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Philippians 2:5-11

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

Today is a strange and peculiar day. It reminds me of a film clip that I am sure many of you have seen. It was November 22, 1963, in DeelePlaza, Dallas, Texas, just outside the Texas Book Depository. There was a parade. In that parade was the limousine with Jackie wearing her famous pink dress and pink pillbox hat. And there was her husband, JFK, waving to the cheering crowds. As we watch them go ...

2. A Bloody Sacrifice

Hebrews 10:16-25

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

It is a sad commentary on the state of our world that we are far too familiar with those who have shed their blood ... for noble and ignoble causes. The media has been reminding us of the bloody sacrifice that thousands of our soldiers have made in the war in Iraq. Our country is still bitterly divided over whether that sacrifice has been worth it or not. The last two summers I have had the privi...

3. A Glimpse of Glory

Revelation 21:10-22 - 22:5

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

(Sing the first verse and chorus of "The Battle Hymn Of The Republic.") Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord; He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored; He has loosed the fateful lightning of his terrible swift sword; His truth is marching on. Glory, glory! Hallelujah! Glory, glory! Hallelujah! Glory, glory! Hallelujah! His truth is marching on.1 Ev...

4. A New Point of View

2 Corinthians 5:16-21

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

In 2000, Mel Gibson appeared in the comedy, What Women Want. The film was fairly successful at the box office because it built on a fantasy that I think all of us have indulged in at one time or another. He plays an executive who works at an advertising agency in Chicago. His life dramatically changes when he is jolted by electricity and develops the ability to read women's minds. It leads to some...

5. All in God’s Time

Revelation 22:12-14, 16-17, 20-21

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

"Why do bad things happen to good people?" is the way we say it today. That surely must have been a question on the hearts and minds of those first-century Christians as they suffered under the brutal persecution of the Roman empire. It is a question that surely was on the hearts and minds to whom John had written this extraordinary piece of literature we call the book of Revelation. Many of them...

6. Baptism And Self-Esteem

Mark 12:28-34

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

Every once in awhile I am surprised by a film which offers a message that I never expected. When I checked out Brubaker, an old Robert Redford film from the late '70s, from my local video store I expected some romantic adventure from one of Hollywood's biggest stars. That's not at all what I got. Instead I saw a wonderful and thought-provoking portrayal of human nature. Brubaker turned out to be ...

7. Boast in Our Suffering

Romans 5:1-8

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

The phone rings in the middle of the night. There is only one reason why someone would call you at this time of the night, and it can't be good. The deadpan voice of the police officer tells you the horrible news rather matter-of-factly. Your imagination runs wild. You were not there, but you can hear the tires screeching, the metal smashing, the glass breaking, and the sirens whining. It was not ...

8. Breaking The Tabboo

Mark 12:41-44

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

"Taboo." It's a strange, mysterious, ancient-sounding word that we don't use much any more in our modern, scientifically enlightened world. A taboo is something that is forbidden. A taboo is a prohibition. It is usually associated with something sacred and mysterious. Something that is taboo is set aside, never to be touched and desecrated by human hands. We are usually afraid of the taboo. We are...

9. But…!

1 Corinthians 15:19-26

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

I think anyone who has tried to teach a class or make a presentation to a group has experienced something like this. You have a perfectly planned lesson. You have your presentation all worked out. Then as you begin, there is always this one student, this one participant, this one character in the audience who interrupts you and begs to differ with what you have to say. "But pastor, what about thi...

10. Captive Free!

Romans 7:15-25a

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

Have you ever felt "trapped between a rock and a hard place"? Have you ever experienced what we sometimes call "double jeopardy," where regardless of what you choose to do, you are "damned if you do and damned if you don't"? Perhaps you have seen a classic example of "double jeopardy." Someone is trapped high up in a burning building. They can't go back into the building because of the fire. But t...

11. Children of the Heavenly Father

Romans 8:12-25

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

Some consider it a secret. Others consider it almost a badge of honor. Some don't want to talk about it. Others almost seem to want to brag about it. What is it? It is "adoption." Some children won't find out that they are not being raised by their biological parents but by their adoptive parents until they are in middle school or even later. Other children are aware of their adopted status from t...

12. Cracking the Code

Revelation 1:4-8

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

Have you ever seen one of those prison break movies? They all seem to follow a formula. You are introduced to the hero. You learn his name. He has been unfairly incarcerated. He is depressed and dejected. He believes that there is no way out from his life behind bars. Until one day a secret is revealed to him. It changes his life. There is a secret, hidden group of prisoners that is planning an e...

13. Did God Really Say...?

Romans 10:8-13

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

Today is "Temptation Sunday." Every year on the first Sunday in Lent we focus our attention on the story of the temptation of Jesus. It is a story that has captured the imagination of Christians for centuries. They have sought to portray in art what it must have been like for Jesus to have been tempted by the devil. The picture on your sermon outline this morning portraying this ugly, grotesque, d...

