May 7, 2017. We are surrounded by voices in our lives, some we can trust and others we cannot. Some voices, even those we respect, can suck the life out of us. Whether they come from our work, raising our children, or making money, how do we determine which voices we can trust? Of course there is one voice we can trust. Jesus is our perfect good shepherd who came for us to have abundant life. Pastor Penny preaches on what that means for our lives today. *** [Keywords: 2017 Africa Augustana Lutheran Church Christ lived and died and rose for us Christian faith mysteries El Salvador God restores our souls God was using her Gospel Haiti I came that they may have life John 10:1-10 Pastor Penny Holste Sabbath Spotlight movie Washington D.C. abundance of wealth fame success abundant life accused Jesus activities advertising afraid agree all about voices all these years alluring voice ask questions assignments bald head beautiful believed leaders best interest in mind better than that better use of time breaking God's law buy this product challenges and hardships made me strong changing diapers children grown chores close relationship with God coached son's baseball team college commentator computer camp controlling our lives crime curriculum domestic and international organizations don't want to listen emails energetic father eternal future excused from meal preparation experiences financial frustrated full of gratitude future hope to have gates give them things give your kids everything you can grade point average greater purpose greed harried have it abundantly have to be perfect healing man of blindness high school art teacher hurt our relationships impossible claims instilling in you keep a lot of rules kindness knowing our past leisure lessons life of Carol Kramer live our moments lose ourselves in our work magazines or TV makes a difference in our lives making money meaning joy hope meaningless means to an end media literacy meetings more long lasting mother wonderful cook mowing lawn mundane no hesitation not just that moment not suspect not to question one voice that gives us life one voice we can trust online video ordinary day our lives have a purpose ourselves and God parenting patience peace and community building pedophilia people warning against perfect good shepherd person's life position of power present can have eternal meaning provided everything psalmist reconciliation to city remembering handsome college man retrospect revere and respect religious leaders sacrifice time and energy sap the joy self doubt seminary president sermon shared past sheep shepherds sister Joan Rivas snapshot from each era of our lives softening muscles some viewpoints some voices you can trust some you cannot son stubborn successful in everything suck the life out of us suffered suspicious synagogue taking kids to practice tasks taught our children taught people taught to respect tension theologian Paul Tillich tired travel two parables untrue statements voice of Jesus voices in their lives voices we can trust warn us what is abundant life what it isn't whole family why am I raising these funds width of Minnesota wisdom work into pattern world wrinkles writing reports you are so handsome younger]

April 23, 2017. Pastor Keith preaches during this season of Easter on trusting the good news. When Jesus appeared to his disciples after the resurrection, he offered them peace and forgiveness, and gave them the power to forgive others in his name. Only a limited number of people saw the risen Christ, but millions have since come to believe. They have come to the faith not by proofs, but by the witness of those who trust in Jesus. *** [Keywords: Christ candle Christians Easter vigil God's church Gospel of John Greek word pistos Holy Spirit I am your way out I can observe I stand on this India Jesus brings life Jesus comes to us Jesus takes forward step John the writer Keith Holste Messiah Pastor Pentecost abuse and sin of world afraid of Jewish authorities after Jesus dies after the resurrection alive again all who believe argument articles of faith associate word believe assurance we need baptized people barricades bear that light of Christ behind closed doors believe word bodily book of signs brain matter breathe on us his breath breathes on them by the witness calls us to believe came to believe cerebral challenge to believe close the door cognitive brain come in my name come to faith coming to faith communities of people confront things that are hard corwardly creeds denying died on a cross different directions different sects difficult times disciples divine authority divisions in church earth elements of baptism erect escape rooms faith is possible fear factors fearfulness first Century first and second Sunday follow through with whole body font forgive others in his name forgiven before God forgiveness abound forgives them from the dead gathered in fear get out of here gift of baptism give up ourselves go tell the world about me good news of resurrection grieving groups hands with scars have life abundantly healed person hearing the words hearts hide history how to get out how we live