Grace in Community

Text: John 17:1-11 Series: Jump in the River! Last week we witnessed Jesus telling the disciples they will need to learn how to "adult." He was going away, but he would send them a helper - in this process: the Holy Spirit. Now he tells them of one vital ingredient for how to carry on his mission in the world; how to make the river of God's grace flow. And that essential ingredient that Jesus is most focused on may surprise you. The good news? We can all stand in the flow. 

Text: John 14:15-21, Acts 17:22-31 Series: Jump in the River! In this Mother's Day sermon, Pastor Matt asks the question, "Is it appropriate to refer to God as Mother, or as 'She'?" Engaging this interesting question leads us to see an important truth in Jesus' promise to the disciples of what will come after he leaves them. Like a supportive mother, the Holy Spirit both nourishes and challenges us into our adulthood as disciples. In our "adulting" phase, we become the rivers of God's grace flowing out into the world. 

Text: John 14:1-14 Series: Jump In the River!  For the next couple weeks our texts open up some controversial questions. This week: should we still be saying that "Jesus is the only way?" Rather than backing down from this claim, Pastor Matt reveals how we've misunderstood its true meaning—Jesus isn't offering us an exclusive ticket to heaven, but inviting us into a radical way of life that transforms everything. He warns against the dangers of both religious relativism (where we become our own gods) and domineering exclusivism (where faith becomes a weapon). Instead, Pastor Matt calls for "gracious orthodoxy"—boldly proclaiming Jesus as the way while embodying His way of radical love and service. When the early Christians called their movement "the Way," they weren't just talking about a destination but a journey of self-giving love that saves lives now. This isn't about determining who's in or out of eternity—that's God's gracious business—but about offering the world the most life-giving message in history. 

Text: John 10:1-10, Psalm 23 Series: Jump in the River! Life can be filled with chaos. What if you could hear one familiar voice that provided calm in the midst of it? In this touching reflection on Psalm 23 and John 10, Pastor Matt reveals how the Good Shepherd has already found us; all we need to do is listen for his voice. Discover the still waters that restore your soul and flow out to bless others—listen now and find your shepherd's voice calling you by name!

Text: Luke 24:13-35 Series: Jump in the River! In Christian circles you often hear the phrase "God's Word" thrown around. But what exactly do we mean by it? Pastor Matt's answer in this sermon may surprise you, because as Lutherans we think of it a bit differently than some. As we reflect on the story of two disciples encountering the resurrected Jesus on the road, we recognize how we too encounter the Word of God, made flesh, every Sunday in worship. 

Text: John 20:19-31 In this week's special episode, Bishop Dave Nagler of our Pacifica Synod brings us a message based on the text that gives "Doubting" Thomas his unfortunate nickname. In doing so, Bishop Dave brings us an important message about what it really means to have faith. Listen and explore what it means to move from intellectual belief toward life-changing trust. 

Text: Matthew 20:1-10 When the women went to see Jesus’ tomb early on that first Easter morning, we read that “suddenly there was a great earthquake.” Not surprisingly, in the ancient world earthquakes were associated with divine action. God had certainly acted! It was the most important event in history. Where death had reigned, now there is new life! It seems we could use some earth-shaking today. Jesus points these early disciples to the place of divine action now: sharing the good news of Jesus in community. That may not seem earth-shaking, but the message of Jesus has the power to shake open the human heart - and even to shake our world.

Texts: John 18-19, Psalm 22, Hebrews 4:14-16 We spend a lot of time "lifting up" God in praise. But sometimes we need a God who is lower. A God for whom despair is not foreign. We need to know a God who is with us at our depths, in our suffering. That's the God we find in Good Friday. No matter how low we go, Christ is lower still. In this sermon from last week's Good Friday service, Pastor Matt invites us to fall into his grace.  The song at the end of the podcast is titled "Christ is Lower Still," by Dominique Jones, Isaac Wardell, Kate Bluett, and Matt Maher, originally recorded on the album Sanctuary Songs by the Porter's Gate. This live recording was led on Good Friday at Community Lutheran Church by Pastor Matt Anderson (vocals, guitar) and Sara Lehman (piano, vocals). 

Texts: Luke 19:29-48, Zechariah 9:9-10, Psalm 118:1-2,19-29; Philippians 2:5-11 How is true peace achieved in a world bent on violence? On Palm Sunday we see Jesus triumphantly entering Jerusalem as King. Except, is it really very triumphant, on a donkey? And he’s not technically king either. It turns out this is exactly the paradox Jesus wanted. True strength comes not through grasping power for oneself, but through submitting to the way of love, of giving oneself to lift others. As we enter the paradox of Holy Week, we join the ragtag bunch of disciples glorifying Jesus as King days before his humiliating death on a cross, in faith that against all odds, this is where true peace and wholeness is found. 

