Holy Trinity Ankeny

In the swift narrative of Mark's Gospel, details may seem sparse, but depth and meaning abound. Baptized by John in the Jordan, Jesus hears the heavens tear open, affirming him as the beloved Son. Driven into the wilderness by the Spirit, Jesus faces real struggles. Mark, unlike Matthew and Luke, leaves the temptations ambiguous. Lent isn't about a triumphant superhero, but a vulnerable Jesus in our shared wilderness. In life's diverse wildernesses, Jesus guides us, proclaiming the Kingdom, and reconciling us to God. The torn veil assures: You are loved. Amen.   Readings: Genesis 9:8-17 1 Peter 3:18-22 Gospel Reading • Mark 1:9-15

There is more to the world than meets the eye. By faith, we see things that others cannot. We see people and the world differently than others might. The Feast of the Transfiguration tells us how God pulled back the curtain of heaven to reveal radiance, glory, and grace in Jesus Christ. We get a glimpse of grace and see as God sees. It happens all the time. When we can see a person who suffers as a neighbor to love instead of a burden, we see through the eyes of faith. When we receive the bread and wine at the Table of the Lord and see Christ present to us, we see as Christ sees. It is these visions that sustain us.   Readings: 2 Kings 2:1-12 2 Corinthians 4:3-6 Gospel Reading • Mark 9:2-9

The magi come from afar to seek the Christ child. They come seeking and find King Herod more worried about maintaining his power than seeking the newborn king. Herod doesn’t seek, the scribes and chief priests don’t seek either. It seems that God is determined to be found and it takes those who shouldn’t even be looking for the Christ child to find him.    Isaiah 60:1-6 | Ephesians 3:1-12 | Matthew 2:1-12

The vastness and immensity of the universe are held together and grounded in love. That love has come to us in Christ. Amidst the powers and rulers of this world, love has come in humility. Christ comes born in a manger, a baby crying as every other baby so we can know that love has come to us.

In today's Gospel, we delve into the Annunciation, a moment often overlooked in Protestant circles. Mary, a humble teenager from Nazareth, questions the angel Gabriel's surprising message. Yet, Gabriel points to God's unwavering faithfulness, echoing a history of divine promises fulfilled. 2 Samuel 7:1-11, 16 | Romans 16:25-27 | Luke 1:26-38

Worship features readings of the season and music by the Adult Choir and a small chamber ensemble.

The term “woke” has, for some reason, become polarizing. In this season of Advent, it is essential. To prepare for God’s salvation born in Christ, we must be “woke” to the brokenness of the word. We must be “woke” to the ways we participate in breaking the world. We must be “woke” to the fact that our attempts to fix the world are like lipstick on a pig – pointless. We cry out “Lord, tear open the heavens and come,” to call God to do new things in the broken places. We cry out, “Come, Emmanuel (God with us),” because it is our only hope.

The vision of the “Sheep and Goats” in Matthew’s gospel is a perplexing bit of scripture. On the surface, it reduces inclusion in the reign of God to those who do good works—no room for grace. On the surface, it condemns the unrighteous to eternal damnation and the fires of hell. Neither notion jibes with the story of Jesus very well. So, what is Jesus trying to teach in this last teaching of Matthew’s gospel?  It is about grace and mercy, of course.

We tend to create God in our own image. In today’s Gospel, Jesus talks about what happens when we do not know who God is.  Jesus tells the parable of the talents to show the transformative impact of shaping our lives by embracing a God of boundless grace, joy, and abundance, rather than succumbing to fear and self-imposed limitations.  

The Church’s basic posture is one of anticipation, of waiting. Waiting for the Day of the Lord, the return of Christ. The consummation of the reign of God is a tricky thing. It is easy to become distracted by many things, to lose sight of the end and goal of life in Christ. Stay alert, stay awake, and center yourself on Christ.

In the Book of Revelation, we see a vision of the heavenly throne room with a myriad of worshippers dressed in white. A messenger asks, “Who are these people?” They are the saints. They are largely unknown because they worship one who is largely unknown. Who are the saints of God? It is a good and relevant question…

In a world where we constantly look back to the good ol’ days, we can become trapped by that nostalgia. It is easy to look back to our past, especially on Reformation Sunday, when we celebrate Martin Luther and the reformation he ignited, and get trapped with looking back. Christ calls us to be free and then sets us free to live and love and grieve in this world. Jeremiah 31:31-34 | Romans 3:19-28 | John 8:31-36

Faith and politics, it has been said by some, should never go together. The truth is that being faithful will lead us into political waters. Jesus says: “Give therefore to the emperor the things that are the emperor’s and to God the things that are God’s.” (Matthew 22:21) - a very political statement. Paul calls on the name of the “Lord Jesus Christ” in direct opposition to the claim that “Caesar is Lord” in I Thessalonians 1:1 - Another political statement. How do we allow Jesus Christ to be Lord of even our politics?

'Rejoice in the Lord always; again, I will say, Rejoice.' In a world marked by turmoil and trials, the call to find joy may seem daunting. It might even seem as an empty platitude, but the Apostle Paul knows there is reason to rejoice – as Jesus explains it in our Gospel reading for today.   Isaiah 25:1-9 | Philippians 4:1-9 | Matthew 22:1-14

Wild grapes are good for nothing. They are sour and inedible. You can’t make wine or jelly with them. Birds won’t even eat them. The prophet Isaiah declares that God planted God’s people to yield the grapes of justice, mercy, peace, and grace. Instead, they became wild grapes, producing nothing but violence, injustice, and cries for God’s help. We too receive God’s richest blessings but end up being wild grapes. What are we to do?  

Jesus comes to Jerusalem acting in ways that disrupt. The officials want to know who he thinks he is. He turns the question around on them. If they say they are faithful people of God, why do they not do the work he does? Knowing who we are determines how we live our lives.

We all have a keen sense of fairness. It is ingrained in us. We don’t like when people get more than us, especially if we do the same amount of work. Jonah and Jesus show us today the generosity of God, and if we’re honest with ourselves, we don’t always like the generosity of God. Jonah 3:10--4:11, Philippians 1:21-30, Matthew 20:1-16

Peter asks if forgiving someone seven times is sufficient. Since many of us find forgiving someone once a stretch, Peter was generous. Jesus, however, called for more. He says, “Seventy-seven times” or “Seven times seventy.” Given the symbolic nature of the number seven, the point is to forgive endlessly. Perhaps forgiveness is more than a duty or obligation. Just maybe forgiveness is the power of the resurrection raising dead relationships to new life.

There I am minding my own business, just trying to get through this thing called life, and I didn’t realize I was supposed to be offended – at least until someone told me that I should be offended.  Amidst all the offense, we realize that words matter and words have power. Today, Jesus tells us “for where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them.” Those spoken words are powerful.

These are instructions from Jesus for all who wish to follow him. What does that look like? Putting to death all that keeps us from living as Christ in this world is also trusting in the new life Christ offers. Every day is full of countless crosses we must take up to become what God calls us to be.