We agonize in relationships whether we should stay or go, whether it's better to work with what you have, or seek something new. Jesus provides a different way of thinking, one where we start at the beginning seeking out a person who puts us at peace, not thrills, and staying there. Based on Luke 10. By Pastor Lars Hammar
God's Outstretched Arms - sermon June 19, 2022
God is waiting for us to return, to offer all that we need, even if we are not looking. Study of Isaiah 65:1-9, by Pastor Lars Hammar.
1I was ready to be sought out by those who did not ask,
to be found by those who did not seek me.
I said, "Here I am, here I am,"
to a nation that did not call on my name.
2I held out my hands all day long
to a rebellious people,
who walk in a way that is not good,
following their own devices;
3a people who provoke me
to my face continually,
sacrificing in gardens
and offering incense on bricks;
4who sit inside tombs,
and spend the night in secret places;
who eat swine's flesh,
with broth of abominable things in their vessels;
5who say, "Keep to yourself,
do not come near me, for I am too holy for you."
These are a smoke in my nostrils,
a fire that burns all day long.
6See, it is written before me:
I will not keep silent, but I will repay;
I will indeed repay into their laps
7their iniquities and their ancestors' iniquities together,
says the LORD;
because they offered incense on the mountains
and reviled me on the hills,
I will measure into their laps
full payment for their actions.
8Thus says the LORD:
As the wine is found in the cluster,
and they say, "Do not destroy it,
for there is a blessing in it,"
so I will do for my servants' sake,
and not destroy them all.
9I will bring forth descendants from Jacob,
and from Judah inheritors of my mountains;
my chosen shall inherit it,
and my servants shall settle there.
Come to the Table - sermon June 12, 2022
The key to healing hurts is not to isolate or become hardened, but to find a place to be vulnerable and heal. God invites us into fellowship with him in the trinity, where all three persons (Father, Son, Holy Spirit) are sitting at a table inviting you to take a spot, dwell there in safety and peace.
Unlocking Your Dreams and Visions - sermon June 5, 2022
Why do we seem to lose our openness to dreams and visions as we get older? God has not stopped trying to get through, but we have things in our lives that block the Spirit's work. Some of the ways we block ourselves, and some ways to open ourselves back up.
Sermon by Pastor Lars Hammar on Pentecost Sunday, June 5, 2022.
Freedom - sermon May 29, 2022
Freeing people from oppression, captivity, debt, imprisonment is Jesus' mission, and what gets him and his disciples in trouble. By Pastor Lars Hammar.
Money and Desire - sermon April 24, 2022
It's not the love of money that is the root of evil, but the things we desire to get with the money that gets us into trouble. It's what we think we lack, that we think money will fill. - Pastor Lars Hammar from the sermon April 24
Follow along with this Easter sermon series on "Navigating Modern Life", where we look at some of the challenges we deal with being people of faith today. Both practical, and Biblical, the series explores things of our lives today.
9 People who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge men into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. 11 But you, man of God, flee from all this, and pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, endurance and gentleness. 1 Timothy 6:9-11
Easter Sermon - Pastor Lars Hammar - April 17, 2022
In Jesus we can make a new and better world, and not be limited to the thinking that tells us we have to accept injustice and pain as simply the way it is. Pastor Lars Hammar's Easter message.
A Godly Mind - Palm Sunday Sermon - April 10, 2022
The mob cheers Jesus on as he rides into Jerusalem. But are they cheering him for who he is, or who they want him to be? There was a temptation for Jesus, to turn the mob into a political movement and take earthly power. Yet, he was of a different mind, one that resists the temptations of power and seeks the way of humility. By Pastor Lars Hammar.
Bible Readings: Luke 19:28-4028After he had said this, [Jesus] went on ahead, going up to Jerusalem. 29When he had come near Bethphage and Bethany, at the place called the Mount of Olives, he sent two of the disciples, 30saying, “Go into the village ahead of you, and as you enter it you will find tied there a colt that has never been ridden. Untie it and bring it here. 31If anyone asks you, ‘Why are you untying it?’ just say this, ‘The Lord needs it.’ ” 32So those who were sent departed and found it as he had told them. 33As they were untying the colt, its owners asked them, “Why are you untying the colt?” 34They said, “The Lord needs it.” 35Then they brought it to Jesus; and after throwing their cloaks on the colt, they set Jesus on it. 36As he rode along, people kept spreading their cloaks on the road. 37As he was now approaching the path down from the Mount of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples began to praise God joyfully with a loud voice for all the deeds of power that they had seen, 38saying, “Blessed is the king who comes in the name of the Lord! Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest heaven!”39Some of the Pharisees in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, order your disciples to stop.” 40He answered, “I tell you, if these were silent, the stones would shout out.”
