Holy Trinity Ankeny

Holy Trinity Lutheran Church

I SEE YOU! JUNE 22, 2025 06/23/2025

I SEE YOU! JUNE 22, 2025 We humans are good at applying labels to each other. Short, fat, black, white, loser, winner… We drop bombs on “enemies,” we feed (or chastise) the “hungry. We apply a label and we think we know a person. When Jesus encounters a gentile, demon-possessed, man who is as good as dead (he lives in the cemetery), Jesus sees none of the labels. Instead, he restores the man to his standing as a human, a child of God. Christ sees you for who you are, not for the labels you bear. And he sets us free. /episode/index/show/htlcankeny/id/37112930

UNBEARABLE: JUNE 15, 2025 06/16/2025

UNBEARABLE: JUNE 15, 2025 Jesus once said, “You cannot bear it now.” We usually think of the unbearable as pain—and rightly so. But what if the unbearable isn’t only sorrow? What if it’s also joy too overwhelming to carry, love too deep to explain, grace too beautiful to hold? Proverbs 8:1–4, 22–31 | Romans 5:1–5 | John 16:12–15 /episode/index/show/htlcankeny/id/37024365

THE SPIRIT IS NO GHOST: JUNE 8, 2025 06/09/2025

THE SPIRIT IS NO GHOST: JUNE 8, 2025 Pentecost is a festival that celebrates the gift of the Holy Spirit. For years, English-speaking Christians referred to the third person of the Trinity as “The Holy Ghost” (some still do). This always made me think of Casper when I was a kid. The Holy Spirit is not, however, an apparition, a paranormal anomaly. The Holy Spirit is the very being of God that is given to all who call on the name of the Lord. It is the indwelling image of God poured into us by grace. It stands against the spirits of the age that tempt us to greed, violence, despair, selfishness, and division. The Holy Spirit is God making us the holy people of God. /episode/index/show/htlcankeny/id/36918260

CALLED BOTH WAYS: JUNE 1, 2025 06/02/2025

CALLED BOTH WAYS: JUNE 1, 2025 We live in the tension between ‘Come, Lord Jesus’ and ‘Come and see’ - crying out for Christ’s return while extending Christ’s invitation to a thirsty world. The church is called to be both bride calling out to Christ and wellspring offering living water to all who thirst. What does it mean to live faithfully in the in-between time, when the promise of ‘soon’ stretches across centuries and the prayer for unity meets our human divisions? Acts 16:16-34 | Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21 | John 17:20-26 /episode/index/show/htlcankeny/id/36817430

LYDIA’S LEGACY: MAY 25, 2025 05/27/2025

LYDIA’S LEGACY: MAY 25, 2025 Scripture does not tell us much about Lydia, but we have enough to know that she begins the story as one who is always the outsider. A woman in a man’s world, a person of wealth and means, an immigrant, a gentile among Jews. Then she hears the gospel and is baptized, and all these identities are replaced. She becomes a child of God, “marked by the cross of Christ and sealed by the Holy Spirit.” She becomes the leader of the church at Philippi. How does this transformation happen? How does it happen for us? /episode/index/show/htlcankeny/id/36728005

NO MORE TEARS: MAY 18, 2025 05/19/2025

NO MORE TEARS: MAY 18, 2025 The Book of Revelation reveals the gift of a New Jerusalem as a symbol of the fulfillment of God’s reign of peace, justice, and love. In that gentle reign there will be no more tears. That is good news in a world where there is much to make us weep. The struggle is that God’s new Jerusalem transforms and redeems the old one. What if we like the old one, the old ways, the old ideas? The tears will continue to flow if everything stays the same; if we long for what once was. How do we imagine and allow ourselves to live in a city where there are no more tears? /episode/index/show/htlcankeny/id/36624130

DEFIANT DOXOLOGY: MAY 11, 2025 05/12/2025

DEFIANT DOXOLOGY: MAY 11, 2025 They stood in silence and whispered a risk: “Jesus is Lord.” Not a slogan. Not a ritual. A choice that could cost everything. What kind of faith dares to speak when power says to stay quiet? This week, Revelation doesn’t give us dragons or end times charts. It gives us a vision—a multitude, a Shepherd, and a God who sees every tear. Acts 9:36–43 | Revelation 7:9–17 | John 10:22–30 /episode/index/show/htlcankeny/id/36532155

ON THE WRONG ROAD: MAY 4, 2025 05/05/2025

ON THE WRONG ROAD: MAY 4, 2025 Ever been on the wrong road, headed the wrong way? Worse yet, even been on the on the wrong road and not know it? Peter and Paul are on the wrong road in the scriptures for this day. No map, GPS, or self-help will straighten them out, turn them around or get them headed in the right direction. Only an act of resurrection can do that. Thankfully Jesus intervenes to alter their courses – as he does with us, every day. /episode/index/show/htlcankeny/id/36437480

BEYOND EASTER MORNING: APRIL 27, 2025 04/28/2025

BEYOND EASTER MORNING: APRIL 27, 2025 Last week was Easter — but the story isn’t over. For resurrection people, Easter never ends. After the crowds thin and the music fades, a quieter question remains: Is it still true? Is resurrection still real… even now? Like Thomas, we find ourselves reaching out — hoping to touch what our hearts dare to believe. Acts 5:27–32 | Revelation 1:4–8 | John 20:19–31 /episode/index/show/htlcankeny/id/36337985

THE EIGHTH DAY: APRIL 20, 2025 04/20/2025

THE EIGHTH DAY: APRIL 20, 2025 Christians have come to worship not on the seventh day (Sabbath) but on the eighth day, a day that signifies new creation. When the women came to the tomb of Jesus, they were prepared to anoint a dead body. They expected nothing new, so they brought spices and cloth, grief and despair. They had no expectation that a new creation had dawned in the resurrection of Christ. The eighth day brought hope and is a day we celebrate every week as we gather, hear the bread, share the meal, and send the risen people of God back into the world to be the risen Christ. /episode/index/show/htlcankeny/id/36236130

CLOAKS AND STONES 04/14/2025

CLOAKS AND STONES They laid their cloaks on the road—not just as a gesture of welcome, but as a sign of surrender. A letting go. That moment asked something of them. And it asks something of us too. So here's the question: What are you still holding onto? What stays wrapped around your shoulders, even as Jesus passes by? Luke 19:28-40 /episode/index/show/htlcankeny/id/36130920

ADMIRERS, ASSOCIATES OR FOLLOWERS? APRIL 6, 2025 04/07/2025

ADMIRERS, ASSOCIATES OR FOLLOWERS? APRIL 6, 2025 Soren Kierkegaard, Danish theologian and philosopher, said that Christ did not come to make admirers. He came to make followers. You can admire Abraham Lincoln, but you can’t become him. You can admire Michael Jordon or Caitlin Clark, but you can’t become them. To admire Christ is to live a life untransformed by his grace. To follow him is to become like him. May this be our Lenten journey. /episode/index/show/htlcankeny/id/36036400

THE FATHER'S HOUSE: MARCH 30, 2025 03/30/2025

THE FATHER'S HOUSE: MARCH 30, 2025 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 /episode/index/show/htlcankeny/id/35924460

REPENT! MARCH 23, 2025 03/24/2025

REPENT! MARCH 23, 2025 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 us around and help us bear fruit. /episode/index/show/htlcankeny/id/35837145

GOSPEL OF LUKE: MARCH 16, 2025 03/17/2025

GOSPEL OF LUKE: MARCH 16, 2025 Pastor David Cline served as our guest preacher this week. /episode/index/show/htlcankeny/id/35723185

WHAT IF.... MARCH 9, 2025 03/10/2025

WHAT IF.... MARCH 9, 2025 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 /episode/index/show/htlcankeny/id/35607700

WHO IS JESUS? MARCH 2, 2025 03/03/2025

WHO IS JESUS? MARCH 2, 2025 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. /episode/index/show/htlcankeny/id/35510995

DIFFICULT WORDS: FEB. 23, 2025 02/24/2025

DIFFICULT WORDS: FEB. 23, 2025 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. /episode/index/show/htlcankeny/id/35407365

SEEN AND KNOWN: FEB. 16, 2025 02/17/2025

SEEN AND KNOWN: FEB. 16, 2025 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 /episode/index/show/htlcankeny/id/35313285

A FISH STORY: FEB 9, 2025 02/11/2025

A FISH STORY: FEB 9, 2025 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. /episode/index/show/htlcankeny/id/35240635

THE GOD I NEED: FEB. 2, 2025 02/03/2025

THE GOD I NEED: FEB. 2, 2025 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. /episode/index/show/htlcankeny/id/35132420

THE JESUS AGENDA: JANUARY 26, 2025 01/27/2025

THE JESUS AGENDA: JANUARY 26, 2025 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? /episode/index/show/htlcankeny/id/35029980