our lives in the head in the mind interjects is this really the same person keep trouble away latitude life in his name life love serve in the name of Jesus limited number of people locked in locked or small space logical proofs looming problem lots of faith lots of ways people come to the faith made water into wine many new churches mentally convinced millions of people mind modern age more than evidence my lord and my god nails needed to be forgiven not by proofs not so sure observe offers his hands offers them peace out into world peace be with you peace be with you peace of mind peace with others physical evidence physical proof power of God proved the message of John provides life questions raised Lazarus recreation restoration resurrected Jesus risen Christ risen body of Jesus rose from the dead run away running away sacrifice safe rooms say the right words science guy season of Easter see his wounds self made prisions sermon seven signs shown to world shut the door sinfully sins and troubles of world something we can touch son of God stood among them story of Thomas strong supporter of Jesus suffered and died support take up arms to defend Jesus these things are written things we're afraid of through believing through wall of the room total peace touch his wounds translate trouble believing trust in him truth unfaithful things water of baptism we can receive wedding whole self wholeness whose we are will not be kept out won't believe words and testimony of believing Christians work of God wounds in your side and hands 40 days 2017]

April 2, 2017. Jesus tells us that the new life he brings is something not just to be believed in or confessed, but to be experienced. Where have we seen new life in Jesus around us? Pastor Keith preaches on how the story of Jesus giving new life to Lazarus is central to the Gospel of John. This word of life, this resurrection sighting, was an organizing principle for the early Christians. How do our lives today hinge on this Jesus who gives new life? *** Transcript *** We begin in the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. Amen. Our gospel today comes from the exact middle of John's gospel, and that's important for several reasons. One of them is that, given the way that literature was interpreted then, especially by the Jews, the middle was the main thing. It provided the organizing principle for the whole writing. So in our lesson today about Lazarus and Jesus, it's like a hinge. The whole book of John turns on this story. Before this, Jesus is going about teaching and performing miracles. This is the seventh and last, and most significant, miracle or sign leading up to his death and resurrection. But from here on out everything changes, as you can tell from those few verses I just read. Now he will soon be headed for Jerusalem for his last days. It seems like this particular story was included in the Book of John, in this important place, because it reflected the position of life of those who were hearing this gospel read. John is thought to have been written somewhere between the year 80 and 100. This is a time when the Romans were still in control. John is thought to have perhaps written this in hiding on the island of Patmos, as he was in exile from the Romans. This is a signal to us that this is written for a people for whom a choice for Jesus was just as risky as the choices Jesus had to make as he came to Bethany to do this deed. It was a risky place to be. Throughout the past few months, we've been mentioning the movement of Jesus in the early days of his ministry. He would go from Nazareth, to the River Jordan, to Capernaum, and each of these had significance because of the politics that was around. Each was an important place, a place for a reason, because he needed sanctuary or safety in a certain place. Now he's called to Bethany, for Lazarus, just a couple of miles from Jerusalem. He hesitates to go. There are many interpretations of this, but the strongest argument to me is that it means his final commitment to go to the cross. As our reading ended in these verses I just read, how the giving of life to Lazarus meant that the authorities would begin the process of arresting Jesus so they could put him to death. So the readers, the original audience of the Book of John, didn't think this was just an interesting story about Jesus doing a phenomenal thing. To be in his predicament is where they were in life. The movements they would make, the places they would go, would put their lives in danger. How could they live out the life of Jesus in their day and in their place? Would they go into exile? Would they leave home and go to another place? Would they stay and be quiet, or would they stay and be obvious about their illegal faith? Would they take steps like Jesus did which would put them in danger? And as they made movements they would be asked tough questions like Jesus was. They would need to answer in sensitive ways, as Jesus did. They would on occasion say what they believed. Martha is seen as confessing her faith as a Christian, on her own day, but as the model of the person who could speak the faith