Philippians 2:5-11 5Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus, 6who, though he was in the form of God, did not regard equality with God as something to be exploited, 7but emptied himself, taking the form of a slave, being born in human likeness. And being found in human form, 8he humbled himself and became obedient to the point of death— even death on a cross.
Anointing - sermon for April 3, 2022
What would you do if you only had a few days left with a person who had saved your brother's life? Would you throw a party? Do something to show your gratitude? And if you did, would you worry about the cost? A look at the story of Mary anointing Jesus' feet with perfume, and the importance of living generously and graciously. By Pastor Lars Hammar.
John 12:1-8
1Six days before the Passover Jesus came to Bethany, the home of Lazarus, whom he had raised from the dead. 2There they gave a dinner for him. Martha served, and Lazarus was one of those at the table with him. 3Mary took a pound of costly perfume made of pure nard, anointed Jesus’ feet, and wiped them with her hair. The house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume. 4But Judas Iscariot, one of his disciples (the one who was about to betray him), said, 5“Why was this perfume not sold for three hundred denarii and the money given to the poor?” 6(He said this not because he cared about the poor, but because he was a thief; he kept the common purse and used to steal what was put into it.) 7Jesus said, “Leave her alone. She bought it so that she might keep it for the day of my burial. 8You always have the poor with you, but you do not always have me.”
Tragedy and Power - sermon March 20, 2022
When Jesus is asked if the people who got their blood mixed in with some pagan sacrifices made by Pontius Pilate, Jesus understands that the real question is if they can feel smugly confident that their avoidance of the tragedy is proof of their moral superiority. Instead, Jesus flips it back on them and shows that they would be better to examine themselves. By Pastor Lars Hammar. March 20, 2022.
Luke 13:1-9
1At that very time there were some present who told him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices.2[Jesus] asked them, “Do you think that because these Galileans suffered in this way they were worse sinners than all other Galileans?3No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish as they did. 4Or those eighteen who were killed when the tower of Siloam fell on them—do you think that they were worse offenders than all the others living in Jerusalem? 5No, I tell you; but unless you repent, you will all perish just as they did.”
6Then he told this parable: “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came looking for fruit on it and found none. 7So he said to the gardener, ‘See here! For three years I have come looking for fruit on this fig tree, and still I find none. Cut it down! Why should it be wasting the soil?’ 8He replied, ‘Sir, let it alone for one more year, until I dig around it and put manure on it. 9If it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down.’ ”
Invitation as Radical Act - sermon March 13, 2022
When we receive an invitation from someone, we're being welcomed into their lives, into their homes. To accept that is to say that they are worth the time and the presence. In a world where our personal lives are bounded by social boundaries, invitations and receptions can be an act of affirming others and repudiating artificial boundaries between us. By Pastor Lars Hammar. Based on Luke 14:15-24
Luke 14:15-24
15 One of the dinner guests, on hearing this, said to him, "Blessed is anyone who will eat bread in the kingdom of God!" 16 Then Jesus said to him, "Someone gave a great dinner and invited many. 17 At the time for the dinner he sent his slave to say to those who had been invited, 'Come; for everything is ready now.' 18 But they all alike began to make excuses. The first said to him, 'I have bought a piece of land, and I must go out and see it; please accept my regrets.' 19 Another said, 'I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am going to try them out; please accept my regrets.' 20 Another said, 'I have just been married, and therefore I cannot come.' 21 So the slave returned and reported this to his master. Then the owner of the house became angry and said to his slave, 'Go out at once into the streets and lanes of the town and bring in the poor, the crippled, the blind, and the lame.' 22 And the slave said, 'Sir, what you ordered has been done, and there is still room.' 23 Then the master said to the slave, 'Go out into the roads and lanes, and compel people to come in, so that my house may be filled. 24 For I tell you, none of those who were invited will taste my dinner.'"
Jesus' Three Tests - sermon March 6, 2022
It's usually referred to as the "temptation of Jesus" in the wilderness, but it's really more of a test of how he will handle power in the face of challenges to his call.
Technical Note: This was the first week of our new livestreaming system, and the audio was really low. We should have that fixed in the next week or two.
Creativity - sermon Feb 27, 2022
The last in the series on "Things We Value", we explore the value of creativity and creation.
