Pastor Lorne Hlad preaches about being made new in Christ.

Can you really start over?

Pastor Jonathan reminds us that Jesus taught his disciples that individual greatness is not important, but what we give to others is, especially the lessons we teach our children.

Who is the greatest?

Our Advent Conspiracy concludes with Pastor Jonathan challenging us to help those in need.  To do this, we don't need to "follow the way the wind blows"; rather, we need to do what God did by sending Jesus among us - God changed the way the wind blows.

Advent 4 - Love All

Pastor Lorne explores how "Emmanuel", which means "God With Us" is God showing us that we need each other as much as we need God.

We are "God With Us"

When most of us think of righteousness, we think of moral behavior and thinking.  Indeed those whose ministry is about "Righteousness or Damnation" preach exactly that.  This morning, Lorne reminds us that true righteousness is the quiet courage to do what's right, as Joseph did in the face of certain ridicule in light of Mary's pregnancy. Righteousness is the gift of grace from God.

Joseph was a Righteous Man

This morning, in celebration of Christmas, Intern Pastor Hannah reminds us that God chose the most common of all miracles to make himself known among us - childbirth.  He became human just like we are, became vulnerable lust liek we are, spoke his first words, took his first steps, maybe even cut his own bangs?  In doing so, he allows us to know him, and know his love.

God is With Us

Sometimes, in a world full of war and religious and political conflict, it's hard to see hope for the future. We hear God's promise for a future of peace, and, like the Israelites in Mary's time, we start to ask "How long, Lord?"  Yet Mary knew that the promise of salvation was imminent.  Jonathan reminds us that Advent is more than a time of waiting, it is a time for actively preparing and re-orienting ourselves toward t he hope taht is Jesus.

Advent is Hope

In today's first lesson, God makes Jonah visit Nineveh, and then uses Nineveh to teach Jonah a lesson.  In the Gospel story, Jesus tells the story of 'The Good Samaritan.'  Pastor Michelle explains that these two stories show us that God can do good work even through people that we don't agree with, or don't even like.  

God has a Purpose for Everyone

Today's gospel finds Jesus praying for unity, not only for his disciples, but for all who follow the Word.  Pastor Jonathan explains what the challenge is. The world spends so much effort creating divisions among people: political, religious, gender, regional... the list could go on and on.  It takes a basic commitment to love your neighbor to be able to move past the divisions and achieve the unity that makes the world better for everyone.  As followers of Jesus, we are called to choose that love.

Unity Doesn't Just Happen

In today's gospel lesson, Jesus casts a legion of demons from a man who was forced to live outside the city because of his condition.  Pastor Hannah shows us that reaching out to those who were on the fringes of society, the outcasts, is this is the hallmark of Jesus ministry.  This became the calling of the church, and by extension all of us: welcoming those who feel ignored or left behind by the rest of the world.

The Value That Matters

In this sermon Pastor Jonathan discusses how the priorities of this world do not translate into God's priorities.  There is a danger in believing that success, power and fame are the highest good.  Instead, we are called to reflect the holy and humble mercy of God to the world.

My Richest Gain I Count But Loss

In this morning's gospel, Jesus tells the parable of the dishonest steward.  The steward, knowing he was about to lose his job, forgave some of the debts of his master. Pastor Jonathan explains that by extending this grace to those who owed debts to his master, the steward not only made  life better for them, but he awakened the same grace from the master.  The stweard in this parable can be interpreted to be Christ himself, extending grace to us and advocating for us with God.  In the same way, we can extend grace and forgiveness to others, and advocate for them in today's contentious world.

Grace From the Bottom Up

In this sermon Pastor Hannah describes how our choices can reflect the love God has surrounded us with.  Just as Christ's generous healing calls for a grateful response, so too can we act out of the gratitude of our salvation.  Generosity becomes a natural expression of our faith.

Act Out of Gratitude

As Christians, we long for, and work for, a world restored with grace and peace.  Pastor Michelle this morning reminds us that sometimes it it hard to maintain our faith through the difficult times that happen.  God helps us push through the hard times, many times by way of the community of faith we share - sometimes we are the ones using our time and gifts to help others, sometimes we ourselves are the ones receiving help. At some point, we will realize why we persisted in believing.

Faith is a Long Game

In this sermon Pastor Michelle discusses how God invites us to live with our hearts wide open.  God gives us new hears and a new spirit, and invites us to use them.  When we live with our hearts wide open God multiplies our gift.  We do our part and God does the rest.

God's Abundant Grace

In Pastor Hannah's message this morning, she muses that Martin Luther may not have known that his 95 Theses would change the history of the church, but he was doing what the Spirit guided him to do.  Just as the Spirit guided Paul to lead the early church.  In the same way, the Spirit is guiding us to invite people of all kinds to experience the love of God.

