Sermons from Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Raleigh, NC

Gospel - Mark 16:1-8

Resurrection didn’t just happen, it happens. And it happens for you.

Gospel - Mark 11:1-11

Gospel - John 12:20-33

There is death on the trash heap. When something happens, you will never be the person you were before. There is an ending that will need to be grieved. But this death, this suffering, this grief is not the end. With God, it is the seed.

Sometimes, we all feel like trash: Like we don’t fit. Like we are worn out and used up. Like we are a hassle for those around us. Like we have been tossed aside to make way for someone newer, shinier, braver, better.

When we feel that way, God is there. On the trash heap, beside the dumpster, behind that restaurant door, ready to see you and get so excited that there is life in you yet!

Gospel - John 3:14-21

What do you see when you look at the cross? A tool you can use? Or one God fashioned because we love to look for salvation in all the wrong places?

Gospel - John 2:13-22

Gospel - Mark 8:31-38

With Jesus as our true north, we will take risks. We will suffer. And yet, we can do this because we see that there is really no other way. There is no other way but to love God and love neighbor and let the chips fall.

We could try to avoid suffering (we’re good at that), but to do so would be to deny the larger truth…the truth of nonviolence and kindness and mercy. The truth of love and life abundant that we have experienced and that has changed us and those we love.

And so, when we find ourselves bearing a cross – losing a friend or choosing the harder path or making less money because we cannot willingly be a part of injustice or violence or exploitation – we see that we are not alone. We are living the Christian life.

Gospel - Mark 1:9-15

We are tempted to see the wilderness wandering periods of our lives as wasted, but as Jesus shows us, they can be proving grounds full of wild blessings...if we'll pay attention.

Note: The Genesis text referenced is Genesis 9:8-17.

Gospel - Mark 9:2-9

As Christ is Transfigured before the disciples, they get a glimpse of the terrifying truth that God keeps promises and is more loving than they could possibly have imagined.

Image Credit: Creation by Lewis Bowman

Gospel - Mark 1:29-39

Jesus calls us to human connection, even when we are sick. Jesus calls us to serve, in whatever ways we can, given our circumstances. Jesus calls us to healing, even when a cure is not possible. Jesus calls us back to life.

Perhaps we’d like a more dramatic resurrection. Instead, we get resurrection that is everyday. Every. Day. It is not always dramatic, but it is always a miracle, always a gift.

Gospel - Mark 1:21-28

There are many things in this world that steal our voice. God is about giving humanity their God-given voice back when they lose it.