Friday, February 19, 2010

First the Bad News, then the Good News

The funeral sermon for Bruce White delivered by the Rev. Timothy J. Swenson at Trinity Lutheran Church in Alexander, North Dakota on February 17th, 2010. The texts were 2 Timothy 4:6-7; Psalm 23; John 16:33-34 The bad news: everybody, all mortal things, die; this happens at baptism when we are buried with Christ into a death like his; into the resulting silence God speaks the Good News: "Christ is your life!"

The text for the sermon can be found here:

Tuesday, February 16, 2010

"Listen!" said one; "Look!" said the other

The sermon delivered February 14, 2010 at Wilmington Lutheran Church in Arnegard, North Dakota, on the occasion of the Transfiguration of Our Lord, Cycle C, by Timothy J. Swenson. The proclamation declares the difference between "listen" and "look" as the difference between theologians of the cross and theologies of glory, exposing sinners as "faithless and perverse." The texts are: Exodus 34:29-35 Psalm 99 2 Corinthians 3:12-4:2 Luke 9:28-36 [37-43]


The text of the sermon can be found here:

Monday, February 15, 2010

"Caught and Called Out"
The sermon preached by Timothy J. Swenson on February 7, 2010 at Wilmington Lutheran Church in Arnegard, North Dakota, on the occasion of the 5th Sunday after Epiphany, Cycle C. The sermon preaches the miraculous catch of fish as a "catching out" of sinners so that they are called out of sin by the gift of faith.

Isaiah 6:1-8 (9-13)
Psalm 138
1 Corinthians 15:1-11
Luke 5:1-11

The text of the sermon can be found here:
Beloved Betrayers

The sermon delivered by the Reverend Timothy J. Swenson on January 31, 2010--the 4th Sunday after Epiphany, Cycle C, in Wilmington Lutheran Church, Arnegard, ND. The sermon uses a social science understanding the the "honor/shame" society in Jesus' day to expose the betrayal of Jesus' followers. The texts are:
Jeremiah 1:4-10
Psalm 71:4-10
1 Corinthians 13:1-13
Luke 4:21-30

The text of the sermon can be found here:

Saturday, February 13, 2010

Presence and Promise and Tears in the Eye

This is the sermon that would have been delivered January 24th at Wilmington Lutheran Church in Arnegard--except we had a snow day, no worship. Consequently, this preaching was done during a chapel service at the Good Shepherd Home in Watford City, ND. The texts are the lectionary for RCL 3rd Sunday after Epiphany Nehemiah 8:1-3, 5-6, 8-10 Psalm 19 1 Corinthians 12:12-31a Luke 4:14-21 Timothy J Swenson, preaching

The text for the sermon can be found here:
Held in the Center, Not Pushing the Limits

The sermon preached January 17, 2010 in Wilmington Lutheran Church of Arnegard, North Dakota on the occasion of the Second Sunday after Epiphany and the congregation's annual meeting, by the Reverend Timothy J. Swenson. The lectionary readings were: Isaiah 62:1-5 Psalm 36:5-10 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 John 2:1-11

The sermon's text can be found here: