Holy Trinity Ankeny
Holy Trinity Lutheran Church
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INCONCEIVABLE: SEPT. 15, 2024
09/16/2024
INCONCEIVABLE: SEPT. 15, 2024
Peter thought he had it all figured out. He had the right title, but completely missed the meaning. What happens when we try to make Jesus fit our expectations? Isaiah 50:4-9a | James 3:1-12 | Mark 8:27-38
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A TALE OF HEALING: SEPT. 8, 2024
09/09/2024
A TALE OF HEALING: SEPT. 8, 2024
Deacon Jodi Schuman visits Holy Trinity and preaches on Mark 7 this week.
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DIRT, BLOOD, AND ANGUISH: SEPT. 1, 2024
09/03/2024
DIRT, BLOOD, AND ANGUISH: SEPT. 1, 2024
Jesus and the Pharisees clash again—this time over handwashing traditions. Ever wonder if the rituals you follow are drawing you closer to God—or pulling you away? Sometimes, it’s time to uncover the dirt in our spiritual lives. Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-9 | James 1:17-27 | Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23
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LORD BE WITH YOU: AUGUST 25, 2024
08/26/2024
LORD BE WITH YOU: AUGUST 25, 2024
There are words and phrases that everyone needs to hear in their life. Sometimes it is simply “I love you” or “I am proud of you.” Other times, when life is really hard and we cry out “God where are you,” someone in our life brings us the good news that God is with us and God is with you. It is the good news of Advent, the good news of Easter, and the good news of Pentecost. The Lord be with you. Joshua 24:1-2a, 14-18 | Ephesians 6:10-20 | John 6:56-69
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INCARNATION AND INTIMACY: AUGUST 18, 2024
08/19/2024
INCARNATION AND INTIMACY: AUGUST 18, 2024
Imagine standing in a crowd of thousands, hungry for more than just bread. What if the bread you sought wasn’t just food, but a radical invitation? Proverbs 9:1-6 | Ephesians 5:15-20 | John 6:51-58
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MOUNTAINS AND VALLEYS: AUGUST 11, 2024
08/12/2024
MOUNTAINS AND VALLEYS: AUGUST 11, 2024
Have you ever felt like life is more valley than mountaintop? Elijah did too. He stood against kings, called down fire from heaven, and yet, he found himself alone, exhausted, and ready to give up. But it was in that dark valley, not on the mountaintop, where God met him with the most tender, sustaining grace. 1 Kings 19:4-8 | Ephesians 4:25—5:2 | John 6:35, 41-51
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WHEN DID YOU GET HERE? AUGUST 4, 2024
08/05/2024
WHEN DID YOU GET HERE? AUGUST 4, 2024
Have you ever felt the anxiety of not knowing where someone important is, especially after midnight? The crowd in John’s Gospel experienced a similar fear when they couldn’t find Jesus. But it just wasn’t that they couldn't find Jesus, it was that they had expectations that were not being met. Exodus 16:2-4, 9-15 | Ephesians 4:1-16 | John 6:24-35
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LEFTOVERS: JULY 28, 2024
07/29/2024
LEFTOVERS: JULY 28, 2024
We all have that bucket of leftover parts sitting on a workbench. They are those extra bolts and screws that we just can't bring ourselves to toss in the garbage. In our Gospel lesson for today, Jesus tells the disciples to gather up the leftovers from the feeding of the multitude. There is good news for those of us who are left out and leftover. 2 Kings 4:42-44 | Ephesians 3:14-21 | John 6:1-21
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WHERE IS JESUS? JULY 21, 2024
07/23/2024
WHERE IS JESUS? JULY 21, 2024
Have you ever been so consumed by anger that it becomes a part of you, unnoticed by yourself but evident to everyone else? It is easy to get that way in our world today. We can be angry about pretty much anything. Staying angry is a lot of work. Being angry is exhausting. Jesus tells the disciples today to come away with him and rest -- something we all need to hear. Jeremiah 23:1-6 | Ephesians 2:11-22 | Mark 6:30-34, 53-56
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THE PLUMB LINE: JULY 14, 2024
07/15/2024
THE PLUMB LINE: JULY 14, 2024
A plumb line measures whether things are vertical, straight, or up to snuff. Amos sees a plumb line measuring the nation of Israel and Israel is not plumb. They have tilted away from the ways of God, justice, and care for those in need. God will not let this stand forever. Either what is out of plumb must be straightened or it will fall. Christ is our plumb line revealing when we are out of sync with God’s reign. By grace, he can bring us back in line with the ways of God.