Text: John 11:1-45 Series: Together By Grace Have you ever felt like God was absent when you needed Him most? In a powerful exploration of John 11, Pastor Matt delves into the story of Lazarus's resurrection, revealing it as the culminating miracle among seven signs in John's Gospel. Through the raw emotions of Martha and Mary—their grief, frustration, and even anger at Jesus's delayed arrival—we discover that questioning God can actually be an expression of deep faith. Pastor Matt illuminates how Jesus, despite knowing He would raise Lazarus, still wept with the mourners, demonstrating a God who doesn't stand distant from our pain but enters fully into it. The sermon reaches its crescendo with the parallel between God's creative word in Genesis and Jesus's life-giving command, "Lazarus, come out!" But perhaps most striking is the communal aspect of restoration—Jesus instructing others to unbind Lazarus, showing that our spiritual renewal is intimately connected to community. As the church, we are drawn together by the Holy Spirit not just for individual transformation, but to participate in each other's journey from death to new life.

Text: John 9:13-42 Series: Together By Grace In this episode we hear part two of join us for part two of the story of Jesus and the woman at the well. Their conversation takes a surprising turn. Jesus' statement to her that the Father "is looking for those who will worship him in spirit and truth” calls us back to the heart. The heart of what it means to worship, the heart of a life with God. God is not looking for you to fulfill a set of requirements. God wants your heart.

Text: John 4:5-15 Series: Together By Grace "Give me this water!" That's the Samaritan woman's reaction when Jesus tells her he has water that would quench her thirst permanently, so that she would never have to go back to the well again. Her desperation speaks to a universal human desire for contentment that we can never attain on our own. But the security Jesus' love provides us allows us to cross boundaries with him to share that love. The resulting community is a big part of the abundant life he desires for us! Listen for some great insights to this familiar story. 

Texts: John 3:1-17, Genesis 12:1-3 Series: Together By Grace God's promises are always bigger than we imagine. The story of Nicodemus in John's gospel begins with a humorous misunderstanding. But as his conversation with Jesus continues, we see Nic's preconceptions about God's mercy getting blown apart. In this fascinating story of a religious leader who met Jesus under cover of darkness, we discover how our own preconceptions might be limiting our view of God's expansive grace for all creation. 

Text: Matthew 4:1-11 Series: Together by Grace We don't like limits. We often think they restrict our freedom. But what if boundaries actually enable us to thrive, and our relationships to flourish? This sermon explores how Jesus conquered the temptation humanity couldn't in Eden, showing us a better way.  Rather than fighting against our inherent limitations, Pastor Matt challenges us to embrace them as opportunities for deepening our trust in God's care. True freedom is found in submission to divine wisdom that draws us into community with God and one another. Will we choose trust over control, accepting our limits as gifts that draw us closer to God and one another?

Text: Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 On Ash Wednesday, Pastor Matt introduces our theme for Lent this year, Together By Grace. In today's world we are conditioned to believe that being a good human being means being more efficient, less needy, more self-sufficient. Ash Wednesday barges in with a rude reality-check: you will never be self-sufficient. You are human. And to be human means to be in need. Our journey of Lent that begins today is a journey to embrace our dependence on God and one another. We are Together By Grace. 

Text: Matthew 17:1-9 Series: Open Our Eyes Have you ever craved recognition only to realize you're settling for less than what your soul truly seeks? In this week's message, Pastor Matt explores the Transfiguration, where disciples witnessed Jesus radiating divine glory—a sight so overwhelming they fell to the ground in fear. Through fascinating insights from C.S. Lewis and biblical wisdom, we discover our earthly desires aren't too strong, but too weak—mere shadows of the profound fulfillment God offers. Whether you're wrestling with life's temporary pleasures or seeking deeper meaning, this message reveals how surrender to God's love unlocks the "eternal weight of glory" that awaits. Don't miss this transformative perspective on finding true satisfaction in Christ.

