Trinity Lutheran Church Sermons

He Comes Down: The Transfigured Christ Who Serves Us

This sermon explains that the Transfiguration shows Jesus coming down to serve sinners through Word and Sacrament, not calling us to climb up for spiritual experiences.

It emphasizes confession and absolution, the preaching of Christ's cross and resurrection, and the Lutheran confession of Christ's real, substantial presence in the Lord's Supper as the heart of true worship and comfort.

Epiphany 2 2026: When the Wine Runs Dry: Christ Brings a Better Feast

Grace, mercy, and peace be yours. This episode reflects on the wedding at Cana and the Lord's Supper, showing how Christ transforms what is emptied and brings a new, enduring covenant. It encourages the church to abandon nostalgia, hold fast to the gospel, and pass the faith to the next generation by proclamation rather than sentimentality.

Through Scripture and pastoral exhortation, the sermon points believers to the hope of Emmanuel, the assurance of an unshakable kingdom, and the promise that the best is yet to come.

Baptism of our Lord. One Baptism: Water, Word, and the Spirit United

This episode explores the doctrine of one holy baptism: how water, God’s Word, and the Holy Spirit are united to forgive sin, renew the heart, and grant new life.

Tracing baptism from Genesis and Ezekiel through John and Jesus to the apostles, the preacher defends baptism as God’s saving action, not merely a symbol, and encourages believers to trust and share this promise.

Vigil of Epiphany. Out of Egypt: Jesus, the True Son

On the eve of Epiphany, this sermon draws Matthew's parallels between Jesus and the story of Israel to reveal Christ as the true Son who succeeds where Israel failed.

It celebrates Jesus' perfect obedience and atoning work that makes sinners righteous, calls listeners to repent and remember baptism, and looks forward to God’s everlasting kingdom of grace and peace.

Bible Study. The Name That Saves: Tracing 'Jesus' from Genesis to the Cross

This short Bible study traces the name "Jesus" through the Old Testament into the New, showing how Yahweh's promise of salvation appears in names and events from Genesis, Moses, Joshua, Elijah/Elisha, and Zechariah.

It explains Gabriel's naming of Jesus, the meaning "Yahweh saves," and how that name is bound to the work of salvation, baptism, and our standing before God through Christ.

New Years' Sermon: Jesus Circumcised and Named

Eight days after Christ's birth Luke records a quiet, profound moment: Jesus is circumcised, a visible yet hidden sign of God's covenant, and is given the name Jesus. Though brief and unnoticed by the world, this naming reveals his purpose to redeem those under the law.

The sermon applies that hidden mark to believers: through baptism we are named and clothed with Christ. Even when the world moves on from Christmas, the church remembers and carries the name of Jesus into everyday life (in work, suffering, joy, and death) praying to never forget and to call upon the name of Jesus in every circumstance.

The Light of Christ: Christmas at the Altar

This Christmas morning sermon reflects on the Nativity, contrasting the temptation of nostalgia with the present gift of Christ in the Eucharist.

It invites worshippers to receive Jesus not as memory, but truly present in bread and wine, and to go forth praising God and sharing the good news.

Be the Voice: John the Baptist and the Christ-Centered Table

John the Baptist refused honors and pointed all attention to Jesus as the promised Savior. This episode reflects on his humble witness and urges listeners to be that same voice at family gatherings—turning memories and difficult moments toward the resurrection hope we have in Christ.

Practical and pastoral, it offers guidance for gently steering conversations, comforting grieving hearts, and making Christ the center of our celebrations so that our feasts and remembrances become signs of the gospel’s peace and promise.

Advent 3, 2025. Rose Candle Joy: Rejoice in the Lord

On Gaudete Sunday the rose candle reminds us that joy blooms even in the penitential season: Paul and John call us to rejoice not by faking happiness but by receiving Christ’s presence and living honestly.

The sermon moves from the Jordan’s call to practical repentance—how we work, speak, and treat others—into the cross where our sins are paid and our work and suffering are sanctified, giving a durable joy that endures through everyday life.

Midweek Advent 2. Jesus the Priest

Grace, mercy, and peace be yours. This episode traces God’s provision of a mediator—from the Levitical priests and the mysterious Melchizedek to the prophetic promise in Zechariah—and shows how Jesus fulfills the priesthood by offering himself once for all.

We are invited into Christ’s priesthood: the Lord’s table as our altar, prayer as incense, and daily life offered as a living sacrifice. The episode closes with a call to live as a royal priesthood in anticipation of the day we behold our interceding High Priest face to face.