Christ Lutheran Church Harrisburg
Religion & Spirituality
About
At Christ Church we believe God is still speaking a hope-filled, life sustaining, world transforming holy word in scripture. We pray these sermons help shape lives, inspire, give hope, and are acceptable and please to God. We hope they are a blessing to you.
Episodes
- Two Gatherings
This past weekend, two gatherings of Christians came together. One focused on dominion and domination, using religion to impose upon others. The other focused on the question of how we love our neighbor. Paul's letter to the church in Phil…
- You are Not Alone
Paul's letter to the Philippians is his most joyful letter in spite of his circumstances of being imprisoned. In some ways, Paul's world is like our alone - power arrangements designed to make you feel alone and that there is no hope. Yet,…
- Jesus Interrupts Saul Energy
In our reading we hear about the calling of Saul to proclaim the Gospel. There's plenty of pre-call Saul energy in the world right now. It's the reliance on certainty and control. And it is destructive. And Jesus interrupts this, offering…
- The Wounds Remain
The Resurrected Jesus shows up in spite of locked doors. He offers peace. And he still has wounds. But those wounds don't get the final say. Jesus shows up in spite of our own locked doors, bearing wounds because he knows our wounds too. A…
- I Have Seen the Lord
Everyone's in the dark on Easter morning. Even when the witnesses see the empty tomb, they still don't really get it. Until Jesus says Mary's name. Then she can actually see Jesus. Jesus calls us by name too so that we can also see him whe…
- We stand between two processions
On the first Palm Sunday, two processions came into Jerusalem with conflicting understandings of power. One believed in the peace of Rome of peace through strength. The other was embodied by Jesus of peace through presence. The Passion nar…
- Everything is Fine
The world tries to tell us that everything is fine. But it isn't. The Narrative Lectionary takes us to John 19 and the condemning of Jesus for crucifixion. No one looks good in the story. The cross doesn't expose Jesus. The cross exposes e…
- The ways of the world and the ways of Jesus
The world says one thing and does another. It will even use religion to get what it wants. It will cloak itself in talk about purity and holiness, all while plotting to kill. Jesus' way is different from that. There's no hiding with Jesus.…
- Washing Feet
John's Gospel moves us to the Last Supper. Jesus washes the disciples' feet. That includes Judas who will betray him. He doesn't attack Judas preemptively. He washes his feet instead in an act of love. Because it's not about changing his e…
- The Waiting is the Hardest Part
The story of the raising of Lazarus is full of waiting, mourning, and resurrection. And we can't get to resurrection, until we go through the waiting and the mourning. The sermon is based on John 11:1-44.
- Jesus at a Distance
The further away from the seat of power, the easier it is to see Jesus. Proximity to power has a way of blurring our view of Jesus and his way. In this Sunday's Gospel, we hear about a royal official who leaves his position to call on Jesu…
- Jesus and Conflict
The Gospel of John starts and ends with conflict and has episodes of conflict all along the way. In John 4, Jesus walks away from conflict with the Pharisees because it isn't the right time and their hearts are closed. Instead, he walks in…
- Cleansing can be Painful
John 2 tells us about Jesus cleansing the Temple, taking place at the beginning of his public ministry. Jesus is acknowledging what many others wouldn't - that there was an open wound causing harm to people and in need of cleansing and hea…
- A Wedding in Cana
John's Gospel is so very unique. It slows everything down. Jesus' big first appearance is at an unnamed wedding where he trying to keep attention away from himself, and the impact is small. John is presenting Jesus as something different t…
- Come and See
Jesus doesn't chase. He doesn't demand certainty. He isn't interested in control. Yet so much of Christianity today seems to want what Jesus rejected. Instead Jesus just says "Come and see." Because he recognizes that transformation comes…
- God's Economy
Human's love to claim that God supports their ideas, politics, and economic systems. But that's just not the case. God's economy operates on a different set of measures and with different goals. And it has to do with the wellbeing of all.…
- Standing in the Valley
We live in a society that is really good at avoiding hard truths. God puts Ezekiel in a valley of dry bones because you can't resurrect when you won't recognize death. God gives Ezekiel and the exiled people of Israel hope. Hope is proclai…
- Hope in Action
Jeremiah proclaims a message of hope to people in exile. And it's not fluffy rhetoric. It's the hard truth combined with hope - They aren't going anywhere for a while, so stop waiting to live life. Live your lives. Hope happens in actions…
- The Light Shines
Isaiah is a prophet who names the reality for what it is and offers hope in the midst of horror. Hope doesn't wait until everything is well. It speaks into the horror declaring that it doesn't have to be this way, there is another way that…
- The Roar You Can't Ignore
The Old Testament Prophet Amos had a message that could not be ignored. It certainly wasn't liked by those in positions of power and those exploiting the poor. But it couldn't be ignored. In many ways, Amos' message would find a home in th…
- God's Playbook of Renewal
The world and its empires and kingdoms all operate on the same playbook - oppression, exhaustion, division. But God has a different playbook. We see how this plays out in 1 Kings 19 when we encounter an exhausted Elijah who is afraid and r…
- A God Who Won't Stay in a Box
The Narrative Lectionary tells us about Solomon's Temple. It's glorious - a house for the Lord. And there is a human tendency to keep God in locked in that house - to make God confined, sanitary, and unable to upset the status quo. But God…
- It is Good
In the first creation account, God creates and notices that creation is good. We are a part of that creation. And while the world tries to force messages upon us that tell us otherwise, Genesis reassures us of an eternal truth - you have v…
- Which tree are you under?