The Spirit of Reformation

On this All Saints Sunday, Pastor Jonathan recalls the humble beginnings of the church through images of the recent trip through Turkey and Greece.  Sites such as the original home of Peter remind us that all the saints had humble beginnings. As we remember the saints among us who have completed their earthly journey, we are called to be humble servants to others as we anticipate the joy to come.


Humble Saints

In this morning's gospel lesson, Jesus teaches the Sadducees that the labels we put on people in this world - in this case, "wife" - do not exist in heaven.  Pastor Michelle expands this idea to explain that, in the Resurrection, everyone is a child of God.  No additional assignments are necessary.  We bring the Resurrection closer to this world by remembering that everyone is a child of God. When we share that God loves us all, the Resurrection comes closer to this world.

In the Resurrection, All Are Equal

This morning, Pastor Hannah talks about how the end of the church year always brings us lessons about the end times.  In fact, in today's gospel, Jesus says that "the days will come when not one stone will be left upon another..."  We know that things that we create and achieve will not last, and we ourselves are not on this earth forever.  But, Pastor Hannah reminds us, the love of God is the one thing that is forever, and that is where we should put our trust.

The One Thing That Endures

In this sermon Pastor Johnathan invites us to remember what kind of king we serve in Jesus.  We are reminded that Jesus not come as a king who seeks power above all but instead he comes as a servant king.  We are reminded of what is outside of God's kingdom and what is a part of it as we both anticipate the coming kingdom and celebrate how it is coming among us now.

Christ the King

As we begin the season of Advent in 2025, Pastor Jonathan reminds us that we are entering a season of anticipating what is to come.  Yet, as Pastor Jonathan explains, while this season of watching and waiting is teaching us to  look forward to the salvation that is to come,  Isaiah's prophecy that nations will "hammer their swords into plows" tells us that this hope is not a passive activity - we are called to do what we can to bring this peace to the world.

Watching and Waiting

In this sermon Pastor Hannah discusses the peace spoken of by Isaiah and the appearance of the John the Baptist to prepare the way of the Lord.  This peace takes a lot of work and we are called to Jesus into an active life of love.  Through this we work with Christ to achieve peace in our world.

Prepare the Way of the Lord

Today's gospel is the continuation of the story of Mary, as she carries the Christ child within her.  The story tells of Mary praising God for blessing her with Jesus.  Pastor Michelle explains why this is such a big deal: for generations God has promised to lift up the lowly and downtrodden and provide salvation, while humbling the powerful people.  Indeed, Mary had witnessed firsthand the oppression that Rome had inflicted upon the Jews at the time. Knowing that God was fulfilling His promise gave her, and all who knew her, joy.

Today, we still see signs of the oppression of the powerful, but we understand now that we are the fulfillment  of God's promise: every time we help feed the hungry, or speak out against injustice, we are living and loving like Jesus.

Promises Fulfilled

In this sermon Pastor Michelle discusses how Joseph ultimately chose the most loving option over his original plan.  In the same way, in living a faithful life we are called to choose the most loving options rather than those that follow a strict rigidity.  We are called to live with a Christ-like love that while demanding, is not impossible because of God's help.  

Joseph Was a Righteous Man

Today's gospel tells the story of Herod trying to find Jesus.  Pastor Hannah explains Herod was not looking to worship God's son, but was afraid that the newborn king would dethrone him.  She goes on to say that many of the conflicts in our world are born of fear.  We can combat this fear by sharing God's love through Forgiveness, empathy, and honesty.

Fear is Not the Way of Christ

Today's gospel starts with "In the beginning ..." and continues to tell how God brought forth light from the darkness.  Pastor Michelle explains that darkness can be place of peace and comfort, but more often it is a place we associate with bad things happening.  The  light that the gospel lesson is talking about is Jesus overcoming the dark spaces in our lives.  She goes on to remind us that we can help other people out of their dark places by, as we say during baptisms, "let your light shine before others..."

Light Overcomes Darkness

Today we not only celebrate the Baptism of our Lord, but baptisms of several new members.  In his message this morning, Pastor Jonathan reminds us that our baptism means that no matter what happens in our lives, we begin and end washed in God's grace. Through the highest of the good things in our lives, and the lowest of the bad things, staying focused on our baptism in God's grace  keeps our lives in perspective.

Our Baptism Defines US

Pastor Kim Petersen preaches about our need to let things die in order for God to bring resurrection.

Death & New Life - February 24, 2019

Sent To Receive - July 7, 2019

Pastor Lorne Hlad preaches on the greatness of John the Baptist.

Advent, The Time Is Now - December 15, 2019

Prince of Peace Lutheran Church is a community of disciples seeking to live & love like Jesus!

Prince of Peace Lutheran Church

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