of the church. "I know that my brother will rise again in the resurrection on the last day." It's a confession of faith. She believes in the resurrection of the body. And, "Yes Lord, I believe that you are the messiah, the Son of God, the one coming into the world." She's the model Christian — and a woman at that — who speaks at the outright summary confession of who Jesus is and what Jesus is about, the most important place in the Book of John: in the middle of it. This is the key thing to know. Her sister Mary is a little different. Just as we in our day say we have different preferred spiritual modes, and just as maybe some of us are more left-brained and some of us are more right-brained, some of us have logical statements of faith, and that's kind of how we see our faith, like in statements like the Creed. Others of us are more creative about it and think of our faith in different ways. Maybe we're more like Mary, who wanted to be near the Lord, we know. She wanted to sit by his side when he was at their house. But at this time she expresses her faith by saying, through her tears, "If you'd been here Lord, Lazarus would not have died." Meanwhile here, just as every action of Jesus was provoking comment and reaction from the other religious authorities and people, we can guess that those early Christians in the days of John were provoking actions from religious authorities also and from the governmental authorities. People were reacting to them. To accept the new life that Jesus brings is not a neutral thing. It provokes reaction. We will ask ourselves: will we, as Mary and Martha did, remain firm in our faith that Jesus is the one who brings life? I said earlier that this main, middle story of John was the organizing principle of his whole gospel. This life that Jesus gives is the organizing principle for us as Christians. It was at the core of Martha's pivotal confession of faith. And so it was a main thing in the lives of those early Christians who lived in risky times. Can we say that this word of life that was there for Martha and for them is our organizing principle for life? Does our life hinge on this Jesus who came to give life, and did this to such a degree that he was willing to die for our sakes so that we might have life? That's really what happened here in this story. Jesus raised Lazarus from the dead, and the response of the authorities was the plot to kill him. Because in their view if he kept on doing these life-giving things, everyone would believe in him and the Romans would come and destroy their buildings — which indeed happened. The high priest declares it's better for one man to die than for the nation to be destroyed. We have to acknowledge that often, the world prefers things the way they are rather than to have new life. People like the positions they are in. They like the way things are around them. They often resist the changes that would mean fuller life for more people. Bringing new life and changing the status quo so often meets resistance. What Jesus tells the people to do in the story with Lazarus, he says, "Go, unbind him and let him go." That seems to be a word that Jesus gives to all of us who live by his command and by the life that he brings. It's a challenge for us to see where life is bound in the world and not being lived freely and fully. Where can lives be unbound so that the new life Jesus brings can come and give that new life? Where do we see that in our worlds? How can we be the ones who bring and allow the life-giving word of Jesus, through both words and actions, so that those who are bound can be freed to have and enjoy what Jesus wants all people to have? This might be with individuals who are bound up, or with groups of people small or large who, due to physical or mental or economic conditions are stuck in a place that's not fruitful, and with encouragement and leadership and assistance might be able to break forth into a new place in life. Kind of related to this idea, it's been pointed out that so often when we talk about new life in the context of the resurrection, that it's kind of a subject of something that is to be believed in, something we confess in the creeds. It's something which really can't be comprehended. But what Jesus is saying here is that it's really something to experience. A person came up to a friend of ours who was preaching, and preached in such a way in her sermon that when people came out to greet her at the end, one woman said, "That was a resurrection moment." The person that heard the words of the preacher through the work of the Holy Spirit, so she felt new life had come to her at that moment — she had had, we might say, a resurrection experience. Lazarus was raised from the dead by Jesus to have a new life. It wasn't something he believed in, or just said, "I believe" (in the words of the Apostles Creed) "that Jesus is risen from the dead and I will be raised one day." He received the new life, and Lazarus was able to live it. So the new life God gives us in Christ is more than just something we believe in for after death, or more than something we try to comprehend and make theological