Cornerstone Lutheran Church Carmel Sermons: Recent Episodes
Cornerstone Lutheran Church
Listen to weekly sermons from Cornerstone Lutheran Church Carmel.
Cornerstone Lutheran Church is a multisite congregation in Central Indiana with worship sites in Carmel, Fishers, and the Fletcher Place neighborhood in Downtown Indianapolis. Our mission is to reach out, care for, and build people towards maturity in Christ. For more information, please visit us at http://www.CornerstoneLutheran.church or on Facebook at @CornerstoneFishers.
Satan, the world, and our own sinful flesh are bent on leading us astray. Their intent is to have us believe all sorts of lies about the God who created us and to thereby separate us eternally from him. But the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ...
As our Good Shepherd, Jesus showed how great the Father’s love for us is and how we are to model that love in our daily lives. This includes putting aside petty differences and avoiding jealousies that create division in interactions with others...
Even as Easter people, our sinful human nature still leads to brokenness and separation in our relationships with God and with one another. Our heavenly Father, in his overwhelming love for his children shown ultimately on the cross, restores those...
Our joyous celebration of the Resurrection continues! As we ponder this miraculous turning point in human history, we witness God’s power even in our own lives. Christ is risen among us and assures us of his Spirit and his peace.
As Easter people...
“Alleluia! Christ is risen. He is risen indeed. Alleluia!” That Easter greeting, proclaimed throughout the ages of the Church, takes root in our hearts so that we understand that the resurrected life is now our own. Jesus has wiped away all fears, all...
At the heart of the Good Friday liturgy is the passion according to John, which proclaims Jesus as a triumphant king who reigns from the cross. The ancient title for this day—The Triumph of the Cross—reminds us that the Church gathers not to mourn...
This is the last weekend in Lent and the beginning of Holy Week. With Christians around the world we begin the liturgy remembering Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, and we join in the exuberant praise that the Church has echoed through the...
God promises the prophet Jeremiah that a “new covenant” will be made: a covenant that will allow all the people to know God by heart. The Church sees this promised fulfilled in Christ, who draws all people to himself when he is lifted up on the cross...
As we learn from all the Scripture readings today, those who look up to the bronze serpent/the Cross are saved. When we received the sign of that cross in baptism, that cross became the sign we can look up to in faith, for healing, for restored...
In today's Gospel reading Jesus vehemently exposes the sinful intent of the moneychangers in the temple. God's Law has a way of doing that-boldly showing us our sinful lives for what they really are. But the Cross of Christ bestows both the...
The season of Lent allows us to put a laser focus on the source of our hope-the Cross. The Cross tells us everything we need to know about the character of God and his presence in our lives. It is central to our life as a Christian, our faith, and our...
"And lead us not into temptation", Jesus taught us to pray. Martin Luther reminds us that in the Lord's Prayer "we ask that God would guard us against the devil, the world, and our sinful nature." So confident is Satan in his...
Sometimes, like for Abraham, the God of clear promises becomes a God who is hard to understand. We even find ourselves struggling with God's will. Abraham agonized over the command to offer up Isaac as a sacrifice. Just as the Lord provided the...
In this week's Gospel reading there are more stories of Jesus healing the sick, including Peter's mother-in-law. In an odd twist it's the demons who recognize who Jesus truly is. But Jesus will not let them speak. He is following a...
In this week's Gospel reading there are more stories of Jesus healing the sick, including Peter's mother-in-law. In an odd twist it's the demons who recognize who Jesus truly is. But Jesus will not let them speak. He is following a...
In Deuteronomy God promises to raise up a prophet like Moses, who will speak powerfully for God; in Psalm 111 God shows the people the power of his works. For the Church these are ways of pointing to the unique authority people sensed in Jesus...
In this weekend’s Gospel reading, we hear more stories of Jesus calling his disciples. What a strong, attracting message he had—calling people to a life, not of riches nor fame, but rather one of service. It is that same calling into which we have...
“Come and see!” Philip excitedly told Nathaniel after meeting Jesus. “Encounter the Christ for yourself!” Do you think you know Jesus? Come and listen these weeks of the Epiphany season as He is revealed to us once again. You may be surprised!
The word “epiphany” means “the sudden manifestation of the true essence of something.” During the weekends of this Epiphany season, the real Jesus is revealed in a variety of subtle ways. Today the visit of the Three Wise Men shows how remarkably...
New Year’s Eve & Day help us to remember God’s presence throughout our lives. While another year has passed, and we look forward to the coming of the year 2018, we recognize that in both our joys and in our sorrows, God has been, and will continue...
“Today…(a gift has been given to you)…a Savior…he is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:11) In this season of gift giving we praise our God for his gifts of grace, and we grace one another with gifts small and lavish, heartfelt and fun. When we do...
The readings today all emanate a message of pure and eternal joy—deeply resonating feelings which fill our hearts and minds as we once again contemplate how God came to dwell among us in the person of Jesus Christ.
As we get closer to our celebration of Christmas, we sometimes lose sight of our Christmas preparations are all about and stress levels begin rising. Today, John the Baptism calls us back to the season of Advent with the words, “Repent, for the...
“Stir up your power and come!” We hear that plea in much of the Scripture for this day. We’re starting a new sermon series—"Advent Encounters”. In today’s message we recall one of the striking images of the book of Revelation, that of the new...
On this final weekend of the Church Year our Gospel reading is Jesus’ great story of judgment. In the end, the faithful are those who served Christ by ministering to those who are poor, hungry, naked, sick, or estranged. In the first reading God is...
As the church year begins to come to a close, we remember that Jesus is not only in our midst when we gather for worship, he is also coming again. In the mean time, we remain faithful, being watchful and joyfully, generously responding to his great...
As the church year begins to come to a close, we remember that Jesus is not only in our midst when we gather for worship, he is also coming again. In the mean time, we remain faithful, being watchful and joyfully, generously responding to his great...
“Therefore with angels and archangels and with all the company of heaven we laud and magnify your glorious name…” It is at that point in each communion service where we most identify ourselves in that long continuum of all the saints who ever were and...
The Reformation brought profound change to the institutional church. Simply stated, it restored the Gospel of Jesus Christ to its pre-eminent place. Then as now, this Gospel changes more than an institution, it changes people. We are transformed by...
We praise God for the mission we have to reach out with the Gospel of our Savior, Jesus Christ. Like the Thessalonians, we welcome the message of the Gospel with joy so that we are known for our faith in Christ and our outreach to others.
“As our heavenly Father has in Christ freely come to our aid, we also ought freely to help our neighbor through our body and its works, and each one should become as it were a Christ to the other that we may be Christs to one another and Christ may be...
Vine branches grow; we see it all around us. And at a certain point, they begin to bear fruit. That’s the way of life. In our spiritual lives, God also expects us to grow, to mature in faith nourished by his Word and sacraments…and to bear fruit...
The Reformation 500 years ago had a major impact on the world and the church. What a privilege to know that God has forgiven us because of Jesus! He has given his people this promise and the gift of sharing that message to the world. The office of the...
Today, we consider the third of the three “solas” of the Reformation—that we are saved by grace alone, through faith alone, as found in Scripture Alone. God’s Word shows us our sins and leads us to the grace of God in Christ Jesus our Savior. Not only...
We are saved by faith alone. And by our faith in Jesus, God has accepted us. What a wonderful gift this is! We can trust in our God to lead and guide us in all things while our lives tell the story of our faith to others. We can have confidence to...
Conflict is a part of family relationships and common also in community life. That is the reality addressed in today’s Scripture readings. The prophet Ezekiel calls us to be watchmen—warning those who persist in sin because God wants all to repent and...
The Scripture readings today all remind us that, even when life presses down on us—at home, in relationships, at work, or while driving through construction—the Lord is there with his good Word, lifting us up and sustaining us to “bear our own crosses.”
We live in a world surrounded by so many voices that seek to drown out the life-saving word of Almighty God. As we worship today, may we be reminded anew of the blessings that are ours through faith in Jesus as our Savior, and may we keep our eyes...
Today’s readings remind us of a great paradox—although Jesus is our personal savior and friend, always close at hand, he is also the promised Christ, the Redeemer of the entire world, all humankind. “God wants all to be saved and to come to the...
So many forces within and without want to diminish our faith in Christ Jesus and the role that faith should play in our daily lives. Today’s readings again remind us of how God creates faith in us and then strengthens that faith through his Word and...
As God’s people gather together as the Church, we come with the expectation of meeting Jesus. He has promised to bless us with his presence in Word and Sacrament. In this meeting we encounter blessings Greater than we can ever imagine!
Our summer sermon series—Reformation Truths for Today—comes to a conclusion as we consider with Martin Luther a great paradox. Even after our baptism, we are totally sinful human beings (because of fallen nature) and yet totally righteous before God...
It’s difficult for us to imagine now, but the world at the time of the Reformation was much different. The papacy wielded great power in the secular world and other earthly powers ruled matters of the Church. Martin Luther brought back the idea that...
Our summer sermon series—Reformation Truths for Today—continues. A teaching of Martin Luther that has had far-reaching historical effect is his teaching on vocation. Luther taught that all Christians have callings or vocations, and that all callings...
Among the many changes which came with the Reformation was Martin Luther breaking down the wall between the clergy and laity, between the “spiritual” and “secular” classes. From Holy Scripture he argued that all of us, by our baptism into Christ...
Our summer sermon series, “Reformation Truths for Today”, continues with our understanding of the work of the Holy Spirit as he “calls, gathers, enlightens, and sanctifies” us and the whole Christian Church on earth. What a fascinating mystery of...
2017 marks the 500th anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation. Christians around the world, including Roman Catholics, Protestants, Orthodox, Reformed, and Evangelicals are finding ways to celebrate this special occasion. At CLC we’re taking these...
2017 marks the 500th anniversary of the Lutheran Reformation. Christians around the world, including Roman Catholics, Protestants, Orthodox, Reformed, and Evangelicals are finding ways to celebrate this special occasion. At CLC we’re taking these...
On Pentecost our Lord sent the promised Spirit to lead us into all truth. Most basic and central to the Christian truth is the affirmation of one God who reveals himself to us in the three persons of the Trinity—the Father, the Son, and the Holy...
On Pentecost we celebrate God unleashing his Spirit, igniting the growth of the Church through the proclamation of disciples into every known region of the world. So also today Christ’s Church continues to expand and spread as his followers share with...
On this last weekend of The Great Fifty Days of Easter, we begin by joining the nation in remembering and giving thanks for all who have given their lives in defense of our country. Then we turn our attention to our Lord’s ascension and his promise to...
Next weekend we will celebrate The Ascension of Our Lord—the end of Jesus’ earthly life and his return to his heavenly kingdom. To “celebrate” is to “remember.” This weekend, in anticipation, we consider the arc of our own Christian life—created by...
The literal Hebrew meaning of the word “blessed” is “to be in the right place”. On this fifth weekend in the “Great Fifty Days of Easter”, Jesus assures us of a final resting place he has prepared for us in the presence of his Father. Today, with the...
Today is often called “Good Shepherd Sunday.” In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus refers to himself as the “gate” for the sheep. The risen Christ reveals the way to abundant life. He anoints our heads with oil and guides us beside the still waters of our...
We are Easter people… and “alleluia” is our song. The church invests itself in the Easter mystery for seven weeks from Easter to Pentecost—50 days that are filled with remembrance and praise of the risen Christ. This weekend we celebrate the mystery...
Our joyous celebration of the Resurrection continues! As we ponder this miraculous turning point in human history, we witness God’s power even in our own lives. Christ is risen among us and assures us of his Spirit and his peace.
“We are Easter people, and Alleluia is our song.”
The quote, attributed to St. Augustine from the 5th century, has rung through Christendom ever since. Alleluia is the church’s victory cheer in praise of the risen Christ. We sing and pray and...
Through the body and blood of Jesus offered on the cross, God is reconciling the world to himself. This body and blood are freely offered to us in the meal of the new covenant. No longer is the blood of animals a necessary sacrifice for sin. Jesus has...
This is the last weekend in Lent and the beginning of Holy Week. With Christians around the world we begin the liturgy remembering Jesus’ triumphal entry into Jerusalem, and we join in the exuberant praise that the Church has echoed through the...
In today’s Gospel reading Jesus reveals his power over death by raising Lazarus from the dead. The prophet Ezekiel prophesies God breathing new life into dry bones. To those in exile or living in the shadows of death, these stories proclaim God’s...
As you approached the sanctuary, you might have noticed a banner with a cross to the left of the doors. Underneath the cross is the Alleluia banner, which we removed from the liturgy on Ash Wednesday. This weekend we are halfway through the Lenten...
"For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps." (1 Peter 2:21)
Two quotes from Holy Scriptures draw us into today’s service—King David: “O Lord, you have searched me and you know me.” (Psalm 139:23) The woman at the well: “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did! Could this be the Christ?” (John 4:29)
Jesus said, “Truly, truly, I say to you if anyone keeps my word, he will never see death.” (John 8:51)
“Even though death consumes us, we yet shall not feel its sharp fangs, for Christ’s Word is our armor that supplies us with a confident life and...
Jesus prophesied that before the End of All Things, “The love of most will grow cold.” Only the love of Jesus can turn calloused and indifferent hearts into hearts of love. Believers are called to excel in love. We love—family, friends, neighbors and...
“And lead us not into temptation”, Jesus taught us to pray. Luther reminds us that in the Lord’s Prayer “we ask that God would guard us against the devil, the world, and our sinful nature.” So confident is Satan in his own power that he confronts even...
Just days ago we experienced the transfigured Christ, shining in all his glory. Like his disciples we would prefer lingering in mountaintop experiences. But our Savior leads us down from the mountain to the valleys where we encounter the trials, the...
Today’s festival is a bridge as the Advent-Christmas-Epiphany cycle comes to a close and the Lent-Easter cycle is about to begin. On the mount of transfiguration Jesus is revealed as God’s beloved Son, echoing the words heard at his baptism. What a...
God's Word calls us to holiness, but our human attempts to love both our neighbors and our enemies fall short of what God desires for us. In baptism, however, we are made holy and called to follow Jesus, loving as we have been loved. Paul's...
In today's reading from Deuteronomy 30:15-20, we are called to choose life by loving and obeying God. Much of today's Gospel reading echoes portions of the Ten Commandments. Jesus' instructions to the crowd reveal a pattern of behavior...
The light of Christ shines in and through his people. The world sees Jesus through the lens of his church. Here in this place, we bask in the light of Christ. Outside these walls, we shine for him. Word and sacrament shape, nurture, and equip us to be...
Who are the blessed ones of God? For the prophet Micah, they are those who do justice, love kindness, and walk humbly with God. For St. Paul, they are the ones who “put on the new self, created to be like God in true righteousness and holiness.” For...
Jesus began his public ministry by calling fishermen to leave their nets and follow him. In Jesus the kingdom of God has come near to us. We who have walked in darkness have seen a great light. We see this light most profoundly in the cross—as God...
Baptism is always the beginning of a new story. It was for Jesus; it is for us. It should not surprise us that the Author of Life, in his great love for us, provides in water and his Word a gift, a divine means for renewing each day of our life as his...
Throughout the season of Epiphany the divine nature of Jesus is revealed in different ways. Today we see him as a light shining in the darkness, a light prophesied from long ago. Through our baptism into Christ we are called to be children of that...
New Year’s Eve & Day help us to remember God’s presence throughout our lives. While another year has passed, and we look forward to the coming of the year 2017, we recognize that in both our joys and in our sorrows, God has been, and will continue...
This morning we gather to celebrate the profound mystery of the incarnation of our Lord Jesus Christ—the Word made flesh—from whose manger shines forth God’s grace in all its splendor and whom the shepherds rejoiced to behold.
On this holy night God stepped out of heaven to become a child, to dwell with us, to enjoin the cosmic battle that would defeat the powers of darkness and death, and to remove the burden of our sin. This momentous night is not just for sentimental...
On this final week of Advent, we are reminded that we are not alone, for God is with us. God’s messenger to both Ahaz in the Old Testament lesson and to Joseph in the Gospel uses the word Emmanuel to promise the presence of God. In all circumstances...
Advent is more than a four-week baby shower. We look forward to opening the “Gift” of the Infant King, and in these four weeks before Christmas, as the clock ticks down, the church prepares itself to meet its King with words and acts of repentance...
At the heart of our Advent preparation stands John the Baptist, who calls us to repent and make a new beginning. As the darkness increases, we turn toward the light of Christ’s coming. That light shines in and through the people of God. From the...
The new church year begins with a wake-up call: Christ is coming soon! In today’s readings both Paul and Jesus challenge us to wake from sleep, for we know neither the day nor hour of the Lord’s coming. Isaiah proclaims the day when God will gather...
By virtue of our baptism into his name, our Lord Jesus Christ rules in our hearts and in our lives. King of all creation, Lord of the Church, Alpha and Omega, he again invites and welcomes us into his embrace. As grateful and loyal subjects of our...
In today’s Gospel reading, Jesus offers signs of the end time—wars, famine, fearful events, and… opportunities for witness. The baptized know how to live in the “meantimes”. The baptized are strengthened for the living of these days in Word and...
Being about The Lord’s Business calls for us to look and listen—to have eyes and ears that are OPEN to the needs of the people around us who struggle with consequences of living in a fallen and broken world. This has and always will be the business of...
Reformation Day calls to remembrance the centrality of Jesus for the church. In Jesus alone, we have the grace, faith, and word that rescue us from sin, death, and the devil. In Jesus alone, the church is united. As we look forward to all that God...
Hearts touched by the love of Jesus are compelled to reach out to others. The world comes to know our Lord by the compassion and generosity shown by the Christian community. God calls and equips his people to be agents of his love and peace here on...
Love… it’s an easy word to say and a tough thing to do. Following Jesus means going to the foot of the cross to be schooled in the complex nature of love. You can’t just love God; you also have to love your neighbor. You can’t just love your neighbor...
“To know them is to love them.” So we speak of people who are near and dear to our hearts. The same is true of our relationship with God. As the Holy Spirit leads us to know better God’s love in Jesus, our love for him grows deeper. Expression of that...
Scripture understands the Word of God to be more than just ink on paper. Jesus is God’s ultimate Word to us. We come to know God when we know his Son, the Christ, and we meet Jesus in the Bible. In both the Old and New Testaments we find our Lord...
The Bible says that we are to pray constantly. But what about when we don’t have the words, when we don’t know what to say? In his gracious way, God the Holy Spirit stands in for us. He offers the thoughts of our hearts and the words we would say...
“Jesus replied, ‘This is the kind of demon that can be driven out only by prayer.’” (Mark 9:29) Although Satan gets little attention today in our secular world and even in the church, he remains real, constantly looking for ways to use our weakness...
When we speak to God “with all boldness and confidence, we may ask him as dear children ask their dear father.” (Luther’s Small Catechism) But for what do we ask? And what does our asking show about our priorities in faith and life? Believers seek in...
Almighty God invites us to speak to him in prayer. He welcomes our thoughts and concerns and praises. Prayer is his idea! As faithful disciples, we can pray boldly and often, anticipating God’s response and intervention in our lives.
As God rested on the seventh day, he gifted his people with a command to observe a day of rest. Although that constraint is all but lost in our society, the human need which the command addresses remains. Jesus, in his grace-filled life and ministry...
As we gather, we conclude our summer Ephesians sermon series with an emphasis on the church. The Apostle Paul reminds us that under the Holy Spirit, we are constructed upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the...
In his letters to the churches, St. Paul’s writing often erupts in what we call “doxology”—vigorous and emotional praise to God, centered on the work of Jesus. Our preaching text for today concludes with one of the most glorious of those biblical...
One of the great mysteries revealed by the coming of Jesus Christ was that the extravagant love of God was not only for Israel, his chosen nation, but for all people everywhere. The Father unites everyone into one body—his holy Church. This truth is a...
“CLC Under Construction” is our theme for this summer series. Buildings “under construction” are identified by their walls. In a culture that is, in these days, increasingly squabbling about the virtues and vices of walls, our Lord’s church is called...
As we continue in our summer sermon series, delving more deeply into Paul’s letter to the Ephesians, we hear today the familiar Reformation theme—we are saved through faith by grace. We have been made alive in Christ for a life of good works. To equip...