The message of Revelation is ultimately this - that no matter how terrible things get, God is with us, God will restore, and God will heal. This message is just as important now as it was when Revelation was written. The sermon is based on…
- Beastly Empires Fall
John takes us into the pit of Revelation 13, the low point of the letter. There are beasts, a dragon, the mark, 666. It's all there. The point is not to scare, but to name the reality for what it is, and to show that all these things are f…
- The Multitude
Empires exert control. But the faithful worshippers of God are part of the multitude. Revelation presents monsters that tear the faithful apart. What are the beasts of today? And what are we called to as we face them? The sermon is based o…
- Worship
Revelation 5 gives a glimpse of what worship of God is about. It includes all of creation without exclusion. It shows God's power over the powers of this world. It flips the script on what strength and might and power are. And sometimes we…
- Empire on Trial
Revelation 4 brings us to the throne room of God, where we see worship. It's also a courtroom where empire will be put on trial. John gives a vision of that. Imagine what it might sound like to put the empires of today's world on trial. Th…
- Revelation is Good News
The book of Revelation is one of the most misunderstood and misused books of Scripture - more often used to scare people, rather than offer them good news. It is good news. It shows empire for what it is, and that God rejects it and offers…
- The Days Are Surely Coming
"The days are surely coming, says the Lord" is an invitation to a better world and way of living. It's not something we trigger or force God's hand into. God speaks these words and acts. What might the days that are surely coming be? Check…
- What does Hope Look Like?
What does Hope look like in the midst of a siege? It often looks crazy. Jeremiah does an act of prophetic theater in the absurd to emphasize God's promise - buying land while Babylon sieges Jerusalem before it falls. We are under siege - j…
- America in Exile
The faithful are in exile in America in 2025. It can be hard to be hopeful. We may want it to return to what was. But that's never been God's way. We are to live life and know that we are not abandoned. Jeremiah 29 is a letter written to t…
- So Let it Be Written...
Kings and the powerful have a long history of trying to use God's word for their own purposes or silencing it when it conflicts with their power. But they never prevail. God's word endures and liberates and sets people free. Pastor Matthew…
- All means All
Divisions and separations define the world and often the church. Paul had a different idea about that based on everything that Jesus was about. The world and our churches still struggle with this. Our differences don't separate us, but ins…
- Grace is not Fair
Grace is not fair. Thanks be to God! Paul addresses grace and works in his letter to the church in Galatia. The core of what he writes about is still relevant today. Do we earn our way to God, or does God come to us because of who God is?…
- Membership has its Privileges
Membership has its privileges, as the saying goes. But there are two ways to look at that. One making faith something exclusive with the incentive to keep people out. And another where we have the privilege of inviting people to see how Go…
- Leviathan and Shalom
Leviathan, that ancient description of chaos, evil, cruelty, and more shows up throughout Scripture and human history. It causes damage, destruction, and death. But it doesn't get the last word. Even in the stoning of Stephen that we hear…
- Stories
Tyrants tell stories in order to maintain control through fear. They have done this for a long, long time. The resurrection of Jesus is a story that does the opposite - offers hope and new opportunities, setting people free. Pastor Matthew…
- Where is Jesus?
The world can feel like Jesus is still in the tomb. But the tomb and the world can't contain him and hold him hostage. Resurrection isn't about going back in time. It's about moving forward in a new way. And it's not just something that ha…
- Expected Jesus vs. Real Jesus
The crowd had expectations about Jesus. They knew what they wanted. So do we. But Jesus doesn't live into those expectations. He offers something else. Something better. Pastor Matthew's sermon is based on the Triumphant Entry into Jerusal…
- Jesus gives us a lens to see
The Narrative Lectionary gives us three stories about people who can and can't see Jesus for who he is. Jesus gives us a lens to see him. He encounters us and transforms us. The sermon is based on Luke 18:31-19:10.
- Two Sides, Two Audiences, One Message
The Narrative Lectionary takes us to Luke 15:1-32 where we hear Jesus offer three parables. But who is his audience? Is it the tax collectors and sinners? Is it the Pharisees and the scribes? What if it's both? He proclaims good news for b…
- Love is not abstract
Will empathy bring about the downfall of civilization like some argue? Or will it bring healing? Keeping love of humanity in the abstract is in stark contrast with Jesus' telling of the parable of the Good Samaritan. He shows that love is…
- Shining a Light
Transfiguration Sunday ends the season of Epiphany, where we get to see more fully who Jesus is and what he is about. His glory shines bright on those that are around him. And in so doing, we are called to shine his light to the world. Pas…
- Jesus Sees Us
The Pharisee and his guests didn't want to see the woman who came in. Just Jesus see her. He hears her. He reminds her that she is not alone. He provides hope. And he sends her out renewed and restored. And he does that for us as well, esp…
- Not what we expected
Jesus defies expectations. And that's good news. While so many are expecting Jesus to cozy up with those in power, to find him in place of wealth and might, we can always find him on the margins of society with the poor and outcast - heali…
- Words are Powerful
Words can be helpful and healing, or they can cause harm. A Tweet this past week made unfounded claims that will have a negative impact on people. Speeches by leaders in the past have brought healing and new life. In our Gospel reading, Je…
- Order vs. Humanity
Does humanity exist to serve law and order, or do these things exist to serve humanity? Humanity has struggled with this forever. Religious groups have been so concerned with upholding the law, that they are willing to kill in order to mai…
- Something stinks!
Jesus calls his first disciples, fishermen. They stunk. But it wasn't because of their odor. It was the ways of the society around them that stunk on them. He calls on them to fish for people. That goes beyond inviting people to church. We…
- Jesus' unpopular sermon
Jesus preached an unpopular sermon. The crowd wanted to throw him off a cliff. Why? Because he had the audacity to declare that their barriers, boundaries and such were not what God was about. The message still applies today. Jesus calls u…