January 7, 2024 Pastor Jenna Bergeson T Pastor Jenna reflects on the transformative power of epiphanies in our lives. Drawing from personal experiences, she explores how moments of revelation, both dark and illuminating, can reshape our understanding of self and faith, ultimately bringing us closer to God's unwavering truth.   ++++++++++++++ Baptism of Our Lord Our re-creation in baptism is an image of the Genesis creation, where the Spirit of God moved over the waters. Both Mark’s gospel and the story in Acts make clear that it is the Spirit’s movement that distinguishes Jesus’ baptism from John’s. The Spirit has come upon us as upon Jesus and the Ephesians, calling us God’s beloved children and setting us on Jesus’ mission to re-create the world in the image of God’s vision of justice and peace.   + MOBILE BULLETIN + trinitylutheranchurch.com/bulletin

Sermon for December 17, 2023 Pastor Jenna Bergeson  Pastor Jenna explores the history and symbolism of the ❤️ shape, emphasizing that true love goes beyond superficial depictions. She shares the story of Margaret Mary and the devotion to the Sacred Heart, highlighting the profound love it represents. Connecting this with the biblical narrative of Mary and Elizabeth, Pastor Jenna encourages a deep reflection on the abiding nature of love, challenging us to embrace a more profound understanding of love rooted in the Sacred Heart of Jesus.   +++++++++++++++++++++++++ Fourth Sunday of Advent: Being Present with Love The faith narrative is careful to show us a lineage from King David to Jesus. It is no ordinary lineage; it is one that began in the shepherding of sheep, of leading and delivering the people in search of a home. Mary’s womb becomes part of that lineage of love, offering the world the gift of God’s presence “in the flesh.” As we enter the story of the birth of Love Among Us, we are invited to be present with love. We may think the perfect gift is outside our reach to give, but in reality we have all that we need… the heart’s love and presence.

Sermon for December 10, 2023 Pastor Hector Garfias-Toledo BEING PRESENT WITH JOY On this third Sunday of Advent, Pastor Hector explores the interconnectedness of hope, peace, and joy, emphasizing that true joy arises from communal understanding and shared presence amidst life's struggles. He highlights the significance of acknowledging the difference between happiness and genuine joy: we must embody God's grace by being channels of joy and compassion in the community.   +++++++++++++++++++++++++ Third Sunday of Advent: Being Present with Joy Today we will read the words of Isaiah offering a prophetic vision that Jesus then claims for his ministry. Likewise, we are called to claim the gift of being fully present with all people — those who mourn, those who grieve, those who have suffered indignity and oppression. Mary’s Magnificat is prophetic as well. She claims the overturning of injustice even before it has come to pass. In the difficulty of her situation, she “sings” with joy about the very real presence of God growing within her.

Sermon for December 3, 2023 Pastor Jenna Bergeson Pastor Jenna brings in the voices from a recent webinar from the ELCA's "Peace, Not Walls" campaign, which is working for peace with justice in Palestine and Israel. She challenges the conventional, passive notion of peace, advocating for a more active and engaged approach to addressing systemic injustice. Pastor Jenna encourages the church to embrace prophetic peacemaking, aligning with the calls for truth-telling, activism, and a reevaluation of language and action toward achieving genuine justice and peace in the world.   +++++++++++++++++++  Second Sunday of Advent Being Present with Hope In our Advent series, we are celebrating the gift of being truly present — to each other and to the call of God to make this world a better place. We can be the gift of presence with those who are experiencing life as less-than-peaceful. But this might also be true of how we are personally feeling in this moment. Our lives can feel a bit chaotic or in need of a makeover. The Good News is that God is continually making a way for do-overs. In this we can find peace, even when life doesn’t feel so peaceful. This week we focus on what it means to be a gift of non-anxious presence for those who need it most.