THEY HAVE NO WINE: JAN. 19, 2025 01/21/2025

THEY HAVE NO WINE: JAN. 19, 2025 When the world cries out for answers, what does it mean to tug on the sleeve of Jesus? From empty wine jars to the cries of grief, moments of scarcity meet unexpected abundance. What happens when we plead, 'Do something about it? Isaiah 62:1-5 | 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 | John 2:1-11 /episode/index/show/htlcankeny/id/34940460

THE BAPTISM OF OUR LORD: JAN. 12, 2025 01/13/2025

THE BAPTISM OF OUR LORD: JAN. 12, 2025 So, why does Jesus need to be baptized? If he is sinless, what forgiveness is needed? Why does the Son of God submit to John’s baptism when even John claims he is unworthy to “untie the thong” of Jesus’ sandals? These are questions that have vexed the Church for centuries. Luke’s unique way of dealing with these questions places John in prison and flows the baptism with a family tree. The result is the gift of baptism given to us as children of God. /episode/index/show/htlcankeny/id/34835120

TWO KINGS, THREE GIFTS: JAN. 5, 2025 01/06/2025

TWO KINGS, THREE GIFTS: JAN. 5, 2025 When we celebrate the Feast of Epiphany, we tell the story of astronomers from the east who bring three gifts. Christmas pageants and hymns portray these visitors as three kings. There are however, only two kings in the story. The fake one named Herod sitting on a throne in Jerusalem and the real one, Jesus, lying in a manger in Bethlehem. Isaiah saw the day when the nations would worship Israel’s kings, bringing gold and frankincense. The myrrh in Matthew’s story adds a substance used for burial and the cross looms. Jesus is not just a personal savior but a ruler who brings a new kingdom in his life, death, and resurrection. /episode/index/show/htlcankeny/id/34737945

LET CHRIST: DEC. 29, 2024 12/30/2024

LET CHRIST: DEC. 29, 2024 As we step into the new year, Paul’s words to the Colossians remind us that the Christian life isn’t about striving to accomplish an impossible checklist. It’s about letting Christ—letting Christ’s peace, love, and word dwell in us and work through us. In a world focused on resolutions and self-improvement, Paul invites us to surrender, trust, and clothe ourselves in Christ. /episode/index/show/htlcankeny/id/34655545

INCARNATION: DEC. 25 CHRISTMAS DAY 12/30/2024

INCARNATION: DEC. 25 CHRISTMAS DAY Incarnation – the divine becoming flesh - is a wildly radical notion. Most religious thought in human history has firmly fixed a chasm between heaven and earth, between divinity and humanity. Yet we proclaim that “the Word became flesh and dwelt among us.” What does this mean? /episode/index/show/htlcankeny/id/34655530

SILENT NIGHT: DEC. 24 CHRISTMAS EVE 12/30/2024

SILENT NIGHT: DEC. 24 CHRISTMAS EVE Calling the night of our Savior’s birth :silent” seems an historical stretch. After all there were noisy animals, singing angels, shepherds speaking, and a crying baby. There were also many voices in the world made it seem impossible that anything or anyone important could happen in Bethlehem. Our love of this carol seems to be rooted in not the facts of the event but the longing we have to find an end to the violence, cries of suffering, and voices of injustice and despair that are all around us. Perhaps that is what this savior brings. /episode/index/show/htlcankeny/id/34655495

THE WORLD IS ABOUT TO TURN: DEC. 22, 2024 12/23/2024

THE WORLD IS ABOUT TO TURN: DEC. 22, 2024 Mary’s Magnificat isn’t a lullaby—it’s a revolution. The world is about to turn, and everything is changing. A humble girl sings of God’s justice, lifting the lowly and scattering the proud. This isn’t just ancient history—it’s the hope we hold onto today. /episode/index/show/htlcankeny/id/34575150

BROOD OF VIPERS: DEC. 15, 2024 12/16/2024

BROOD OF VIPERS: DEC. 15, 2024 When John the Baptist addresses his congregation as a “Brood of vipers,” it hardly seems like good news. Rather than an insult, however, John is calling out the misguided notion that we can avoid judgment because we’re the right kind of people. We shall all be shaped for life in the reign of God through judgment or repentance. Repentance invites us to live in the presence of Christ now as people dedicated to justice, love, and compassion. It is very good news, indeed. /episode/index/show/htlcankeny/id/34467705

Holy Trinity Ankeny

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