http://www.sjlc.com St. John's Lutheran Church in Alexandria, VA, a member congregation of The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod. en St. John's Lutheran Church in Alexandria, VA, a member congregation of The Lutheran Church - Missouri Synod. St. John's Lutheran Church no St. John's Lutheran Church Sermons office@sjlc.com ℗ & © 2010 St. John's Lutheran Church 720 God's call comes to people who often are not ready to accept that call - witness Jeremiah in today's Old Testament lessson (Jeremiah 1:4-10). God's call to Jeremiah was not just to the house of Israel, but to the nations. God's call is often much larger and more expansive than anything we can imagine. In the Gospel lesson (Luke 4:21-30), Jesus is threatened with murder by the people of his own hometown when he, like Jeremiah, lifts up the truth that God's mission and concern is for all people, not just a select few. This is still the church's mission today - to the nations. http://www.sjlc.com/sermon/the-call-and-the-challenge Sun, 31 Jan 2010 18:05:55 GMT Rev. Jack Meehan Lectionary call,challenge,word,nations,jesus,people God's Word gives us sight in a dark world of fear and hopelessness http://www.sjlc.com/sermon/seeing-by-hearing http://www.sjlc.com/mediafiles/sermon-audio-20100124-seeing-by-hearing.mp3 Sun, 24 Jan 2010 18:04:10 GMT Rev. Braun Campbell Lectionary god's_word,haiti,epiphany 11:42 In the wedding feast at Cana, God reveals himself as an unexpected Messiah to an unexpected audience with unexpected grace. http://www.sjlc.com/sermon/unexpected http://www.sjlc.com/mediafiles/sermon-audio-20100117-unexpected.mp3 Sun, 17 Jan 2010 14:31:54 GMT Rev. Braun Campbell Lectionary haiti,earthquake,grace,cana,wine,sign,epiphany 13:14 Fear takes many forms in life: job, health, family. Fear robs us of the joy of living, and undermines faith and trust in God. The word of God through Isaiah to the exiled people of Judah living in Babylon was "Do not fear." Despite their fears, God promised that He would deliver and restore his people to their homeland. When Jesus was baptized by John in the Jordan River, He came to take our fears, and fulfill all righteousness in our behalf. Jesus came to be the new Son of Israel, passing through the waters of the Jordan, to live that sinless and perfect life we could not. When we are baptized into his death and resurrection, all that Jesus has done is given to us by his grace. We are God's children of promise and hope. http://www.sjlc.com/sermon/do-not-fear http://www.sjlc.com/mediafiles/sermon-audio-20100110-do-not-fear.mp3 Sun, 10 Jan 2010 20:51:12 GMT Rev. Jack Meehan Lectionary baptism,jesus,fear,jordan,waters,god,holy_spirit 18:05 January 6 celebrates the Epiphany of Our Lord, and commemorates the coming of the wise men to worship Jesus as they offered gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh. Epiphany means "to show forth" or "to manifest." Jesus is shown forth and manifested not just to the house of Israel, but the Gentile world as well. The wise men, as Gentiles, represent all nations coming to worship Christ. Their gifts speak of the truth of who Jesus is: gold for a king, frankincense for God, and myrrh for the sacrifice. Jesus is King of kings and Lord of lords; he is the Son of God, and his sacrifice upon the cross sets us free from sin and death. http://www.sjlc.com/sermon/gifts-for-the-king http://www.sjlc.com/mediafiles/sermon-audio-20100106-gifts-for-the-king.mp3 Wed, 06 Jan 2010 15:44:34 GMT Rev. Jack Meehan Lectionary epiphany,wise_men,jesus,gifts,gold,frankincense,myrrh,king,god,sacrifice 10:32 God has chosen you in the Christ of Christmas for a purpose: He has called you in this new year, to the praise of His glory, for you have been given new life through His grace in Jesus. http://www.sjlc.com/sermon/according-to-his-purpose http://www.sjlc.com/mediafiles/according-to-his-purpose.mp3 Sun, 03 Jan 2010 19:51:58 GMT Rev. Braun Campbell Lectionary purpose,new_year,invitation,predestination,chosen 9:58 For the baptized, every day can be a reboot, a new start in Christ, whose Spirit gives us the power to persevere. http://www.sjlc.com/sermon/reboot http://www.sjlc.com/mediafiles/reboot.mp3 Thu, 31 Dec 2009 14:53:03 GMT Rev. Braun Campbell Lectionary new_year,renewal,forgiveness,revelation,resolutions 10:44 Is it possible for us to actually lose Christmas? Sure, but by the grace of God in the Christ of Christmas it is more than possible for Christmas to be found again. “Lost and Found” is the theme for the message this day as we see the boy Jesus in the temple, lost from his parents and then found again. In the larger scope of things, Jesus isn’t the one who is lost – we are. This is what Christmas is all about: God sending his only begotten Son on a search-and-rescue mission; to find and save his sons and daughters – that’s us – who were lost and didn’t even know it. That’s what sin can do to us – cause us to be so blinded to what God’s design and purpose for life are that we do not even realize we are hopelessly lost and headed to certain destruction. This is why Jesus came into the world - to save us from our sins. http://www.sjlc.com/sermon/lost-and-found http://www.sjlc.com/mediafiles/lost-and-found.mp3 Sun, 27 Dec 2009 15:46:36 GMT Rev. Jack Meehan Lectionary jesus,lost,found,christmas,divine,necessary,work,god,son 13:24 Sometimes there's way too much assembly required in life - the pieces might be there, but they’re for the wrong thing, or the directions don’t make sense, or there is a part that’s missing. And then we call the customer service number only to go through endless menu options and never actually speak to a real person. In frustration, we may pack up that special Christmas gift and put it back in the box because it just isn’t coming together. The good news is that the gift of God’s Son, Jesus, comes to us fully assembled. This is God's Christmas gift to the world, and to each one of us. http://www.sjlc.com/sermon/some-assembly-required http://www.sjlc.com/mediafiles/some-assembly-required.mp3 Fri, 25 Dec 2009 15:37:24 GMT Rev. Jack Meehan Lectionary christmas,jesus,assembly,gift,god,good_news 9:06 The sights and sounds of the first Christmas Eve reveal God's love for us in our lives today. http://www.sjlc.com/sermon/sights-and-sounds http://www.sjlc.com/mediafiles/sights-and-sounds.mp3 Thu, 24 Dec 2009 20:44:36 GMT Rev. Braun Campbell Lectionary grinch,christmas_eve,gospel,shepherds 11:00