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GRACE IS SUFFCIENT: July 7, 2024
07/08/2024
GRACE IS SUFFCIENT: July 7, 2024
In a world where we ridicule “losers,” demean failure, and look for the strong and successful, it is hard to remember that God specializes in weakness. Paul prays that a “thorn in his flesh” be taken from him because it makes him weak. God says, “My grace is sufficient for you. Power is made perfect in weakness.” God makes strong when we are weak. Look to the one who died on the cross for this truth.
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REACH OUT: JUNE 30, 2024
07/01/2024
REACH OUT: JUNE 30, 2024
Mark’s Gospel moves swiftly, yet pauses with purpose to show us profound moments of healing and faith. Today we encounter a desperate father pleading for his dying daughter, and a woman, shunned by society for twelve long years, reaching out for a miracle. Lamentations 3:22-33 | 2 Corinthians 8:7-15 | Mark 5:21-43
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WHY, LORD? - JUNE 23, 2024
06/24/2024
WHY, LORD? - JUNE 23, 2024
In this world full of suffering and pain, we often ask God, “Why?” Some even assert that if there is suffering in the world it is proof that God does not exist unless a compelling answer can be given. What if “Why” is the wrong question? The message of the Book of Job offers no answer to Job’s asking God why. Instead, God is present to Job. When we suffer, the question to ask is, “Who?” and “Where?” Jesus is the embodiment of God’s answer. God is present in our suffering.
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NEW CREATION: JUNE 16, 2024
06/17/2024
NEW CREATION: JUNE 16, 2024
When 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.
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THE THIEF - JUNE 9, 2024
06/10/2024
THE THIEF - JUNE 9, 2024
I grew up in a church that had an enormous sanctuary. It was filled with stained-glass windows. There was plenty of real estate for depictions of stories from the Bible. Not one inch was dedicated to depicting Jesus as a thief. In the Gospel today, Jesus tells a story about binding a strong man and plundering the house. Is Jesus the strongman or the thief? Genesis 3:8-15 | 2 Corinthians 4:13 - 5:1 | Mark 3:20-35
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GIVE IT A REST: JUNE 2, 2024
06/03/2024
GIVE IT A REST: JUNE 2, 2024
Keeping Sabbath is more than an outdated day off exemplified by the blue laws of a bygone age. The purpose of Sabbath is to rejoice and honor God’s creation and every creature. It is to proclaim freedom and assert that we are more than what we do, more than our accomplishments, more than economic cogs in the machinery. We are children of God! Jesus is himself the Sabbath bringing joy and peace to our lives.
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IN THE SHADOWS: MAY 26, 2024
05/28/2024
IN THE SHADOWS: MAY 26, 2024
Nicodemus comes to Jesus in the middle of the night when the shadows are long and the places to hide are easy to find. Nicodemus is a Pharisee and coming to ask Jesus questions can be problematic for him. That fateful night Nicodemus brings all of his questions and seeks confirmation for what he already knows. If his story ended that night, he would be just a nice little footnote. But his story doesn’t end there. Isaiah 6:1-8 | Romans 8:12-17 | John 3:1-17
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DRY BONES: MAY 19, 2024
05/20/2024
DRY BONES: MAY 19, 2024
Ezekiel sees a valley full of bones that represent the people of God. Peter and the disciples see a world where God’s people are scattered, divided, and grieving the death of their Lord. Today, God’s people are a shrinking bunch, unsure of how to proceed in a world that thinks they are irrelevant. When we can’t imagine a way forward, the Spirit comes with power to create and a vision beyond our expectations.
