Holy Trinity Ankeny
I grew up thinking that the word hosanna meant something triumphant. Knowing that it means something else entirely changes how I see Jesus' entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Mark 11:1-11
info_outline MARCH 17, 2024: THE CROSSHoly Trinity Ankeny
The cross is the chief symbol of our faith, a sign of the saving work of Christ. What does it mean “to be saved?” Some would say it is assent to beliefs. Others point to a religious experience. Those are not, however, works of Christ. They are things we do. In John’s gospel, Christ’s work on the cross is bigger than forgiving sins. It is to judge the world, drive out the evil, and draw all people to himself.
info_outline GUEST PREACHER FROM MOSAICHoly Trinity Ankeny
Pastor Twila Schock, Vice President for Church Relations and International Programming for Mosaic, one of our mission partners, is our guest preacher. Mosaic empowers people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in their unique pursuit of happiness.
info_outline THE LION, THE TABLES, AND THE WARDROBEHoly Trinity Ankeny
We often have an image in our head of what Jesus looks like and how Jesus should act. The Jesus of John’s gospel is not the safe, tame, domesticated Jesus of my childhood. A domesticated Jesus doesn’t have anything to say about how we live our lives and would never flip any tables. This Jesus is the undomesticated Jesus who isn’t afraid to flip the tables in our lives that get in the way of following Jesus. Exodus 20:1-17 | 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 | John 2:13-22
info_outline GO YOUR OWN WAYHoly Trinity Ankeny
It seems like from the moment we enter the world the effort to find and follow our own way is what we are about. Every toddler at some point says “I do it myself!” To take up one’s cross and follow Jesus however, means not going our own way but following in the way of Jesus. Peter finds that out today as Jesus says, “Get behind me, Satan.”
info_outline THE WORDS WE NEED TO HEARHoly Trinity Ankeny
In the swift narrative of Mark's Gospel, details may seem sparse, but depth and meaning abound. Baptized by John in the Jordan, Jesus hears the heavens tear open, affirming him as the beloved Son. Driven into the wilderness by the Spirit, Jesus faces real struggles. Mark, unlike Matthew and Luke, leaves the temptations ambiguous. Lent isn't about a triumphant superhero, but a vulnerable Jesus in our shared wilderness. In life's diverse wildernesses, Jesus guides us, proclaiming the Kingdom, and reconciling us to God. The torn veil assures: You are loved. Amen. Readings: Genesis 9:8-17 1...
info_outline GLIMPSES OF GRACEHoly Trinity Ankeny
There is more to the world than meets the eye. By faith, we see things that others cannot. We see people and the world differently than others might. The Feast of the Transfiguration tells us how God pulled back the curtain of heaven to reveal radiance, glory, and grace in Jesus Christ. We get a glimpse of grace and see as God sees. It happens all the time. When we can see a person who suffers as a neighbor to love instead of a burden, we see through the eyes of faith. When we receive the bread and wine at the Table of the Lord and see Christ present to us, we see as Christ sees. It is these...
info_outline Finding GodHoly Trinity Ankeny
The magi come from afar to seek the Christ child. They come seeking and find King Herod more worried about maintaining his power than seeking the newborn king. Herod doesn’t seek, the scribes and chief priests don’t seek either. It seems that God is determined to be found and it takes those who shouldn’t even be looking for the Christ child to find him. Isaiah 60:1-6 | Ephesians 3:1-12 | Matthew 2:1-12
info_outline LOVE HAS COMEHoly Trinity Ankeny
The vastness and immensity of the universe are held together and grounded in love. That love has come to us in Christ. Amidst the powers and rulers of this world, love has come in humility. Christ comes born in a manger, a baby crying as every other baby so we can know that love has come to us.
info_outline How Can This Be?Holy Trinity Ankeny
In today's Gospel, we delve into the Annunciation, a moment often overlooked in Protestant circles. Mary, a humble teenager from Nazareth, questions the angel Gabriel's surprising message. Yet, Gabriel points to God's unwavering faithfulness, echoing a history of divine promises fulfilled. 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16 | Romans 16:25-27 | Luke 1:26-38
info_outlineThe story of the nativity in Luke’s Gospel is a story of somebodies and nobodies. Augustus and the governor of Syria are somebodies. Joseph, Mary, Jesus, and the shepherds are nobodies. We should note where God shows up in the world. We should note the people to who God is revealed. Love is revealed in places where no one would go to people who don’t matter. That should be terribly good news to each of us.