Sermons

Sermon: The First Commandment — by Peter Brunner — August 27, 2007

Preached by Dr. Peter Brunner on July 15, 1945, the Seventh Sunday after Trinity.

Husbands and Wives — by Robert Spicer — November 15, 2007

When I was invited to come to Wittenberg for these two weeks, the fellow doing the inviting told me that this was by far the best weekend of the summer. I now know he’s right! What a blast it’s been to be part of all this! There’s obviously lots of stuff being celebrated here this weekend: beer, brats, and a free market economy. But at the heart of it all, what we’re really here to celebrate, is the gift of marriage...

There Will Be Blood... of the Lamb — by Dan Biles — April 23, 2008

“Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus.” St. Paul urges us to think in a certain way: with the mind of Christ. We are to shape our lives by the saving story of Jesus, which Paul describes today using an early Christian hymn. It is an excellent summary of the story of Holy Week, of Jesus’ death and resurrection. The Holy Week story is a story of bloodshed: of a corrupt trial, of torture, of a cruel death. Yes, indeed: this week, as the recent movie title suggests, there will be blood...

Sermon of Straw #1 — by Jonathan Jenkins — August 27, 2008

Have you ever been in a place where you don’t belong and the people there let you know it? I had that experience at a local men’s clothing store. I went to the store on my day off (which means I didn’t shave), my pants were very casual (the ones I wear to mow the lawn), and I was wearing one of my favorites shirts (Ronald Reagan was president when I bought it). I thought I looked okay, but the sales staff did not approve of my scruffy face, my worn-out pants, and my old shirt. The sales staff gave me that what-are-you-doing-here? look, and they asked if they could help me, making it obvious that the last thing they wanted to do was help anyone as shabby as me...

Sermon of Straw #2 — by Peter Lisinski — September 03, 2008

Channel-surfing a few days ago, I came upon one of those so-called “infomercials.” This one had nothing to do with diets, psychics, or get-rich-quick schemes. No, it was none other than Charlton Heston, peddling membership in the National Rifle Association, of which he is the current president. His pitch was interspersed with pictures of NRA rallies showing happy gun owners carrying picket signs with messages like: “More Guns—Less Crime” and “An Armed America Is a Safe America.” As a special introductory offer, new members would receive (honestly, I’m not making this up) a silver bullet, engraved with Mr. Heston’s personal autograph!...

Sermon of Straw #3 — by David Loy — September 10, 2008

You are not saved by doing good works, but He who saves you through His Word calls you to do good works. You are not saved by refraining from sin in your life, but He who saves you through His Word calls you to refrain from sin in your life. “Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you” (James 1:21 NIV). Christ gave his life to save us from sin, and he rose from the dead to give us new lives. We Christians are stewards of the salvation he won for us...

Sermon of Straw #4 — by Samuel D. Zumwalt — September 17, 2008

How grateful are you? That’s what the apostle James is asking us today. Are you grateful enough to do more than listen to God? Are you actually grateful enough to do something about what you have heard?...

Sermon of Straw #5 — by Richard O. Johnson — September 24, 2008

Several years ago the Sacramento Bee told a story about Marvin, a homeless man who lived wherever he could along the Sacramento River. He was about 45 at the time, an alcoholic, dirty, destitute—not exactly, he would admit, a model citizen. One afternoon he was hanging around the edges of a street fair downtown when he noticed a young boy sitting alone on the grass. He was about four years old, and Marvin thought he looked a little overwhelmed. Marvin watched him for a long time, and gradually came to the realization that this boy didn’t seem to have any adult connected to him...

Sermon of Straw #6 — by David Loy — October 01, 2008

Remember Rosa Parks? She is the African-American woman known for staying in her seat in a Montgomery, Alabama bus in 1955 when the bus driver moved the “Colored Section” sign to accommodate white passengers. African-Americans had long been relegated to a sort of second-class status. Our culture and our laws were set up to remind them of their status, and where they could sit was a big part of it. Where you sat said something about your status back then. Sitting up front meant you had higher status. Sitting in the back meant you had lower status. The same was true in the ancient world...

Sermon of Straw #7 — by Samuel D. Zumwalt — October 08, 2008

Have your ever visited a foreign culture? Have you ever had that experience of being the one that doesn’t know the language and customs of another people? It can be quite uncomfortable. You look for a friendly face. You listen for one familiar voice. You look for someone that can translate for you and make the strange intelligible...