Texts: Matthew 5:13-20, Isaiah 58:1-12, Micah 6:8, 1 Corinthians 2:1-5 Series: Open Our Eyes We all have standards we are evaluated by in different areas of our lives. In today's sermon we learn that Jesus' words about being salt and light, when read in context, were not just feel-good metaphors, but a sobering evaluation of God's people. Jesus goes on to set an unattainable bar, in order to drive us to the liberating truth that through the cross, Christ's righteousness becomes ours as a gift. This transformative message frees us from constant self-evaluation to serve others with genuine love. Listen now to discover how God's grace turns our "not enough" into "already chosen."

Text: Matthew 5:1-2, 1 Corinthians 1:18-31, Micah 6:6-8 Series: Open Our Eyes Politics in the pulpit! This is a common complaint heard in churches today. But what do we mean by it, exactly? How or when might it be appropriate? This week's sermon explores these questions in light of Jesus' words in the Beatitudes, which kick off his most famous teaching. We find that Jesus' words bring us back to those of the ancient prophet Micah, defining the heart of our witness in the world as justice, mercy, and humility. 

Text: Matthew 4:12-23 Series: Open Our Eyes If we are looking for glimpses of heaven, we might think we will find them in the places of greatest beauty, majesty, or calm. But the light of the Kingdom is known most profoundly in the cross, where God suffers with us. Through this lens we find that heaven is seen most clearly not where everything is perfect, but where people who are suffering know they are not alone. In this way, we can be glimpses of the kingdom of heaven for one another when we live in community. 

Text: John 1:29-42 Series: Open Our Eyes “Come and see,” Jesus beckons those who would become his disciples. What they didn't know is that in inviting them to follow him, he was inviting them into the very heart of God. Come and see God's heart as you listen to today's sermon. 

Text: Matthew 3:13-17 Series: Open Our Eyes This week we start a new theme for "Epiphanytide" (the season after the day of Epiphany). We are asking God to "open our eyes" - to see the heart of God, to see the kingdom, to see God's wisdom, God's righteousness, and ultimately, God's glory. Here on Baptism of Our Lord Sunday, join us in asking him to reveal himself to us in new ways. The answer you hear just might astound you.

Text: John 1:1-18 Series: Love Has Come The first sermon of 2026! In which Pastor Matt reveals the meaning of life. :)

Text: Matthew 2:13-23 Series: Love Has Come What a rude interruption to our celebration of Christmas! Today’s gospel tells the horrific story of the death of innocent children at the hands of Herod. This reminds us of a truth about Jesus’ birth: it does not remove power of evil from our world. But its light does give us hope as we walk with all the “holy innocents” of both past generations and today who have suffered unjustly. God's whisper of love invites us join Christ's movement of transformative love, not by ignoring the world's darkness but by actively countering it through the practices of worship, communion, and living as witnesses to God's coming kingdom.

Text: Luke 2:1-20 Series: Are You Ready? In this Christmas Eve sermon, Pastor Matt concludes our Advent theme by asking, "Does anything we do ever really make us ready to receive Jesus?" Jesus doesn't demand we have everything figured out first; instead, He invades our present reality with grace, meeting us exactly where we are. The message culminates in an immersive reading of the Christmas story, inviting the congregation to close their eyes and personally encounter the wonder of that holy night – a powerful reminder that true Christmas readiness isn't about doing more, but about opening our hearts to receive God's transformative love.

Text: Matthew 1:18-25 Series: Are You Ready? What if one moment could change everything? The moment Mary said yes to bearing the Son of God. The moment Joseph obeyed God and took Mary as his wife instead of divorcing her quietly. The moments - many moments - that Jesus chose God's will and continued on the path of suffering to bear the sin of the world. In this episode we reflect on the moments in our lives that can change everything.  

Texts: Matthew 11:2-11, Isaiah 35:1-10, Luke 1:46b-55 Series: Are You Ready? What happens when we set aside our fear and suspicion of those who are different or think differently than us? We become ready to receive Jesus' presence anew. In this sermon Pastor Matt introduces the third theme of Advent that makes us ready to receive him as king: 1) being people of peace 2) humility 3) showing mercy. 

Texts: Isaiah 11:1-10, Matthew 3:1-12 Series: Are You Ready? Sometimes there are circumstances in our lives that feel like a stump - where new growth feels impossible, where our future feels like it has been chopped off. It is here that God speaks a new word: growth is possible. New life is possible. In fact, it's happening even before we can see it. It won't simply be a recovery of what has gone before, but God does cause new shoots to spring out of old stumps. 

Text: Luke 2:1-20 Series: Advent Conversations In this first-of-its-kind episode, Pastor Matt is joined by Tinh Brodhagen and Becky Anderson for a conversation about what it means to truly be "ready" for Christmas. Through their personal stories and fresh insights on the Christmas story, you're guaranteed to get a new perspective as you prepare your heart to receive Christ anew.