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ETERNAL LIFE: MAY 12, 2024
05/12/2024
ETERNAL LIFE: MAY 12, 2024
Eternal life is not the same thing as the resurrection of the dead, nor is it simply this life extended past death. Eternal life is not something we earn or build from our efforts to get rich, successful, or busy. Eternal life always was, will always be, and is present right now. You just have to look at Jesus to see what is and trust that he has given it to you.
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WAITING FOR THE SPIRIT: MAY 5, 2024
05/06/2024
WAITING FOR THE SPIRIT: MAY 5, 2024
We can spend a lot of time waiting for God to do something about the brokenness of our world and the challenges of life. The Book of Acts, however, says that it is not our impatient waiting on the Spirit to act that is the problem. The Spirit has preceded us and plowed the ground already. The Spirit impatiently anoints even as we argue about who is worthy to be in the church. When we wonder what God wants us to do, is it possible we already know the answer? Has the Spirit already spoken and our preconceptions and biases, our resentments and self-justification, are just in the way of God’s grace and love in our lives?
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WILD GOOSE CHASE: APRIL 28, 2024
04/29/2024
WILD GOOSE CHASE: APRIL 28, 2024
The ancient Celtic Christians named the Holy Spirit the Wild Goose. The Holy Spirit is wild and untamed. Our Acts reading today is about Philip’s encounter with the Holy Spirit and his Wild Goose Chase. Acts 8:26-40 | 1 John 4:7-21 | John 15:1-8
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THE VOICE OF THE SHEPHERD: APRIL 21, 2024
04/22/2024
THE VOICE OF THE SHEPHERD: APRIL 21, 2024
In Jesus’ day, there would be times when multiple shepherds would bring their flocks together. Whether by accident or on purpose, they would gather them in a paddock, an area that was walled off to keep the predators out of the flock. The sheep would mingle together and do all the things sheep do. Now that presents a problem for the shepherd. How do you tell your sheep apart from the other shepherd’s sheep? When the shepherds would leave the paddock, they would call out to their flock. The sheep would hear their shepherd's voice and would follow. The shepherd's voice is key. The sheep know which shepherd is theirs and they follow. The sheep know… But sheep are still sheep. Sheep wander off… Sheep fall into ravines… The Shepherd still needs to go and find them when that happens. The shepherd’s voice is key. Jesus tells us today, “I know my own and my own know me. They know my voice.” Acts 4:5-12 | 1 John 3:16-24 | John 10:11-18
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RESURRECTION RESISTANCE: APRIL 14, 2024
04/15/2024
RESURRECTION RESISTANCE: APRIL 14, 2024
The resurrection of Jesus reveals that God’s way is the way of life, light, love, peace, hope, and wholeness. Whenever these things break through the darkness of the world it is a moment of resurrection. Sadly, we don’t see it, nor do we often want to accept this eruption of new life. We are resistant to the resurrection.
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RESURRECTING COMMUNITY
04/08/2024
RESURRECTING COMMUNITY
We live in the age of the individual. We are a lonely, fragmented people often at each other’s throats. The resurrection of Jesus binds people together in love to stand against the individualism that makes everything about “me.” “Doubting” Thomas struggled in despair and doubt because he was not with the others when Jesus first appeared. The church in Jerusalem in Acts “held” all things in common and lived in joy. Readings: Acts 4:32-35 John 20:19-31
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EASTER SUNDAY: UNSATISFACTORY ENDING
04/01/2024
EASTER SUNDAY: UNSATISFACTORY ENDING
The Gospel of Mark ends at chapter 16, verse 8 (other endings were added much later). It is an odd, perplexing end that leaves us with an empty tomb and three women who say nothing to anyone. Yet, maybe Mark was less concerned with what happened then and more concerned with what happens now. The resurrection means that God is loose in the world, unrestrained and persistently confronting us with life, love, and grace. What do you say about that?
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HOSANNA
03/25/2024
HOSANNA
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
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MARCH 17, 2024: THE CROSS
03/18/2024
MARCH 17, 2024: THE CROSS
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.
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GUEST PREACHER FROM MOSAIC
03/11/2024
GUEST PREACHER FROM MOSAIC
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.
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