We must struggle against the temptation to make religion transactional, or about anything other than being gracious and faithful to God.
One Like Yourself - Devotion on Psalm 50:19-20
God tells the people they need to check their lies, deceit, and hate. Just because God was not speaking for a while does not mean that they could falsely believe that God was just like them and condoned that behavior.
Unexpected Good News - Easter Sermon 2021
God brings us unexpected good news in the resurrection, and breaks into our lives with good things when we don't expect it. Sermon for Easter Sunday by Pastor Lars Hammar.
The Ordinariness of Jesus' Death - Good Friday sermon
Unlike how we see it depicted in movies, Jesus’ death was probably not the grand event that captivated the whole nation and had crowds and crowds out to see. In fact, in the Roman Empire, killing people who were threats to the social order was very common, routine, and done on a daily basis. Pontius Pilate, who had the final say over Jesus’ execution, was a ruthless killer who could take out hundreds or thousands at a time without remorse. What should shock us about the cross is that it is both horrifying in its cruelty, and ordinary in its execution. By Pastor Lars Hammar
My Dignity Cannot Be Taken - sermon Palm Sunday
Being generous and loving means that sometimes you will be taken advantage of, and give to those who might not need it. But when they try to make fun of you for it, remember that your dignity does come from their opinion of you, but from being a child of God. By Pastor Lars Hammar.
Isaiah 50:4-9a
4The Lord God has given me
the tongue of a teacher,
that I may know how to sustain
the weary with a word.
Morning by morning he wakens—
wakens my ear
to listen as those who are taught.
5The Lord God has opened my ear,
and I was not rebellious,
I did not turn backward.
6I gave my back to those who struck me,
and my cheeks to those who pulled out the beard;
I did not hide my face
from insult and spitting.
7The Lord God helps me;
therefore I have not been disgraced;
therefore I have set my face like flint,
and I know that I shall not be put to shame;
8he who vindicates me is near.
Who will contend with me?
Let us stand up together.
Who are my adversaries?
Let them confront me.
9aIt is the Lord God who helps me;
who will declare me guilty?
What if It Didn't Happen for a Reason?
The crucifixion of Jesus is something we have struggled to find a purpose for, to explain it in a way that makes sense. But maybe we take away from the real meaning of the cross when we try to explain it, instead of allowing the tragedy of it all to be the meaning. The last in the sermon series on the Passion Story in the Gospel of John. By Pastor Lars Hammar.
Good Guys and Bad Guys
Hollywood makes its movies with conflicts between "good guys" you root for and "bad guys" you can't sympathize with. But in the real world we have mixed motivations, personal histories, and systems of power that don't always make the moral choice easy. In our struggle to find the "bad guy" in the story of Jesus' trial, we miss the larger point about all the actors being both sinners and saints in an unjust world.
Fourth in the sermon series on The Passion Story of Jesus in the Gospel of John. By Pastor Lars Hammar.
As the Deer - Bible Study on Psalm 42:1-2
We can all sense that we are more than just the materials that make us up - the atoms, molecules, neuro-chemical reactions in the brain. We can feel the need for a connection at a deeper level, and that level is what we call in the Old Testament "the soul". In Psalm 42, the soul is compared to a deer, thirsty and longing to connect with God, and it need the Lord like it needs water. By Pastor Lars Hammar
The False Appeal of Barabbas - sermon - March 7
We imagine that if we were in the crowd, and had to choose between Jesus the Messiah and Barabbas the killer, that it would be an easy choice. But the people chose the criminal, and we need to know the appeal of revenge, pride, and getting even that he promised - instead of Jesus' Kingdom of God. By Pastor Lars Hammar. March 7, 2021
Third in the sermon series on The Passion Story in the Gospel of John.
Talking Back - sermon Feb 28
If the Gospel message were simply that we should do what we're told and follow the rules and we'll get to go to heaven, the powers would never have tried to kill Jesus. Rediscover the Jesus who challenges authorities and provides a different meaning to "follow your cross". Second in the sermon series on the passion story in the Gospel of John. By Pastor Lars Hammar.
19 Then the high priest questioned Jesus about his disciples and about his teaching. 20 Jesus answered, "I have spoken openly to the world; I have always taught in synagogues and in the temple, where all the Jews come together. I have said nothing in secret. 21 Why do you ask me? Ask those who heard what I said to them; they know what I said." 22 When he had said this, one of the police standing nearby struck Jesus on the face, saying, "Is that how you answer the high priest?" 23 Jesus answered, "If I have spoken wrongly, testify to the wrong. But if I have spoken rightly, why do you strike me?" 24 Then Annas sent him bound to Caiaphas the high priest. - John 18:19-24
The Unfairness of the Sword - sermon Feb 28
When Jesus is being arrested, Simon Peter takes out his sword and cuts off the ear of the high priest's slave. But why? He did nothing wrong. He has not choice in being there. But He's also the least able to fight back. In an unfair world we dump on those who don't fight, and we punish the innocent, and Jesus, instead of being above it, suffers as well. The first in the Lent sermon series on the Passion Story of Jesus in the Gospel of John, by Pastor Lars Hammar.
John 18:1-12
The Gift of Teaching - sermon Feb 14
We stand before a God of great mystery, whom we know some things about, and many things we are only able to see in wonder and awe. The spiritual gift of teaching is help convey what we do believe, but also to equip us to go about our lives, and build up the community. By Pastor Lars Hammar of Lord of Grace Lutheran Church in Marana, Arizona.
Whose Spirit is It? - sermon Feb 7
How can you tell if the spirit that's moving you is from God? How do you know if it's good or not? The answer is not as complicated as you'd think: Jesus. If the spirit that's in your heart is moving you to anger, revenge, grievances, keeping scores, or hate - it's not the spirit of God but the Spirit of the world. Part of the sermon series on Spiritual Gifts by Pastor Lars Hammar of Lord of Grace Lutheran Church, Marana, Arizona. Feb 7, 2021. Scripture: 1 John 4:1-8
The Gift of Leadership - sermon Jan 31
The gift of leadership is so crucial in our families, our homes, and in our churches. But it's often confused with controlling and managing, which are different. The Apostle Paul says that leadership is a spiritual gift because, like all spiritual gifts, they are given by God, through the Holy Spirit, for us to build up the community. Leadership takes effort, and can be frustrating and exhausting, but we don't do it under our own power, but with the Holy Spirit. By Pastor Lars Hammar of Lord of Grace Lutheran Church in Marana, Arizona. www.lordofgrace.org
Prophecy and Frenzies - Bible Study - Feb 1
Devotion on 1 Samuel 10:9-13. By Pastor Lars Hammar
Part of the online Bible study series titled, “Spiritual Gifts and Spiritual Encounters”.
With so many people on TV and online claiming to be giving prophecies predicting victory for their favorite political candidates, how do you even know if they're real? And how does God give prophetic experiences? King Saul was possesed by the Spirit of God and went into a prophetic frenzy, but it wasn't something he chose.
The Gift of Wisdom - sermon Jan 17, 2021
The spiritual gift of wisdom is not about only being cautious or hesitant, nor about always taking bold moves, but having the Holy Spirit guide us to know the difference. By Pastor Lars Hammar.
Elijah and the Loud Silence - Bible Study - Jan 21
The experience of God can often be blocked by the constant voices that pressure us in our head for attention. When these dominate our lives, they become the "Tyranny of the Urgent", and they keep us from seeing the bigger picture and hearing God speak. Elijah goes into the wilderness and hears the voice of God when he can finally listen to the sheer silence. By Pastor Lars Hammar
The Cloud of Unknowing - Bible Study - Jan 14
To find God, sometimes you have to enter into the darkness, where you see nothing and rely only on God. While feeling vulnerable and overwhelmed, it is also when we are close to God. By Pastor Lars Hammar.
Holy Ground - Bible Study - Jan 13
Third in the Spiritual Gifts study by Pastor Lars Hammar, we look at how God takes an ordinary mountain and makes it holy, demanding that the place around his presence be kept special. For our own spiritual lives, keeping sacred places makes it easier to experience
The Name of God - Bible Study - Jan 12
Bible study on spiritual gifts and the encounter with God, focusing more on Moses and how God describes himself to him, and what it means about the mystery that is God. By Pastor Lars Hammar