podcast at https://route42.buzzsprout.com/ or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, iHeart Radio, and more.

You can follow Christ the King Lutheran Church on Facebook and Instagram @ctkodi; you can now subscribe to Christ the King's YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtyvkXh49DQsfPowk5_xUiw; and you can follow Pastor Cahill on Twitter @revcahill.  You can reach Pastor Cahill by email through the Christ the King website at www.christthekinglodi.org.

For up-to-date information on our ministry projects and events, check out our special website here https://ctkseasonofgrace.mystrikingly.com/

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We go through life trying to live up to expectations, whether for good or for bad.  Sometimes, they're the expectations others have of us:  when you live up to them, the others are satisfied; and when you don't, they're sad or disappointed or angry.  Sometimes, they're the expectations we have of ourselves: when you live up to them, you feel a sense of pride or satisfaction; when you don't, you feel said, angry at yourself, or maybe guilt and shame.  

God told the prophet Ezekiel that the "shepherds" of His people didn't live up to His expectations, so He Himself determined He would be their "shepherd" - and in Jesus, He was.  The good news for us is that since Jesus did everything that God expected of us, that God is "well-pleased" with Him, and that He shares that pleasure with us who are His children, we can relax into His love and not be anxious about our own guilty feelings or unmet expectations.

You can view, download, or print the text of this service by clicking the link below or by copying and pasting it into your browser: https://app.box.com/s/ii9wjqh97m1onrtntsah2hvn1etf2wp5

#expectations,#values,#acceptance,#caring,#measures,#going_low,#lifting_up

Find and download this sermon as an episode of the Route 42 podcast at https://route42.buzzsprout.com/ or on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Pandora, iHeart Radio, and more.

You can follow Christ the King Lutheran Church on Facebook and Instagram @ctkodi; you can now subscribe to Christ the King's YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCtyvkXh49DQsfPowk5_xUiw; and you can follow Pastor Cahill on Twitter @revcahill.  You can reach Pastor Cahill by email through the Christ the King website at www.christthekinglodi.org.

For up-to-date information on our ministry projects and events, check out our special website here https://ctkseasonofgrace.mystrikingly.com/

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