Claim OwnershipThe Word at Shalom
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Sermons, Bible studies, and other explorations of God’s Word at Shalom Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Alexandria, MN.
251 Episodes
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When Jesus rides into Jerusalem, he doesn’t do it as a leader of an army. He doesn’t come with weapons or armor after the way of the world. He comes rather as a tender-hearted King who weeps over those he has come to save. Why would Jesus save humanity in this way? Why not come in force? Pastor David preaches “The Tender-Hearted King” based on Luke 19:28-44.
This podcast channel will come to a close on April 28, 2025. You can find Pastor David's sermons at shalomlutheran.org/sermons.
Judas is appalled when Mary, Lazarus’s sister, anoints Jesus’s feet with an ointment made of pure nard. He sees the act as simply wasteful. But this anointing points to a radical new thing that God is doing in Christ on our behalf. What is this new thing and why does it matter for our lives? Pastor David preaches “God’s Work, Our Resistance” based on John 12:1-8.
Please note: This podcast channel will come to a close on April 28, 2025. Please go to https://shalomlutheran.org/podcasts/media for downloadable media.
The title we give to the parable traditionally called “the Prodigal Son” says a lot about how we view ourselves in it. Is it really about the younger son, his disrespect toward his father, and his wastefulness? Is it about the gracious father welcoming a wayward son home? Or is it about the lawful elder son, sitting in judgment over his brother and father? What if the parable is not about where we are in it, but about what God is always doing for us in Jesus Christ? Pastor David preaches “Title?” based on Luke 15:1-3, 11b-32.
Please note: This podcast channel will come to a close on April 28, 2025. Please go to https://shalomlutheran.org/podcasts/media for downloadable media.
From pop culture to the household, examples of unfaithfulness abound. It can be difficult to live our everyday lives when trust seems to be at a premium. However, Jesus reveals a different sort of God—one who is faithful even when God’s people are faithless. So, why would God be faithful to a faithless humanity? How does God’s fidelity help us live in an uncertain world? Pastor David preaches “Another Year” based on Isaiah 55:1-9; 1 Corinthians 10:1-13; and Luke 13:1-9.
Please note: This podcast channel will come to a close on April 28, 2025. Please go to https://shalomlutheran.org/podcasts/media for downloadable media.
From pop culture to the household, examples of unfaithfulness abound. It can be difficult to live our everyday lives when trust seems to be at a premium. However, Jesus reveals a different sort of God—one who is faithful even when God’s people are faithless. So, why would God be faithful to a faithless humanity? How does God’s fidelity help us live in an uncertain world? Pastor David preaches “Another Year” based on Isaiah 55:1-9; 1 Corinthians 10:1-13; and Luke 13:1-9.
The Body of Christ has experienced great fractures in the past few decades. However, these fractures are not necessarily on theological fault lines, but on cultural, ideological, and partisan ones. How does the apostle Paul counsel the church at Philippi when they’re experiencing division within their community? How do we keep focused on Christ when so many voices in our culture proclaim other gospels fueled by partisanship? Pastor David preaches, “The Heavenly Citizen”, based on Philippians 3:20-4:7.
The devil’s temptations of Jesus are not unique. They are the original temptations to dominance that have confronted every nation and organization since the beginning of history. What makes these three temptations—bread, dominion, and spectacle—so alluring? What makes Jesus different? And how does Jesus’s resistance point to a new way of being in the world? Pastor David preaches “The Slow Way” based on Luke 4:1-13.
Based on Luke 9:28-36.
Despair in American life is nothing new. From 2005-2019, an average of 70,000 persons per year died deaths of despair (including drug addiction, alcohol overdose, and suicide, among others). For many, it’s hard to see how life has any good. But Jesus gives us a new way of being. How does Jesus not only give us a more joyful way to live, but also attaches a powerful promise to that life? Why is that life so radically different from the life we have now? Pastor David preaches “A Radically New Life” based on 1 Corinthians 15:35-38, 42-50 and Luke 6:27-36.
The miracle of the fish in Luke 5 may sound like a grand fish story, like something you might hear from a goofy uncle. But the true miracle is not the great catch itself, but what happens afterward. How does this catch change Peter's life? How are our lives changed when we encounter Jesus in word and sacrament? And what does his amazing grace empower us to do and be? Pastor David preaches "Fish Story" based on Luke 5:1-11.