explanations about. The resurrection word we hear, just as Lazarus heard the words, "Lazarus, come out," is a word of promise to us, that calls us out to live in a new way: in the light of Jesus. It's not a theory, it's not an ambiguous promise, but it's real. It's a relationship with God that's lived out in the present. New life given to us by Jesus. In recent weeks we've heard how this has shown up in the lives of people as Jesus has encountered them. A few weeks ago we heard about the woman at the well in conversation with Jesus. Resurrection came to her and she had new life. Last week we heard of a man born blind who was healed by Jesus and came to new life in Jesus. Lazarus heard his name called out, and rose from the tomb and came out. In baptism, God has called us to new life. He has unbound us and freed us to live new life in his name. Resurrection isn't about just what happens after life. It starts already, and it's about living our lives in faith, that we have already been called out to live this kind of life every day. Sometimes with the youth we talk about: where have you seen God today? Where is a God sighting in your life? We discuss, for they have seen God active in their lives. Maybe we should think in terms of "resurrection sightings." Where have we seen the new life of Jesus in our lives or around us? When has Jesus said to us, as he said to Lazarus, "Come out?" And now that's given us new life, and has shown up as a resurrection sighting in our lives — as we live in ways that show this life that he has given, not only to Lazarus, but to us. But this isn't easy work to do. As Jesus found out, as the disciples found out, as the early Christians found out, there is resistance all around. It's hard work living resurrected lives. And so we need strengthening to do that. We need the nourishment of the Lord's meal to keep it up. We give thanks to God for the new life we have in Jesus, as we receive the bread and wine of this meal. We pray that God strengthens us to live as ones unbound and freed by Jesus. And as we receive this meal we cherish the company of fellow resurrected ones, as we receive the meal together to go out and live lives of resurrection. And this morning we're so happy that seven new of our young children will receive this meal with us. They'll join this fellowship of resurrected ones. Having been baptized already they have this life, and they can join with us be this band of people sharing the Lord's risen presence, as he promises us resurrection as well. Amen. *** Keywords *** 2017, Christ Lutheran Church, Webster Groves, sermon, podcast, transcript, Pastor Keith Holste, John 11:1-45, first communion

March 19, 2017. Pastor Penny preaches on John 4:5-42, the story of Jesus meeting the Samaritan woman at the well. He transformed her and her community when he told her that the traditions that divide us are not that important, and that he was the Messiah. Jesus invites us too to be transformed, to trust in the living water of baptism and God's love. *** [Keywords: Easter morning Gospel story of transformation Harry Potter I am the Messiah I've got news Jesus invites us Jesus is the magic wand Jews and Samaritans John 4:5-42 Judea back to Galilee Samaritan woman at well afraid for future ask for living water bad habit best she could blame wife bold third step break down wall because of religion bringing the harvest broke two taboos challenges we face confessed Jesus dance changed completely demand or invitation or request dependency didn't criticize difficult disciples eternal first as a baby first step five husbands forgot bucket at well garage gave woman courage get rid of it give me this water gives life go ask your husband to come here greater than Jacob? had hope hard to shake it hated Samaritans he walks with us heat of day her whole community home and garden channel issue in relationship keeping two people apart leaving himself open lifeless body live day to day makes a move making himself vulnerable man divorce wife unable to have children man not your husband man stretched out on cross man to man to man medical or financial challenge men did not speak to women in public messy room tidy minister to him neat and functional needed roof over head no choice no confidence no longer despairing no power to change situation not her fault at all old house paper picked up twirled around dance partner project real world requested drink of water resolving issue risky savior of the world second step seems impossible seen the Messiah share the love of God she could ignore request spoke to woman step by step stuck swipe a wand talked to her through not around Samaria traditions that divide us are not that important transformed woman's life transforms in a process transforms us treated her as equal trust in his love trust in living water trust in power of God unclean bucket understood pain and valued her until she met Jesus used to criticism village invited Jesus water of baptism water of baptism where are you getting this water? why are you asking? willingness to be vulnerable willingness to engage winter being transformed into spring woman not cared for women go in groups work through it worship in Jerusalem]

