Sermons From Upper Dublin Lutheran Church

We trace the wilderness story and confront the urge to prove ourselves through Lenten checklists. We shift from guilt-driven striving to practices that help us remember we are God’s beloved and live from that identity together.

We trace the Transfiguration from stunning vision to practical calling, challenging our urge to build shrines and instead to follow Jesus down the mountain into real need. Baptismal identity, rebuke of evil, and the cross redefine glory as love that serves.

We read Jesus’ call to hidden devotion and reflect on Ash Wednesday’s hard gift: remembering we are dust so we learn how to live. A family loss turns doctrine into practice, revealing that what endures is presence, not applause.

We trace the story of Jesus’ presentation in the temple and ask where light can be found when the world feels dark. Simeon, Anna, and Miep Gies show how ordinary people carry hope that grows from small, faithful acts into a bright, shared flame.

We connect Jesus’ call to be salt and light with Havel’s “power of the powerless,” Chernobyl’s warning about lies, and Isaiah’s demand for justice. We name silence as a tool of harm and outline concrete ways to act with courage, mercy, and truth.

We reflect on John 1 and the simple invitation that shapes a life of faith: come and see. From website edits to unscripted ministry, we trade over-explaining for encounter and discover how attention turns ordinary moments into grace.

We trace the Jordan as a living river of memory and mercy, connect baptism to movement and mission, and reflect on being “rivered” people whose bodies and lives carry God’s promise. Macfarlane’s vision of rivers as relationships reframes faith, vocation, and belonging.

We follow the Magi’s star past Herod’s fear to the deeper why of Epiphany: Jesus revealed as God’s love for all people. Memories of a city’s star invite us to name modern Herods, notice quiet signs of grace, and choose a path of justice and hope.