+ A sermon for the Second Sunday of Advent (Year A) at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Bellevue, WA on December 8, 2019 + Text: Isaiah 11:1-10; Matthew 3:1-12 Audio: LINK There seems to be an eternal debate that is waged this time of year: what is the appropriate seasonal greeting? Some howl at the use of …
Category: Sermons
King Jesus
+ A sermon for Reign of Christ Sunday (Year C) at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Bellevue, WA on November 24, 2019 + Text: Jeremiah 23:1-6; Colossians 1:11-20; Luke 23:33-43 Audio: LINK “The people look to a monarchy for something bigger than themselves. An inspiration. A higher ideal.”[1] Those are words from the character of Queen Elizabeth …
Ordinary Saints
+ A sermon for All Saints Sunday at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Bellevue, WA on November 3, 2019 + Text: Luke 6:20-31 Audio: LINK What does success look like to you? How can you tell that someone is successful? For so much of my life I have been told implicitly or explicitly that success is defined in …
The Days Are Surely Coming
+ A sermon for Reformation Sunday at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Bellevue, WA on October 27, 2019 + Text: Jeremiah 31:31-34; Romans 3:19-28; John 8:31-36 Audio: LINK “The days are surely coming, says the Lord, when I will make a new covenant” with my people. These words from the Prophet Jeremiah were written to a people whose …
Lives of Gratitude
+ A sermon for Pentecost +18C/Lectionary 28C at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Bellevue, WA on October 13, 2019 + Text: 2 Kings 5:1-15c; Luke 17:11-19 Audio: LINK When I was growing up, my mom worked hard to instill a practice into my life: the art of the thank you note. Whenever I got gifts or presents from my …
Potent Faithfulness
+ A sermon for Pentecost +17C/Lectionary 27C at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Bellevue, WA on October 6, 2019 + Text: Habakkuk 1:1-4,2:1-4; Luke 17:1-10 Audio: LINK For decades now, scientists and activists have been sounding the alarm. As far back as 1992, scientists issued a “Warning to Humanity”. I’ve been hearing these warnings my entire life. But due …
Angels and Demons
+ A sermon for the Feast of Michael and All Angels at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Bellevue, WA on September 29, 2019 + Text: Daniel 10:10-14, 12:1-3; Revelation 12:7-12; Luke 10:17-20 Audio: LINK While I was traveling in England a few weeks ago, it was pointed out to me how many parish churches are named after St. …
Lost and Found
+ A sermon for Pentecost +15C/Lectionary 24C[1] at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Bellevue, WA on September 15, 2019 + Text: Luke 15:1-10 Audio: LINK When I go on vacation, the last thing I want to do is look like a tourist. I never want to be that guy standing on the sidewalk gawking at the city …
Foolishness
+ A sermon for Holy Cross Sunday at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Bellevue, WA on September 15, 2019 + Text: 1 Corinthians 1:18-24 Audio: LINK They’re all around us. It would be hard to count them if we tried. We wear them around our necks, we see them on our bulletins and hymnals, we display them …
Division
+ A sermon for Pentecost +10C/Lectionary 20C at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, Bellevue, WA on August 18, 2019 + Texts: Hebrews 11:29-12:2; Luke 12:49-56 Audio: LINK Later this week, Ryan and I will leave for vacation. We’ve been planning this trip for months and we’re really excited about it. But I tell ya, when I looked …
Pastor Paul Eldred 