Sermons

Anfechtungen Spoken Here!

Martin Luther struggled all his life with what he called Anfechtungen, or spiritual trials. During his quest to find a gracious God, he recognized the reality of sin and suffering and human weakness in the world—and he realized that the Bible doesn’t provide instantly transparent answers to life’s most difficult questions. In the end, Luther placed his trust in a God who knows what it means to suffer, a God who we encounter in both the cross and the resurrection of Christ, a God whose purposes are sometimes hidden from us but who we trust is always still with us. This complexity of the Christian life is reflected in the life of Jesus, in the Bible, and in Lutheran preaching.

Luther believed that sermons are at their most efficacious during the original moment of preaching—as an event between Word of God and congregation and preacher and Holy Spirit, situated within the context of communal worship and song and prayer. But sermons also exist as written religious texts, and we trust that a sermon can also be edifying after the preaching event is over, even if simply read silently from a computer screen. Below you will find links to some sermons that Pastor Elizabeth has preached at Augustana.

December 9, 2007 - Advent 2 (Feast of Sankta Lucia)

January 13, 2008 - Epiphany 1 (Baptism of Our Lord)

February 6, 2008 - Ash Wednesday

February 17, 2008 - Lent 2

May 4, 2008 - Easter 7

June 1, 2008 - Pentecost 3

December 7, 2008 - Advent 2

April 8, 2009 - Wednesday of Holy Week

November 8, 2009 - Pentecost 23