Sermon for November 26, 2023 Pastor Hector Garfias Toledo Pastor Hector's sermon for the First Sunday of Advent centers on the significance of staying awake amidst adversity, as he draws parallels between the struggles of the Israelites and our own yearnings for hope and liberation. Emphasizing that hope is an active force, he challenges us to reject societal pressures, embody the promise of God's love, and actively engage in bringing forth real change and healing for all.   +++++++++++++++ First Sunday of Advent Being Present with Hope Advent can be filled with worry about finding the perfect Christmas gifts. Deep down, we want people in our lives to know they are special and that we love them. But sometimes, we overlook the greatest gift of all…our very presence. As we sing, we are reminded that even if we are feeling poor — in resources, in body or spirit — we can simply be a gift of presence and give our hearts.

Sermon for November 5, 2023  Pastor Hector Garfais-Toledo Embracing God's Presence Pastor Hector discusses the challenging words of the Prophet Amos and how they can be interpreted as a reflection of God's lament for humanity's departure from the Covenant of Love. He emphasizes the importance of recognizing God's presence in the pursuit of justice and righteousness. Kasey, a high school junior, then shares her faith journey as part of the Affirmation of Baptism (aka. confirmation) process, highlighting how conversations with a friend helped her rediscover her faith and see God's light even in a secular world. The sermon encourages the congregation to be ready, open, and willing to be agents of justice, following Kasey's example of spreading faith through small interactions and finding God in unexpected places.   +++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 24th Sunday after Pentecost | Lectionary 23  Today the prophet Amos calls for justice to roll down like waters. Paul urges us to encourage one another with the promised coming of the Lord. Jesus tells the parable of the wise and foolish bridesmaids. Surrounded by the faithful of every time and place, we celebrate Christ’s coming in our midst in the word of life and the feast of victory—the marriage feast of the lamb.

Sermon for November 5, 2023 Pastor Jenna Bergeson Big Questions On this All Saints Sunday, where we feel the lines between the living and the dead blur, where we gather to grieve and mourn those loved ones who have joined God in everlasting life, Pastor Jenna dances with the big questions of life and death and what it means to be a living disciple, set free from the bonds of death, washed in the waters of baptism.   +++++++++++++++++++ All Saints Sunday All Saints celebrates the baptized people of God, living and dead, who are the body of Christ. As November heralds the dying of the landscape in many northern regions, the readings and liturgy call us to remember all who have died in Christ and whose baptism is complete. At the Lord’s table we gather with the faithful of every time and place, trusting that the promises of God will be fulfilled and that all tears will be wiped away in the new Jerusalem.

Sermon for October 28, 2023 Pastor Hector Garfias-Toledo "Yes, but...." On Reformation Sunday, Pastor Hector reflects on the enduring legacy of Martin Luther and the various perceptions and interpretations of his legacy. In the book of Jeremiah, we draw parallels between the Israelites' covenant violations and contemporary societal issues. Pastor Hector emphasizes the message of "yes, but..." – acknowledging humanity's brokenness while highlighting the graciousness of God and the potential for a new covenant. He encourages prayer, scriptural study, and viewing the world through God's eyes as ways to know God by heart and trust in divine forgiveness and blessings.   ++++++++++++++++++++++ Reformation Sunday Rooted in the past and growing into the future, the church must always be reformed in order to live out the love of Christ in an ever-changing world. We celebrate the good news of God’s grace, that Jesus Christ sets us free every day to do this life-transforming work. Trusting in the freedom given to us in baptism, we pray for the church, that Christians will unite more fully in worship and mission.

Sermon for October 22, 2023 Pastor Hector Garfias-Toledo I AM GOD God, not rulers, determines who we are. God stands above and behind our history.   ++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 21st Sunday after Pentecost, Lectionary 29  In today’s first reading God uses the Gentile ruler Cyrus to accomplish divine purposes. When the Pharisees try to trap Jesus, he tells them to give the emperor what belongs to him and to God what belongs to God. To gather for worship reminds us that our ultimate allegiance is to God rather than to any earthly authority. Created in the image of God, we offer our entire selves in the service of God and for the sake of the world. + MOBILE BULLETIN + trinitylutheranchurch.com/bulletin

Sermon for October 15, 2023 Pastor Jenna Bergeson The Kin-Dom of God Pastor Jenna unpacks a difficult and at times violent gospel passage with the eternal reminder of the Gospel promise of hope in the face of violence, and the unconditional invitation into the Kin-Dom of God.   ++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 20th Sunday after Pentecost -- Lectionary 28  In Isaiah we are given a vision of the great feast to come, when God will wipe away death forever. In Jesus’ parable about a great banquet, those invited do not come, so the invitation is extended to others. In our liturgy God spreads a table before us. Even amid anxiety and hardship we rejoice in the peace of God which surpasses all understanding. With great joy we feast at the table of the Lord, and we go forth to share the wonderful invitation with others hungering and thirsting for the abundant life of God.

Sermon for October 8 2023 Pastor Hector Garfias-Toledo Trinity Lutheran Church & Schools We are the vineyard, and yet we tend God's vineyard. We play a dual role in which we are transformed: we are neither owners nor creators, but co-workers with God in the ongoing work of creation.   ++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 19th Sunday after Pentecost Lectionary 27 In today’s gospel reading, Jesus tells a vineyard parable, which serves as an image of Israel, the prophets’ mission, and Christ’s death. For Christians, the vineyard also speaks of God’s love poured out in the blood of Christ, given to us for the forgiveness of sin. Grafted onto Christ the vine at baptism, we are nourished with wine and bread so that we may share Christ’s sufferings and know the power of his resurrection.

Sermon for October 1 2023 Rick Steves Travel as a Spiritual Act  Special guest Rick Steves closes out our 4-week worship series, Quest: Travel as a Spiritual Act, by posing the question: do we want to travel as a tourist (vacation, consumption), a traveler (education, learn about others), or a pilgrim (transformational experience, learn about ourselves)? We can travel (near or far) in a way that gets us closer to God.   ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Quest: Travel as a Spiritual Act Week 4 - Returning Home We reflect on what it means to return. No matter how far or near we've traveled, we've practiced a pilgrim heart, and now everything is different. We've been transformed, we hold priceless memory-souvenirs, we've made new friends and developed unique perspectives. As we unpack and soothe our weary feet, we notice the new convictions to be more radically involved and loving citizens of humanity right where we reside. We reflect on Jesus' commandment, first echoed throughout Hebrew Scripture, to love one another as he has loved us. What brings us beyond this quest and beckons us into God's extraordinary diversity?

Sermon for September 24, 2023 The Reflection Pastor Jenna has a conversation with Bishop Shelley Bryan Wee and Pastor Jenny Sung, reflecting on travel to the Holy Land and the experience of otherness, and how we can use travel (near and far) as a way to help alleviate fear and oppression.   ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ Quest: Travel as a Spiritual Act Week 3 - The Reflection When we venture out of our comfort zones, we are given the opportunity to broaden our experience of God's creation and people. Even when we travel within our own towns and cities, we are exposed to a plurality of religious thought and practice, feeling like a foreigner in our own land. And yet, if we reflect and remain open to the Spirit, what feels so different may not be as far from us. We all pray. We all seek peace, food, shelter, love, and mercy for the suffering and oppressed. How can deeper reflection on our hesitation to connect to the broader human family allow us to explore more possibilities for a better world, living in the kingdom of God?

Sermon for September 17, 2023 The Encounter Pastor Hector and David Greenlee talk with several of the participants of this past summer's youth mission trip to Spokane about their experiences encountering others.   +++++++++++++++++++ Quest: Travel as a Spiritual Act Week 2 - The Encounter Jesus often crossed paths with others not from his “tribe.” He did not shy away. Actually, he most often sought out these opportunities. He met people in their daily lives and locales, such as the Samaritan woman at the well and her community, and engaged with them at the point of their deepest yearning. When we seek out and open to new encounters, new people, new relationships, we allow ourselves a spiritual rendezvous with humanity. And in this act, we discover more depth within us than we previously imagined. How can we shift our perception, redefining “strangers” as “friends we have not yet met?”

