THE FATHER'S HOUSE: MARCH 30, 2025
Holy Trinity Ankeny
A lost son in a distant country. A loyal son who never left. Both lost more than they realized. What if being found isn’t about where you are—but about who knows you? Joshua 5:9-12 | 2 Corinthians 5:16-21 | Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32
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REPENT! MARCH 23, 2025
Holy Trinity Ankeny
Repentance is not one of our favorite topics of discussion. In the Season of Lent, and in the Gospel of Luke, the subject is unavoidable. If we believe that we have faith and repent so that we can earn God’s favor and avoid God’s punishment, repentance is like a bad report card. Luke’s message today unflinchingly declares that we cannot avoid the tragedy of life. We cannot assume that our prosperity means God loves us more than others. The day of death and judgment will come to all. Jesus' parable of the fig tree declares that though unavoidable, today is an opportunity for grace to turn...
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GOSPEL OF LUKE: MARCH 16, 2025
Holy Trinity Ankeny
Pastor David Cline served as our guest preacher this week.
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WHAT IF.... MARCH 9, 2025
Holy Trinity Ankeny
What if Jesus had said yes? What if the story had gone differently? And what if his temptations aren’t so different from our own? Deuteronomy 26:1-11 | Romans 10:8b-13 | Luke 4:1-13
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WHO IS JESUS? MARCH 2, 2025
Holy Trinity Ankeny
The season of Epiphany begins at Jesus' baptism with a heavenly announcement, “You are my son, the beloved.” The season ends with an announcement from the cloud, “This is my son, the Chosen. Listen to him.” Epiphany is about the multi-faceted revelation of Jesus' identity. “Who is Jesus?” is the prime question we must sort out before we can follow him.
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DIFFICULT WORDS: FEB. 23, 2025
Holy Trinity Ankeny
Jesus says hard things a lot. Perhaps no words uttered by the Lord are more difficult than “Love your enemies.” His call to forgive those who harm us and bless those who curse us are not mainstream. No Liam Neeson movie would garner an audience if he went around forgiving. No, we like revenge and retribution. We like to hold on to grudges. The question is, how does the reign of God – a reign of mercy dawn in a world based on revenge? Maybe it doesn’t.
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SEEN AND KNOWN: FEB. 16, 2025
Holy Trinity Ankeny
Have you ever felt invisible—like you could walk through a crowd and no one would notice? We all long to be seen, to know that we matter. But what if the one who sees us best is the one we least expect? Jeremiah 17:5-10 | 1 Corinthians 15:12-20 | Luke 6:17-26
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A FISH STORY: FEB 9, 2025
Holy Trinity Ankeny
Holy Trinity welcomes Bishop Amy Current of the Southeastern Iowa Synod of the ELCA as our preacher. She shares a story of grace where the big story is not about the fish.
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THE GOD I NEED: FEB. 2, 2025
Holy Trinity Ankeny
The doctor tells me I have cancer. That can make one stop and think. To walk the path ahead, I find myself thinking about what kind of God I need. A god who planned my cancer? Maybe one who will supply a miracle when all hope is lost? No, I am convinced that the God I need is the one who created a world where radiation and radiologists, scalpels and surgeons bring to bear the grace of creation. More important, I need a God who is not aloof and far off, inscrutable and impassive, but one who knows my sufferings and shares them. That is the God revealed in Christ and his cross.
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THE JESUS AGENDA: JANUARY 26, 2025
Holy Trinity Ankeny
Washington and Wall Street, magnates and millionaires all have agendas for the shaping of the world in their own image. The changes and fads come and go and most often create chaos. Jesus announced his agenda in his home synagogue. He came to give good news to the poor, release the captives, give sight to the blind, lift up the oppressed and set the world right. With each healing, teaching, and his rising from the dead he pursued that agenda. What does that have to do with us?
info_outlineWhen confronted with the troubles of the world or the decline of our personal life we can long for something new, something that fixes things, solves our problems. We tend to look for the quick fix, the silver bullet, the latest and greatest advice. Scripture tells us that the reign of God doesn’t work that way. Mustard seeds, growing seed, sprigs of a cedar tree are signs that God is at work. The new creation dawns slowly, patiently and often, as something we can only observe as God works.