Rev. Michael Holmen's Sermons

Informações:

Synopsis

Sermons preached at Peace Lutheran Church, Oelwein, IA and Our Redeemer Lutheran Church, Independence, IA. This is a dual parish of The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod. We use the one year, historic lectionary.

Episodes

  • 230514 Sermon on better understanding how spiritual things work (Easter 6) May 14, 2023

    16/05/2023

     Audio recordingSermon manuscript:Being able to understand how things work is one of the special privileges of being a human being. We have been created differently. We have been created in the image of God. We understand lots of things. And it is not just we who are living who have understood how things work. Generations before us have understood how things work too. For hundreds of years people have been writing down what they have learned about how things work. Each generation teaches the next. We’ve built up a vast amount of knowledge about how things work. Understanding the truth about how things work has always proven to be a great blessing. If you have a job, no matter what job that might be, you’ve probably been taught how best to do things, and that is usually based on how things work. Farmers have learned how plants and animals work. Doctors have been taught how the body works. Mechanics have been taught how engines work. It is very beneficial to know how things work, and then to act accord

  • 230430 What is an abundant life? (Easter 4) April 30, 2023

    30/04/2023

     Audio recordingSermon manuscript:Jesus said, “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” What is an abundant life? This is a big question. What is an abundant life immediately brings up other questions: What is life for? How should we live our lives? Big questions like these have been asked and answered in countless ways. Philosophy and religion are two enormous fields of study that work with questions like these. Countless lifetimes could be spent reading the books that have been written to answer the questions of what life is for, how we should live it, what is an abundant life? Jesus, though, seems to be quite certain despite all the books. You heard what he said: “I came that they may have life and have it abundantly.” Jesus knows what life is. He knows how it is to be had abundantly. He is talking about these things when he says, for example, in our reading: “Truly, truly, I say to you, I am the door of the sheep… if anyone enters by me, he will be saved and will go in and out and f

  • 230416 Sermon on John 20:19-23 (Easter 2) April 16, 2023

    16/04/2023

     Audio RecordingSermon manuscript:Jesus said to them again, “Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, even so I am sending you.” And when he had said this, he breathed on the disciples and said to them, “Receive the Holy Spirit. If you forgive the sins of anyone, they are forgiven; if you withhold forgiveness from anyone, it is withheld.” These words were spoken on the evening of Easter day. In the morning the women had found the tomb empty. The angels told them that Jesus was not there because he had risen from the dead. Our reading tells us what happened the evening of Easter day. The disciples were gathered together in an upper room with the doors locked. Jesus appeared before them and spoke with them as you have heard. The words that Jesus speaks are extremely important for us Christians. There are two things that are shown to us by his words. First, his words show us the meaning of what Jesus has accomplished during Holy Week. Second, his words show us what the Christian Church is for, and wh

  • 230408 Sermon for Easter Vigil (John 3:16ff) April 8, 2023

    09/04/2023

     Audio recordingSermon manuscript:Tonight I would like to speak briefly using just one of the many themes found in this Easter Vigil service. We have heard many times tonight that Jesus is the light who lightens the darkness. I’d like read some Scripture. You will no doubt be familiar with a portion of it. Our reading begins with John 3:16: Jesus said: For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. Then, a couple verses later: And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil. For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed. But whoever does what is true comes to the light, so that it may be clearly seen that his works have been carried out in God. Maybe you remember when you were a kid that sometimes you wanted to do things that you knew you weren’t supposed to

  • 230407 Sermon for Good Friday April 7, 2023

    08/04/2023

     Audio recordingSermon manuscript:King David prays to God in Psalm 38 like this: O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger,     nor discipline me in your wrath! For your arrows have sunk into me,     and your hand has come down on me. There is no soundness in my flesh     because of your indignation; there is no health in my bones     because of my sin. What you have just heard King David say in Psalm 38 is uncommon. He is afraid of God: “O Lord, rebuke me not in your anger, nor discipline me in your wrath!” This is uncommon because we do not like being afraid. We do not like being afraid of being caught when we’ve done wrong. We do not like being afraid of punishment. If your secrets and my secrets were revealed, who could cover our shame? As it turns out, though, the Bible says that this will happen. In the book of Revelation it says this about the last day: “Then the kings of the earth, the princes, the generals, the rich, the mighty, and

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