When Jesus returned home, the townspeople had expectations of him. They hoped that he would do the same miracles as he had done elsewhere, perhaps more. However, Jesus not only refuses to accede to their expectations of him, he also points out their prejudices. How does Jesus point to a broader good news for everyone? And why do the residents of Nazareth take this inclusivity (mistakenly) as bad news for themselves? What is God’s vision for His beloved community and how can we live into it today? Pastor David preaches “No Favorites”, part of a series called The Beloved Community, based on 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a and Luke 4:14-30.
Jesus’s first sign—turning water into wine—can seem awfully strange on the surface. Why would Jesus address his mother so curtly? Why provide wine for drunk wedding guests? Why not do something that might have a little more impact—say, turning stones into bread for all the hungry children of the world? But if we look deeper and less literally, we see something in this sign at the heart of Jesus’s mission and the mission of the church? What is it? Come hear more this Sunday as Pastor David preaches “Grace Upon Grace” based on John 2:1-11. This is the first in a seven-part sermon series called The Beloved Community.
For fifty-odd years, Jewish captives lived in Babylon. The first generation had mostly died and a new generation had risen. They had been raised on stories of the glory of old Jerusalem, especially its Temple and king. Now, it appeared that God had abandoned them. How does Isaiah assure them of God’s care and love, whatever may happen? And what does it mean that God remembers us when we suffer bad things? Pastor David preaches “Named” based on Isaiah 43:1-7 and Luke 3:21-22.
In the ancient world, children were scarcely seen as persons. They existed for the benefit of their parents, usually their fathers. But twelve-year-old Jesus shows us a revolutionary side of childhood. How does this episode in the Temple continue to fulfill Mary’s song? When Jesus says he is “among [his] Father’s things”, what is he talking about? What are these things and how do they impact our life? Pastor David preaches, “These Are a Few of My Father’s Things” based on Samuel 2:18-20, 26; Colossians 3:12-17; and Luke 2:41-52.
Preaching texts:
Isaiah 9:2-7
Titus 2:11-14
Luke 2:1-20
When Mary visits Elizabeth, she may not have known what kind of greeting she would receive. Indeed, Mary may have had to leave town as news of her pregnancy spread. Would her cousin welcome her? Or condemn her? How does Elizabeth and Mary’s Spirit-given faith give them power to not only face the world’s challenges, but also to give shape to God’s future? And how can our faith give shape to the world? Pastor David preaches “Unknown Power” based on Luke 1:39-55.
With all the stress in our lives, we can be tempted to tune out the world, self-medicating with behaviors, substances, or food. However, this ultimately does not lead to greater health for ourselves or our communities. How does Jesus address his disciples in his own historical time? Why remain alert, as he says, for his return when it hasn’t happened in its fullness? Pastor David preaches “A Calm Watchfulness” based on Luke 21:25-36.
Jesus's trial before Pilate is more than a mere courtroom scene. It is the portrayal of two realms, one false and one true. Pilate's false realm is that of empire, steered by fear, domination, and exploitation. Jesus is both herald and ruler of a new realm, governed by values of mercy, forgiveness, truth, and love, all of which are foreign to Rome. What does it mean to live in Jesus's realm when we also have a foot in that of empire? How does Jesus free us from the values of empire to live according to the values of his reign? And why are we often so frightened to live according to Jesus's way? Pastor David preaches "Empire's End" based on Daniel 7 and John 18:33-37.
When Jesus prophesies the Temple’s destruction to an awestruck disciple, his words must have landed like a ton of bricks. The Temple was not just the central worship place in 1st century Judaism; it was the center of Jewish identity. The end of the Temple would have portended the end of the world. However, Jesus isn’t so much speaking about an ending as he is about a new beginning. What kind of beginning is Jesus talking about? And how can we take courage when we go through frightening times? Pastor David preaches “Something New Is Coming!” based on Mark 13:18.
When Elijah happens upon a destitute foreign widow during a famine, he makes an audacious (and possibly offensive) request that she feed him before she feeds herself and her son. Yet, something within her moves her to do so, trusting his promise that the oil and flour will last. Why does she take such a leap of faith? How can we trust God when all we might see is scarcity? And how can we as church together take such leaps for the good of our neighbors? Pastor David preaches “A Leap of Faith” based on 1 Kings 17:8-16.
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