14. Do You See What I See?

Mark 10:46-52

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

There is a gentle and quaint Christmas carol in which the shepherds of Bethlehem point out to everyone they meet on their way the marvel they have seen in the manger. "Do you see what I see?" they ask all those gathered in Bethlehem. According to this Christmas carol, this birth, which had taken place under the most plain and ordinary of circumstances, would surely have been overlooked were it not...

15. Enemies of the Cross

Philippians 3:17 - 4:1

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

Whenever I lead an inquiry class for those who want to learn more about my congregation and the faith we confess, I try to keep things very simple and boiled down to the basics. I call it an inquiry class because by exploring their questions I hope to help them to see what is at the heart and core of the Christian faith. What is that heart and core? It is revealed by a shocking answer to a simple...

16. Fido’s Dilemma

Romans 6:1-11

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

Fido is in the dirt gnawing on a bone. It is dry, brittle, depleted of marrow and moisture. It is dead and useless except for stimulating the gums of Fido and giving his jaws some exercise. You approach Fido with your hands behind your back. Fido eyes you and is suspicious. You speak kindly to your canine friend. He wags his tail. He smiles his doggy smile keeping his paw firmly planted on the bon...

17. Freedom and Slavery

Romans 6:15-23

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

Freedom is the defining value of American culture. The Declaration of Independence was signed on July 4, 1776, and the Revolutionary War was fought against England for the sake of freedom. The bloodiest and costliest war in our nation's history, the Civil War, was fought largely for the sake of the freedom of slaves. Our modern society has seen a proliferation of "rights" and, if you violate one o...

18. Getting Off the Merry-Go-Round

Romans 8:1-11

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

Have you ever been stuck on a playground merry-go-round? You know how it goes. You start slow, pushing with your feet to gain more speed until you are running. Then you finally jump on to the spinning merry-go-round holding on for dear life. That is when you find yourself stuck. On the one hand, the centrifugal force of the spinning merry-go-round threatens to throw you off. On the other hand, you...

19. Hard and Soft Hearts

Mark 10:2-16

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

Probably one of the most frustrating responsibilities I have as a parish pastor is officiating at weddings. I would rather do a funeral than perform a wedding. It's not because I am filled with a great sense of morbidity. It's not that I delight in other people's suffering. Rather, it has to do with how receptive people are to ministry. At the time of death, people are much more receptive to facin...

20. Having The Last Word

John 18:28-40

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

Some have called it "The Worship Wars," In the past the church has always been involved in its share of conflicts. Some might even call them wars. There have been battles over slavery, over the role of women, and even over the Bible. Today many congregations and even denominations find themselves caught up in a war over styles of worship. Many criticize the church for being out of touch with moder...

21. Heaven on Earth

Revelation 21:1-6

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

Many years ago when I was going to prep school in Milwaukee, the students loved to walk past a nearby factory from which often emanated some simply wonderful smells. The factory made a product whose name seemed to perfectly fit the heavenly aromas that would occasionally fill the atmosphere of the neighborhood. The factory made Ambrosia Chocolate! For a chocolate lover like myself, there could be ...

22. In Spite of Evidence to the Contrary

Romans 4:13-25

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

The scriptures talk about "faith" in many different ways. One of my favorites is the letter to the Hebrews (11:1) where "faith" is described as "the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." A similar notion of "faith" is utilized by Saint Paul in today's second reading from Romans (4:18). Paul calls it "hoping against hope." Or as I would like to paraphrase it, "in spite ...

23. It’s a Good Thing He’s Gone!

Ephesians 1:15-23, Acts 1:1-11

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

Today I want you to participate in the proclamation of today's message. Perhaps it will help you to remember the spectacular event and its significance that we are commemorating today. Today is perhaps the most misunderstood and forgotten holiday of the entire Christian church year. Today, forty days after the resurrection of Jesus, the church for millennia has commemorated the ascension of Jesus...

24. Meal of Death

1 Corinthians 11:23-26

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

There it is. No one can enter this sanctuary without noticing it. Because of the events we remember tonight, the night that our Lord was betrayed, this object is so central to our worship. What is it? Is it an altar? Or is it a table? I am not just nitpicking. What we call it probably reflects our understanding of what goes on there when Christians gather around it. There are dramatically differe...

25. Mine Eyes Have Seen The Glory!

John 11:17-37

Sermon

Steven E. Albertin

Mine eyes have seen the glory of the coming of the Lord; He is trampling out the vintage where the grapes of wrath are stored; He has loosed the fateful lightning of his terrible swift sword: His truth is marching on.Glory, glory! Hallelujah! Glory, glory! Hallelujah!Glory, glory! Hallelujah! Every time I hear these words of the "Battle Hymn of the Republic," I have visions of some old Civil War ...

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