March 5, 2017. Do we need a kind of North Star in our lives? Today we hear the gospel story of Jesus being tempted in the wilderness. How did he know he was being tempted? Pastor Penny preaches on this text and says that he knew because what the devil was offering didn't match up with his mission. Our mission, like Jesus', is to help and care for others. Knowing this helps us to know when we're being tempted. And we can resist temptation because of our loving relationship with God, a relationship that becomes our North Star that will guide us home. *** Transcript *** We begin this morning in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen. Well you may know this, but I just discovered that the North Star is not a particular star — that it is a kind of a star. And that right now as we are alive, Polaris is the North Star, but that different stars throughout the eons have served as a North Star. And a North Star is simply the star that is closest to the North Pole, that aligns with it most closely. And of course, the beauty of having a star that serves as a North Star is that in the night sky all the other stars seem to be rotating around and they're moving, but the North Star does not. So through the centuries, sailors for instance could always find their way by the North Star that would lead them safely home. And I bring that up because I think that as we talk about temptation, which is what our lessons are about today, we really need a kind of North Star for our lives. Temptation is the topic. Adam and Eve were tempted in the garden. Jesus was tempted in the desert. And we are tempted in all kinds of different places. Maybe sometimes at our computer we're tempted to push "send" and send an angry comment, an angry email, or maybe to post something a little sarcastic. Or maybe it's that we're tempted to push "buy" when we shouldn't, but it's a spur-of-the-moment decision to purchase something that we really don't need. Or maybe we're tempted to have just one more cookie, or just one more drink. In either case, we don't really need them. Or maybe it's a matter of how we use our time. You know, we're tempted to watch just one more movie, play just one more video game, spend just a little longer on Facebook, or do one more crossword puzzle. Maybe we're tempted to spend another session in the gym or spend a long time on our phone, or maybe go to just one more store in the mall or online. And in all these cases, as we're confronted with things that can tempt us I think we need to ask two questions: how can we recognize when we're being tempted, and once we realize that how do we resist? Well, we can look to Jesus in the gospel today, because he was tempted. There's nothing wrong with being tempted; it's what you do with it. And it's interesting, what you wouldn't know necessarily is that the thing that happened just before the lesson today is that Jesus was baptized. And then immediately after his baptism the Spirit of God sends him into the wilderness to be tempted. Now, why would the Father send his Son to be tempted? Is it that he wanted him to have some practice in resisting temptation and build up his moral muscles? Did he want Jesus to understand the human situation? We don't really know. But he was sent there, and a spirit — called Satan, the devil, the tempter — tempted him. And Jesus had to figure out what and whether he was being tempted. Because the first two temptations don't really stand out. Jesus had fasted and his fast was over, so what was wrong about accepting some food? Or the second one: Jesus as the Son of God had special powers. Was it really so bad to have a little fun and jump off a high building and watch the angels scoop you up and protect you? But the third one — that probably stood out as a clear temptation — was when the devil said all these kingdoms and their glory will be yours if you worship me. How did Jesus determine whether he was being tempted or not? He used one method — and that was to see if those things being offered matched up with his mission. Jesus had a mission in life. And he knew what that mission was from scripture. And that's why he kept quoting all these passages from scripture. He knew his mission, and he knew his mission was not to have power and glory. He knew it was not to be frivolous about the powers that he had and tempt the angels. He even knew that his mission wasn't always to have a full stomach. He knew his mission was to rescue us. He knew his mission was to be a poor, traveling healer, who would be hurt and crucified and die and rise again, so that we might be children of God. He knew his mission, so he knew when he was being tempted. Well, Jesus' mission is really, in some respects, our mission. Not that we're rescuing him, but we are called to look out for other people. So our mission isn't just to do whatever we're able to do or buy whatever we have money to buy or experience whatever we have opportunity to experience. Our mission is to see how our actions impact other people, to help people and to care about them. Knowing our mission helps