The following is a link to Trinity's worship videos for Sunday 3/22:
https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLhw1wPd4XXh4zNSFHOoqpapqYDVM__SHq
The link will take you to a playlist titled "Sunday 3/22/2020" on the Trinity Lutheran Congregation YouTube channel where you will find a series of 4 videos. There is a video recording of the day's Psalm and Gospel reading, a second video with a reflection from Pastor Jane, a third recording of the prayers of the people and a final video with special music. We hope that you will enjoy and participate along with the worship videos understanding that we are still one body in Christ, the Trinity community, even though we cannot gather together for our usual in-person worship. We are thinking of you and praying for you!
With love and hope,
​Gabriella 

We will be worshiping this Sunday, March 15, at both 9:00 and 11:00, in Hoversten Chapel.  At the moment, it is the large gatherings that are being cancelled or postponed.  Perhaps this is a time when it is good to not be large!
 We will take the necessary precautions to keep our time together this Sunday as safe as possible.  Touching will be kept at a minimum, no handshake of peace, the communion bread will be cubed ahead of time, refreshments will be individually wrapped, hand sanitizer will be available, etc.  Feel free to keep a distance apart from others.
If you are not comfortable being in large groups right now, that is understandable.  Come as you are comfortable, or not. Either option is OK.
We will continue monitoring new developments in terms of the COVID-19 virus and best church practices and will be ready to make adjustments at Trinity, as necessary. 
We have decided to close Homework Help for the near future.  Today, Friday, March 13 will be the last day for now. We will be contacting our families to let them know.
You are all in my prayers as we deal with something new to us all.  Anxiety and fear are very near these days.  We can take comfort in knowing that God is with us through whatever may come next.  We have that promise.  Keep Trinity in your prayers, as well.  
 Be safe.
 Peace, 
Pastor Jane

1-2 There was a man of the Pharisee sect, Nicodemus, a prominent leader among the Jews. Late one night he visited Jesus and said, “Rabbi, we all know you’re a teacher straight from God. No one could do all the God-pointing, God-revealing acts you do if God weren’t in on it.”
3 Jesus said, “You’re absolutely right. Take it from me: Unless a person is born from above, it’s not possible to see what I’m pointing to—to God’s kingdom.”

            Matthew first sets the scene for the sermon on the mount by telling the reader that Jesus went up the mountain and sat down. I’ve never really recognized the importance of this detail. I had always assumed that Jesus went up on to the mountain so that people could see him and hear him more clearly, but the mountain is more profound than a grand stage for Jesus here. Jesus went up to the mountain because he could see more of the world this way. Jesus in his sermon and beatitudes was sharing a vision of the new kingdom, the kingdom of God, that he was planning to bring about. Jesus wanted as much of the world as he could reach from that mountain and so much more to know that the kingdom of God was here and that this is what it would look like.

Sermon 12/8/2019
A few of the people that knew I would be preaching on today’s gospel from Matthew apologized and wished me luck only adding to the personal despair that was already stirring in me during the studying and writing process. This week’s texts are heavy with metaphors and imagery meant to deliver hope to us as we wait for the coming of the Christ, but the harsh judgements coming from John the Baptist in the gospel of Matthew seem to overshadow the hope that can be found here in our readings.

October 13, 2019
2Kings 5:1-3, 7-15c, Psalm 111, 2Timothy 2:8-15, Luke 17: 11-19
​When you think about all of the texts included in this morning’s lectionary, what catches your attention? Is there anything in the text that raises questions for you? What do you make of the meaning of these texts for yourself?
         There are many parts of the various texts that grab my attention and I’ll share my wonderings with you as I go, but I would like to dwell in the passage from 2 Timothy first just briefly. I felt that parts of this text were speaking to me and in particular to this moment I am currently sharing with all of you. The verses from Paul spoke of the very real responsibilities set literally right in front of me as I am delivering a sermon that hopefully sheds light onto the meaning of the Word of God that appears in these passages today. The last verse, verse 15 in particular sticks in my mind. “Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved by him, a worker who has no need to be ashamed, rightly explaining the word of truth.” As someone who is currently following the call of God to enter into pastoral ministry, I am both affirmed and challenged by this verse. God has approved of me and I have no reason to be ashamed, but now I must rightly explain the word of truth. I am responsible for explaining the Gospel? Oof what a task! Knowing the responsibility I have to the Word of God, I carefully studied and wrestled with the text in an effort to actively wonder what exactly the truth is in these passages from 2 Kings 5, Psalm 111 and Luke 17 and how to best convey that truth to all of you. So here it goes, Spirit lead me!

Texts: Acts 2:1-21, Romans 8:14-17, John 14:8-17, 25-27
Pentecost Sunday
​
"Can you imagine being in that room with tongues of fire on top of each person’s head?
Divided tongues, resting on each of us.
And suddenly the person next to you is speaking in a language you don’t understand,
singing a new song unlike any bird you know...."

Featuring "From Every Tribe" by Ray Makeever.

Epiphany C – 5, ‘19
Isaiah 6:1-13; Luke 5:1-11
2/10/19
Trinity Lutheran Congregation
 
Every Sunday we sing the song of the seraphim.  Did you hear it?  In the first reading we heard their song, “holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory.”  In just a few minutes we’ll be singing a slightly different translation of it, “Holy, Holy, holy Lord, God of power and might, heaven and earth are full of your glory.”  
 
Those angels, those seraphim knew something about God’s desires for the world and about people and about life and the world.  And it seems they did not hesitate to Sing about it or to get someone to change things.
 
These words from Isaiah are his telling of his call story, when he heard God’s call in person. Isaiah had actually seen the Lord, which is pretty amazing.  God had told Moses that no one would see God and live.  No wonder Isaiah wanted out.  His vision was unusual and dangerous.           These seraphim are not those chubby, winged, cupid-like creatures that you often see floating harmlessly in the corners of baroque paintings.   These seraphim are fiery creatures filling the house with smoke as they sang.  And they would have nothing of Isaiah’s attempt to get out of the job God called him to do.  One of the seraphs flew down to Isaiah and touched his lips with a live coal to remove his guilt and blot out his sin.  When God calls him again, Isaiah answers, “Here am I, send me.”

Texts: Luke 4: 21-30, 1 Corinthians 13: 1-13
Fourth Sunday after Epiphany

“The more we curve in on ourselves, the more we stick to our own notions of what is good, the more we desperately need God to break in from the outside. The more cracked open we are, the more room for God to flood our lives with an expansive, unfathomable Love that we could never concoct for ourselves.

That’s good news, I promise, although it might not seem like it at the time—when reality as we conceived of it slips through our fingers and we are left only with our breath and open hands. It’s good news that was so hard to hear that Jesus’ friends and neighbors drove him out of town, intending to shove him off the cliffs.”

Texts: 1 Kings 19:1-4, 8-15a, Galatians 3:23-29, Luke 8:26-39

"The waters of baptism bring us to the brink of life and death, staring into the depths of God’s mysterious grace. In baptism, we swim at the surface between the physical reality of this world, and the unknowable ways and workings of the Spirit.

Water has that quality, of holding together death and life. Water is power. In human terms, it illustrates the depth of injustice we grapple with in a global world..."