Sermons by Rev. Sherman D. Stenson, Associate Pastor (Page 19)
No Longer Silent; No Longer Barren
No one likes to be ignored. No one likes to be without the things which he or she believes will make life better, more fulfilling, or happier, either. Yet that’s the way Elizabeth and Zechariah might’ve viewed their lives as our Bible text for today opens. According to St. Luke, this aging couple was the sort of folks that others would look up to. They were “upright in…
Our Watchful Savior
Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. Be on guard! Be alert! Stay awake! Watch! No matter how you say it, the message is clear. There are dangers we need to look out for. Some lurk in the shadows and some stand boldly and defiantly in the sun, but if we’re not careful, they’re going to do us in. Some of you…
Who’s Got Talent(s)?
Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. Dear brothers and sisters in Christ: Today we continue our journey toward the end of the church year. In a mere two weeks, another Advent begins. We will begin preparing our hearts, our minds, and our congregation and church building once again to commemorate the coming…
Blessed are the Saints
Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. Dear Christian friends: As we enter the month of November each year, we begin to see a distinct shift in the content of our Scripture lessons. As believers in the eternal life our heavenly Father has prepared for us through Christ Jesus, we always try to remember that…
All Authority
Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. From St. Matthew, chapter 22: Then He said to them, “Give to Caesar what is Caesar’s, and to God what is God’s.” When they heard this, they were amazed. So they left Him, and went away.[1] Amazed? Yes, they were. Stunned? Definitely. Silenced? For now. Finished with…
Invitation and Acceptance
Grace, mercy, and peace to you, from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. If you ask most people, they’ll admit that they really enjoy weddings. Usually, these are occasions of great joy, in which the bride and groom’s family and friends come together to help them celebrate their being joined together as husband and wife. While this expression…
Angels We Have Heard Down Low
Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Our sermon this day, the observance of the Feast of St. Michael and All Angels, is based on our second lesson for this morning, from the Revelation to St. John, chapter 12. Over the last decade or so, angels seem to have become quite popular in our culture. In some cases,…
Sick Call
Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. The sermon for today, the Feast of St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist, is based upon the Gospel lesson just read, from the account of St. Matthew. Have you ever had the experience of reading or hearing a Bible text, and felt really, really connected to one of the…
Everything Good
Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen Philip found Nathanael and said to him, “We have found him of whom Moses in the Law and also the prophets wrote, Jesus of Nazareth, the son of Joseph.” Nathanael said to him, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.” (John 1:45-46) You…
Persistent Faith
Grace, mercy, and peace to you from God our Father, and from our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Amen. Children, it seems, know the value of persistence. As youngsters, often our continued pleading with a mother or father would bring us the response we wanted. That’s not to say that everything we ever asked for was given to us, because sometimes our choices might have been…