THE HOLY ONES: NOVEMBER 2, 2025
Holy Trinity Ankeny
Christians today don’t like to think of themselves as “holy.” That is reserved for superhero Christians. Perhaps a little false humility or a desire to keep expectations low makes us shrink from claiming our divinity as ones created in the image of God and redeemed by Christ’s love. Christians today also don’t want to get anywhere near thoughts of death or sadness, even though, in Christ, death has been overcome. That makes the Feast of All Saints hard to celebrate but essentially important. In a world of darkness, the light of God, as it shines in the lives of the Holy Ones of God,...
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STILL REFORMING: OCTOBER 26, 2025
Holy Trinity Ankeny
Reformation Sunday isn't a history lesson. It's a mirror. God promised to write on our hearts - and that reformation is still happening. Jeremiah 31:31-34 | Romans 3:19-28 | John 8:31-36
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HEALING: OCTOBER 19, 2026
Holy Trinity Ankeny
As we observe the Feast of St. Luke it is common to focus on stories of healing. Tradition holds that Luke, the writer of a Gospel that bears his name and the Book of Acts, was a physician. Luke’s story of Jesus and the Church, however, is far more than a collection of healing stories. More than the healing of individuals, Luke tells us of how Jesus heals the whole world and sends his followers – the church – to do the same.
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THE WORD WILL NOT BE CHAINED: OCTOBER 12, 2025
Holy Trinity Ankeny
There is a lot of discussion and questions about “Christian Nationalism” these days. It is a not a new phenomenon. It happens whenever people mix faith and patriotism into a stew that becomes neither patriotic nor faithful. It probably first appeared when Emperor Constantine won the battle at the Milvian Bridge under a banner with a cross. From that point, using Christ as a tool for political power became part of history. Today, the American version seeks to victimize those we disfavor, call empathy and compassion, diversity, and equity evil. The Word of God, however, will not be chained...
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SMALL FAITH, BIG GOD: OCT. 5, 2025
Holy Trinity Ankeny
Habakkuk stands on the city ramparts, watching violence rage below, crying "How long, O Lord?" Centuries later, Jesus' disciples hear impossible commands and plead, "Increase our faith!" Jesus' answer might surprise you: the faith you already have is enough. It's not about your strength — it's about God's.
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RICH & POOR: THAT'S NOT WHAT IT'S ABOUT: SEPTEMBER 28, 2025
Holy Trinity Ankeny
Today's sermon is based on the Gospel of Luke 16:19-31.
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MONEY FADES, MERCY LASTS: SEPTEMBER 21, 2025
Holy Trinity Ankeny
Confederate bonds seemed like solid investments in 1862 - today they're worth $20 on eBay. Jesus's parable of the dishonest steward reveals which currency will outlast them all. Luke 16:1-13 | Amos 8:4-7
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TIRED: SEPTEMBER 14, 2025
Holy Trinity Ankeny
I don’t think I’m alone in being tired of the state of the world. What will address the warfare, violence, hatred, and just general meanness of this world? In a world where power, winning, material success, being number one, are the way we see things and what we strive for, there seems little hope of changing things. On this Holy Cross Day we are reminded that the way of the cross seems foolish in a winner-take-all world, but that foolishness has the power to save.
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THAT’S GONNA LEAVE A MARK: SEPTEMBER 7, 2025
Holy Trinity Ankeny
Being a disciple of Jesus is more than being a member of a church. There are costs to placing Jesus at the center of life to the exclusion of other things. Being a disciple leaves marks, and it begins with the cross affixed to our foreheads in baptism.
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TABLES ARE NEVER NEUTRAL: AUG. 31, 2025
Holy Trinity Ankeny
A grandfather's coffee cup, a splash of milk, and a kitchen table full of chaos. Sometimes the most profound truths about God's kingdom hide in the most ordinary moments. If you've ever felt like you're scanning the room with your plate in hand, wondering where you belong, turns out your place was never in question. Proverbs 25:6-7a | Hebrews 13:1-8, 15-16 | Luke 14:1, 7-14
info_outlineThe vision of the “Sheep and Goats” in Matthew’s gospel is a perplexing bit of scripture. On the surface, it reduces inclusion in the reign of God to those who do good works—no room for grace. On the surface, it condemns the unrighteous to eternal damnation and the fires of hell. Neither notion jibes with the story of Jesus very well. So, what is Jesus trying to teach in this last teaching of Matthew’s gospel? It is about grace and mercy, of course.