GIVE TO GOD WHAT IS GOD’S: October 18, 2026
Holy Trinity Ankeny
When the Pharisees and Herodians try to trap Jesus with a trick question, he ends up revealing their hypocrisy and turning the tables on them. Being concerned about paying taxes to Caesar is not a central concern of life. Instead, a life of faith is about giving God what belongs to God – which is everything. He exposes this political posturing for what it is – unessential to the kingdom of God.
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THE INVITATION: October 11, 2026
Holy Trinity Ankeny
Some stories we wrestle with. Some wrestle with us. This one has been going round and round with us, and it ends with a closed door and a question nobody answers. We cannot walk away from it. We are not sure we want to. What do we do with this? Matthew 22:1-14 | Isaiah 25:1-9
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THE MIND OF CHRIST: October 4, 2026
Holy Trinity Ankeny
We all have a view of how the world works. We have a mindset that guides our decisions and relationships. It is often shaped by culture, family, tradition. The Apostle Paul tells us that we should have “the mind of Christ.” He demonstrates how his own life has been turned upside down by having the mindset of Jesus. It frees us. It saves us. It blesses us.
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LOOK: September 27, 2026
Holy Trinity Ankeny
They asked him for his credentials. He never gave them. Not to the priests in the Temple, not to a prisoner sending word from a cell, not even to the crowd standing under a cross daring him to prove it. He answered a different way. He's still answering that way, at this table, today. Matthew 21:23-27
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A TERRIBLE, HORRIBLE, NO GOOD, VERY BAD DAY: September 20, 2026
Holy Trinity Ankeny
We keep a ledger. Quietly, carefully. Who showed up, who's earned their place, who still owes something. Some of us keep it on others. Some of us keep it on ourselves. But grace was never good at math. Jonah 3:10-4:11| Matthew 20:1-16 | Philippians 1:21-30
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INFINITE FORGIVENESS: September 13, 2026
Holy Trinity Ankeny
When Peter asks Jesus how many times we are to forgive someone, Jesus answers, “Seventy-seven – or Seven times seventy.” What he means is, “Infinitely.” Can that be right? Is there no room in the world for “enough is enough?” Are there not some things that are unforgiveable? Apparently not.
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OVERCOMING DIVISION: September 6, 2026
Holy Trinity Ankeny
It is not news to say that the world and its inhabitants are divided, fragmented in a way that makes us give up hope. We just can’t help ourselves from our desire for revenge, retribution, and winning the argument. Jesus called his people, his Church, to bear witness to another way of life which restores hope, to be a light in the midst of the divided darkness.
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TAKE UP YOUR CROSS: August 30, 2026
Holy Trinity Ankeny
Jesus' invitation to “take up your cross and follow him” is the essence of the call to discipleship. What does it look like to take up the cross? Are we to be martyrs? Tortured? Imprisoned for our faith? That has happened to many, as the history of the church bears witness. For most of us, the cross comes as we choose the way of Jesus instead of the ways of the world and find friction. If you follow Jesus, the cross will find you.
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THE SENTENCE YOU DIDN'T WRITE: August 23, 2026
Holy Trinity Ankeny
We have been finishing that sentence our whole lives. I am… and somebody else usually filled in the blank first. But there is an older word about who we are, spoken before anyone else got a vote. And it turns out, Jesus is still speaking it. Matthew 16:13-20 | Isaiah 51:1-6 | Romans 12:1-8
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CRUMBS FROM THE TABLE: August 16, 2026
Holy Trinity Ankeny
When a Canaanite woman asks Jesus to heal her daughter his response seems, to us, rude. Rude Jesus? Not really. The story shows us that the promise of God in Isaiah 56 has come true – all nations will be drawn to God. The story also shows us that crumbs from the table of grace are more than enough.
info_outlineWe live in a culture where there are winners and losers. It seems like it doesn’t matter what we do, we are always in competition with someone. We compete for jobs and promotions, who has the best children, and who has the most stuff. And if we aren’t careful, we can think that we are loved because we are winners and we can feel unloved because we are not the winners. Living through the trials and tribulations of this world is a lot easier when we know we are loved; when we know we are chosen. When we too hear the words, you are my child, my beloved, with you I am well pleased.