By Pastor Lars Hammar
Inclusion - from the "Things We Value" series
What does it mean to say "all are welcome"? Do we really mean it? Or do we put conditions and qualifications on it. Sometimes, in fact, it's necessary to accept that welcoming all will mean that some have to be told to leave because their behavior is hateful or intolerant of others. Jesus provides an example of this in his repeated attendance at parties with "sinners and tax collectors" where he draws the ire of religious conservatives for mingling with an unclean crowd. But in order to show grace to one group, he had to accept rejection from his fellow religious leaders.
The second in the sermon series on "Things We Value" that explores ideas and beliefs the ELCA and Lord of Grace take seriously and want the world to know.
By Pastor Lars Hammar.
Thinking - from the "Things We Value" series
First in the sermon series for Epiphany titled, "Things We Value," Pastor Lars Hammar explores what it means to be a Christian who thinks critically and asks questions that may take you to places the may initial unnerve you and create uncertainty, but that ultimately allow you to know God and scriptures better and deeper than before. January 16, 2022 at Lord of Grace Lutheran Church in Marana, Arizona.
Letting God Through the Buffer - November 24th, 2021 (Sermon)
In the Book of Revelation, The Apostle John receives a vision of God's throne room. It is rich with imagery, symbolism and nuance. Reading a passage like this in our present day can almost feel a bit alien. It is not often that an individual will experience something so vividly imagistic in their daily walk with God. Even as we try to draw others closer to us and share our walk, it can be difficult to escape the "buffered self." Today we are going to discuss the times in our lives that we feel particularly close to God, and how we can look at these moments of openness as opportunites to share and grow together in our relationship with the spirit. Thank you for joining us!!
Legacies of Faith - November 7th, 2021 (Sermon)
Join us today while we discuss some background on "All Saints Day," a liturgical holiday in which we recognise all of those good and faithful servants that have come before us, paving a way for us to continue in the ways of faith and a deep spiritual life. Often, when we talk about end times, we think of chaos, cinematic scenes filled with drama and billowing smoke. Advertisers love to play on these images and talk about the end times of relationships, states of the economy and social eras as being harkened by horsemen of various sorts. However, when we look at the end times, it can be exceedingly powerful to look toward those who have come before us, and laid the groundwork for us to live lives of faith and stewardship. We can be inspired by the legacies of faith created by the lives of those that came before us.
Reformation Day - October 31st, 2021 (Sermon)
Reformation Day, as it pertains to the Luthern Church, is the day that Martin Luther nailed his 95 Thesis (a series of criticisms and commentary on 'indulgences'), to the doors of the 'All Saints Church'. Today, Pastor Lars Hammar will attend to some the historical significance of this act by Martin Luther, as well as detailing his own perspective of the beauty and significance of the Luthern Church as it is now. Please join us for this excellent discussion on perspective, gratitude, growth and tradition.
When We are Called - October 24th, 2021 (Sermon)
In this sermon, we will discuss three different paths that we can take as we move through our lives. It is easy to fall into a default mode, maintaining a sense of familiarity and comfort in our day-to-day lives; life can often feel like this and there is nothing wrong with routines. Sometimes, we are drawn towards personal interests, diving into one hobby after another, seeking a deeper sense of personal fulfillment and self actualisation. This is often an extremely useful and rewarding way of being, but it can at times feel self indulgent and detached from the rest of our community. Occasionally, we are stirred into action, seeing unrest in the world, seeing a place where we can make a difference and give of ourselves even if it makes us a little bit uncomfortable. This third path is often what we refer to when we feel "called" to something. It can be inexplicable, but taking on responsibility and giving much of oursevles can lead us into deeper spirituality and relationship with God. Please join us while we discuss Eli, Samuel and the way that the Bible uses their story to illustrate how we should respond to being called.
Evangelism and Discipleship - October 17th, 2021 (Sermon)
All of us are drawn to success. We want to see our lives, families, and fortunes multiply. Churches today will often use this desire as a means of attracting people to their congregation, but what does the Bible have to say about discipleship and evangelism? When Jesus is confronted by two of his disciples, and asked to give them the two highest positions that they could occupy, Jesus responds by saying that the outcome is not his to give, but they surely can endure the trial that he will soon endure. Jesus tells us that there may not be any glory in it, but we are given the opportunity to offer hardwork, give, care, stand up for those in need and give our lives in service. This may not be a new car or a beautiful mansion, but it is a way of being that lifts others up and makes the world a better place for everyone.
Thank you for joining us.