us to know when we are being tempted. To spend hours on the phone with a friend who's going through a hard time, for instance, might very well be part of our mission in caring for people. To spend hours on the phone building ourselves up by criticizing other people and talking behind their backs would probably be a temptation. To spend a lot of time at the gym in preparation for the occasional marathon might be part of our mission to keep our bodies intact and maybe enjoy the community of athletes. But spending time at the gym to avoid responsibilities of schoolwork or work or family responsibilities — that could be a temptation. So knowing that we have a mission helps us to identify and recognize when we're being tempted. But what do we do when we know we're being tempted? How do we have the strength to withstand those temptations? In the play — and it's also a book and a movie — To Kill a Mockingbird, Atticus Finch is a lawyer in a small, southern town. And he has been appointed to stand up, to be the lawyer for a black man who has been accused of attacking a white woman. Now, he had a temptation not to do that, not to be that man's lawyer, because the whole town didn't like the man and they didn't want Atticus to do it. But Atticus felt he was being unfairly accused, that he was an innocent man. And so he went ahead and became his lawyer, and he was a strong lawyer in his defense. Of course, he paid a price. His family paid a price, and he paid a price. They were even attacked. But he didn't give in to the temptation. And then later on in the play he thinks his son might have been implicated in a crime, and he's tempted by his friend who's the sheriff to just sweep the evidence under the rug and forget about it. But Atticus says no. He says I can't be one person in church and another person in life. He says, if I don't live up to the things I've taught my son, I will lose him. And he is my most precious possession. Atticus did not give in. He had the strength to resist temptation because of a loving relationship, because he cared for his son and his son cared for him. It is a loving relationship that Jesus uses to give himself strength. The relationship, of course, with the Father. He is in constant communication with his Heavenly Father through prayer. He senses the Father's presence in his regular worship, and we get a glimpse into the closeness between Jesus and his Father — the love they have for each other — in the prayer that he prays in the Book of John shortly before he is taken into custody. It goes like this (he's praying to the Father about his disciples): the glory that you have given me I have given them, so that they may be one as we are one — I in them and you in me — that they may become completely one, so that the world may know that you have sent me and have loved them even as you love me. That loving relationship is what gave Jesus strength. It was his North Star. The relationship he had with a loving Father guided him, gave him strength, and gave him the ability to make it home safely. It's interesting that both Atticus Finch and Jesus Christ are not motivated by dread or fear. It's not a drudgery for them to resist temptation and to follow their mission. Instead, they do it out of love — love for someone who loves them. Maybe, as we think of ourselves going through life with various temptations, and we think of our relationship to our Heavenly Father, maybe the prodigal son will help us get some insight into how we interact with God. You know the story of the Prodigal Son probably. He took his father's hard-earned money, he went out and squandered it, and then he was penniless and hungry so he headed for home. And I think a lot of times we think, oh he went home because he had to. That was the only place, that was the last place he could go, so he went. But I wonder if there wasn't more to it than that. I can imagine him walking along those dusty paths home and thinking about his father, thinking about the relationship he had had with his father, how his father sacrificed to provide for him, how his father taught him, how his father had dreams for this son, a mission. And he must have hoped that that love that he used to know was still there. Well of course, we know the end to that story. The father is standing there with open arms ready to forgive this son when he comes home, still loving him. That father figure represents for us our relationship with our heavenly parent, with God. Because we know that in the same way, God has sacrificed to provide for us, God has taught us, God has given us strength, and God, like the father in the Prodigal Son, forgives us when we fall on our faces. So it is that relationship with a loving God that is the most important relationship we have in life. And as we go through a field of temptations, it is that relationship with a loving God which becomes our North Star that will guide us safely home. Amen. *** Keywords *** 2017, Christ Lutheran Church, Webster Groves, sermon, podcast, transcript, Pastor Penny Holste, Matthew 4:1-11, Luke 15:11-32, Prodigal Son, To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee