+ A homily for Ash Wednesday at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Bellevue, WA on March 2, 2022 + Text: Isaiah 58:1-12; Matthew 6:1-6, 16-21 Audio: I must admit some trepidation this year as we enter the season of Lent. I must admit that I feel some reluctance to commemorate Ash Wednesday. After two years of a global …
Category: Sermons
Seeing Glory
+ A sermon for the Transfiguration of Our Lord (Year C) at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Bellevue, WA on February 27, 2022 + Text: 2 Corinthians 3:12-13, 17-4:2; Luke 9:28-43a Audio: I have spent most of my life near the mountains. It’s one of the things I love most about growing up in Alaska and the Pacific …
The Unfairness of Grace
+ A sermon for the Seventh Sunday after Epiphany (Year C)/Lectionary +7C at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Bellevue, WA on February 20, 2022 + Text: Genesis 45:3-11, 15; Luke 6:27-38 Audio: I remember learning something when I was in kindergarten: “treat others like you would like to be treated.” How many of you learned that lesson? How …
A Level Place
+ A sermon for the Sixth Sunday after Epiphany (Year C)/Lectionary +6C at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Bellevue, WA on February 13, 2022 + Text: Luke 6:17-26 Audio: Later today, the eyes of the country will turn to Los Angeles. Millions of TVs will tune in to watch the biggest sporting event of the year. To watch …
Love Beyond
+ A sermon for the Fourth Sunday after Epiphany (Year C)/Lectionary +4C at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Bellevue, WA on January 30, 2022 + Text: Jeremiah 1:4-10; Luke 4:21-30 Audio: For those of us who have gathered in person this morning, I have a question for you. And I apologize in advance for the anxiety I’m about …
Waiting for Today
+ A sermon for the Third Sunday after Epiphany (Year C)/Lectionary +3C at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Bellevue, WA on January 23, 2022 + Text: Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10; Luke 4:14-21 Audio: I feel like all I have been doing for nearly two years now is waiting. Waiting for this pandemic to finally end. Waiting to leave …
Filled with Joy
+ A sermon for the Second Sunday after Epiphany (Year C)/Lectionary +2C at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Bellevue, WA on January 16, 2022 + Text: John 2:1-11 Audio: I saw a thread online this week asking what people missed the most from before the pandemic. There were a lot of replies, many ranging from going to the …
Into the Muddy Waters
+ A sermon for the Baptism of Our Lord (Year C) at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Bellevue, WA on January 9, 2022 + Text: Isaiah 43:1-7; Luke 3:15-17, 21-22 Audio: It just so happens that five years ago today, I was fortunate enough to visit the traditional site of Jesus’ Baptism. It was my senior year of …
Incarnate Love
+ A sermon for the Second Sunday of Christmas (Year C) at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Bellevue, WA on January 2, 2022 + Text: John 1:1-18 Audio: Ten days ago, on Christmas Eve, Christians around the globe gathered to celebrate the birth of Jesus. We sang beloved carols, we lit candles to the strains of “Silent Night,” …
A Refuge of Welcome
While Mary sings the song the church dreams about, Elizabeth co-creates that song by providing a space, a community where these dreams can be dreamed of, watching for where God is turning the world upside down.
Pastor Paul Eldred 