Texts: Matthew 24:36-44, Romans 13:11-14, Isaiah 2:1-5 Series: Are You Ready? What time is it? This powerful question echoes through Pastor Matt's sermon as he weaves together memories of his adolescent basketball career with the urgent message of Advent readiness. Drawing from Matthew's Gospel and Paul's letter to the Romans, Pastor Matt reframes the traditional "end times" narrative into a compelling call for present-day kingdom living. Rather than fostering fear about future events, he says these texts illuminate an invitation to spiritual alertness – much like a bench player ready to enter the game at any moment. Through the powerful metaphor of baptism, Pastor Matt explains how we "put on Christ" and embrace the disciplines of kingdom living: worshiping together, studying Scripture, nurturing faith through prayer, and actively pursuing justice and peace. He highlights the baptisms within Sunday's service as an opportunity for us all to renew our baptismal commitments, reminding us that the resurrection has already changed everything. The time for kingdom living isn't in some distant future – it's now. Just as basketball players ask "What time is it? Game time!" Pastor Matt challenges us to live intentionally as citizens of God's kingdom today, working toward Isaiah's vision of a world transformed by God's peaceful rule.

Text: Luke 23:33-43 Series: Where Your Heart Is For the past two weeks we’ve focused on “where the heart is.” We know where Jesus’ heart is – he has given it to us fully, in his death for us on the cross. Today on the final Sunday of the church year we celebrate that the one who reigns over us does so with unflinchingly self-giving love.   

Text: Luke 20:45-21:4 Series: Where Your Heart Is With so many priorities in our lives, our loyalties often feel divided. Jesus points to a poor widow as a clear example of someone whose heart is in the right place. Like her, we are imperfect "clay jars," but we carry within us the transformative treasure of the Gospel. 

Text: Luke 20:20-26 Series: Where Your Heart Is We all have a variety of roles and responsibilities in our lives, and sometimes they can get overwhelming. But where is your heart? This week we begin a three-part series around that question. What you put your heart into will give shape to everything else. Join us for the rest of this month and accept Jesus' invitation to find peace and rest for your soul. 

Text: Luke 19:1-10 All Saints Sunday This week's message continues the theme of God's unrelenting grace from last week's Reformation Sunday. "The Son of Man came to seek out and to save the lost," Jesus tells the crowd after the rich man Zacchaeus' conversion. He pursues us. The question we might ask is, does this pursuit ever stop? Perhaps not even death itself stands in the way. 

Texts: Luke 18:9-14, Romans 3:19-28 Series: Re-Forming This Sunday we come to the culmination of our Fall Re-forming theme. God is always making us new, through the word and through the newcomers we welcome in our midst! This Reformation heritage began with Martin Luther's engagement with scripture - specifically the book of Romans. There he learned that the "righteousness of God" - rather than being something to fear - is something to celebrate. Through Jesus God's righteousness is poured out onto us. God looks at you with love, and there's nothing you can do about it. That's the freedom of the gospel!

Texts: Luke 18:1-8, Genesis 32:22-31 Series: Re-forming The last thing God wants us is a passive faith. Or perhaps we should ask, is passive faith really faith at all? Today's texts make clear: God seeks people who will wrestle, prod, plead, and demand their way into fullness of life. No matter where you are on the journey of faith, don't let go until you receive the blessing.

Texts: Luke 17:11-19, 2 Kings 5:1-15 Series: Re-forming The story of Jesus healing ten men with a skin disease can feel like a classic morality tale: "Don't forget to say thank you!" But as is always the case with the gospels, there's more going on here. Listen to hear how this story, echoing the healing of Naaman in 2 Kings, shows how God meets us in the borderlands with the healing waters of baptism. 

Texts: Luke 17:5-6, Job 38-39 Series: Re-forming A little bit goes a long way in God’s Kingdom. A mustard seed’s-worth of faith has miraculous potential. A small act of love toward any of God’s creatures can have an exponential effect. A splash of water, a bit of bread and wine – in God’s economy, each of these has the power of the change the world, because any change in the world begins with the change of a heart.   

Text: Luke 16:19-31 Series: Re-Forming Jesus' parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus is a blistering critique of the ultra-wealthy that seems designed to place us between the extremes of the two main characters. Here in the middle we do receive a great challenge - but it's one that goes beyond guilt or mere charity. 

Text: Luke 16:1-13 Series: Re-Forming Guest preacher Pastor Brad Stienstra takes one of Jesus' most challenging parables and skillfully weaves a message of God's surprising grace. This one is well worth a close listen. 

Text: Luke 15:1-10 Series: Re-forming Last Sunday Pastor Matt introduced our Fall theme of "Re-Forming." This Sunday we get to hear two members, Bill Brummel and Tinh Brodhagen, share how they have known God's re-forming and renewing work in their lives! Jesus says there is joy in heaven over one sinner who repents. So too there is joy in heaven with each small step of growth, each movement toward fullness of life. As you listen, perhaps you’ll be able to imagine ways God is working, beckoning you toward growth in faith in your life.

Texts: Jeremiah 18:1-11, Luke 14:25-33 Series: Re-Forming When it comes to following Jesus, it all starts with…dying? Yes. This is why Jesus urges his hearers to “count the cost.” God is always seeking to reform us, to bring us toward fullness of life. To do that, there are ways in which our old selves – old patterns of thinking, old habits – must be put to death. Over the next couple months we’ll be exploring some of the ways God seeks to reform us, and how we can open ourselves to that re-formation. 

Texts: Hebrews 11, Luke 14:1-14 Series: Messy Spirituality In this final sermon of our summer series, Pastor Matt preaches a powerful and vulnerable message about what God has been showing him about the meaning of faith. Faith is not when you see a vision and trust that God will bring you there. Faith is when you don’t see where the road leads, and you go anyway, because you trust that the one sending you is good. Listen and renew your faith in him today. 

Text: Luke 13:10-17 Series: Messy Spirituality We don’t know why physical healing comes in some circumstances and not in others. We certainly know that we are not the ones in control of it. In today's healing story a woman experiences a kind of healing from Jesus even before he cures her of her physical ailment. And this is most often the kind of healing we can give one another. 

Texts: Luke 12:49-56, Jeremiah 23:23-29, Psalm 82 Series: Messy Spirituality In today’s gospel reading, Jesus says he has come to bring disruption and division! We have been talking all summer about how this world is a mess, and how humans have made it that way. But sometimes God brings the mess, because we in our death-dealing ways need to be disrupted. Where do we need to be disrupted today?

Text: Luke 12:22-35 Series: Messy Spirituality Last week we learned from Ecclesiastes how "everything under the sun" is hevel - mist, vapor. Here one moment and gone the next. This week we learn another Hebrew word - hesed - that reveals the character of God as the one thing that is dependable, guaranteed, unchanging. Hear God's word today and move from hevel to hesed: from being lost in the mist to being immersed in the love of God. 

Texts: Ecclesiastes 1:2, 12-14, 2:18-23; Luke 12:13-21 Series: Messy Spirituality “All is vanity and a chasing after the wind,” says the teacher in the Old Testament book of Ecclesiastes. Another translation of the word for vanity is "vapor." If everything created is vapor - here today and gone tomorrow - then we must place our trust in what is not created. In the midst of the vapor of this world, there is only one who holds weight; only one who can be our anchor.  

Texts: Colossians 2:6-19, Luke 11:1-13 It can be tricky - messy, even - to figure out what most deserves our focus in following Jesus. There's a concept from the Lutheran tradition that can be helpful in this discernment. It's called adiaphora. Listen to hear more, and to help set your priorities in following Jesus.

Text: Luke 10:25-37 Series: Messy Spirituality Jesus’ parable of the Good Samaritan illustrates that loving others is challenging and complex work. We are called to bear fruit – and fruit is messy! But there are such blessings in the mess. Are you willing to get messy?

Text: Luke 10:38-42 Series: Messy Spirituality Worship & Arts Director Sara Lehman uses music and story to illustrate the connection God creates with us - a God who sings over our mess, inviting us to lift our cracked hallelujahs and lullabies at the edge of loss. In our Messy Spirituality series, we're exploring a love that listens, holds, and doesn't flinch when we forget the melody or the rhythm changes meter. Come worship with us. Bring your mess. It doesn't have to be perfect to be beautiful.

Text: Luke 10:1-11, 16-20 Series: Messy Spirituality When Jesus sends the disciples out in mission for the first time, he warns them that it will be messy. Not everyone will be ready to receive the good news they have to share. When it comes to our own work, we must be careful not to wrap our identity up with results. On this 4th of July weekend we hear a countercultural message: true freedom is knowing that our worth is not determined by productivity, but by who God has declared us to be in Christ.