Sermon for September 10, 2023 Pastor Hector Garfias-Toledo "Leaving Home" Pastor Hector helps us take our first steps on the Quest journey, exploring the differences between leaving home voluntarily (vacation, travel, etc...) and being forced to leave home (refugees, natural disasters, persecution, etc...).   +++++++++++++++++++ Quest: Travel as a Spiritual Act Week 1 - Leaving Home  Today we will hear the scripture from Exodus when the Hebrew people left Egypt on a very long journey. Leaving Egypt was not a pleasure excursion for them. But the story of their pilgrimage in the desert in the Book of Exodus reminds us that traveling, moving, leaving home, is part of our Judeo-Christian tradition. Each of us finds ourselves sometime in life needing to leave the familiar in order to grow and to thrive. Beginning a journey involves leaving “home”–whether that is a physical place in order to explore another part of the world, or changing a mindset that is keeping us from expanding our spiritual capacity. Our question for today is this: “What must we do to embark into the unknown?”

Sermon for September 3, 2023 Pastor Jenna Bergeson "Embracing the Divine Struggle Within" Pastor Jenna delves into the theme of evil, urging us to recognize and overcome the internal struggles we all face. Biblical figures like Satan and Lucifer have a complicated and multifaceted history, but through baptism, God has given us the power to acknowledge and conquer the "little devils" within ourselves by surrendering to God's transformative love.   ++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lectionary 22, Year A 14th Sunday after Pentecost The prophet Jeremiah speaks of the incurable wound of his suffering yet finds in God’s words the delight of his heart. When Peter doesn’t grasp Jesus’ words about suffering, Jesus tells the disciples they will find their lives in losing them. Such sacrificial love is described by Paul when he urges us to associate with the lowly and not repay evil with evil. In worship we gather as a community that we might offer ourselves for the sake of our suffering world.

Sermon for August 27, 2023 + 10 AM Trinity Lutheran Church & Schools Today's message comes from Elise Foot Puchalski, one of Trinity's youth. She shares her faith story as part of the Affirmation of Baptism process.   ++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lectionary 21, Year A 13th Sunday after Pentecost In Isaiah the people are advised to look to their spiritual ancestors as the rock from which they were hewn. Jesus declares that the church will be built on the rock of Peter’s bold confession of faith. God’s word of reconciliation and God’s mercy are keys to the church’s mission. Paul urges us to not be conformed to this world but to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice, using our individual gifts to build up the body of Christ. From the table we go forth to offer our spiritual worship through word and deed.

Sermon for August 20, 2023 Pastor Hector Garfias-Toledo   (DO) Justice Pastor Hector invites everyone to take a more active role in living out God's justice in and for the world. We must jump into the never-ending stream of justice flowing from God.   ++++++++++++++++++++++++  Lectionary 20, Year A 12th Sunday after Pentecost In Isaiah we hear that God’s house shall be a house of prayer for all people and that God will gather the outcasts of Israel. The Canaanite woman in today’s gospel is a Gentile, an outsider, who is unflinching in her request that Jesus heal her daughter. As Jesus commends her bold faith, how might our church extend its mission to those on the margins of society? In our gathering around word and meal we receive strength to be signs of comfort, healing, and justice for those in need.

Sermon for August 13, 2023 Pastor Jenna Bergeson "Where is Your Wilderness?" Where does God call you to go? We ask this question, but must remember that God is always at our side. God is with us through our wildernesses.   ++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lectionary 19, Year A 11th Sunday after Pentecost Elijah finds the presence of God not in earthquake, wind, or fire, but in the sound of sheer silence. When the disciples face a great storm on the sea, they cry out with fear. Jesus says: “Take heart, it is I; do not be afraid.” Amid the storms of life, we gather to seek the calm presence of Christ that soothes our fears. In comforting words of scripture and in the refreshing bread and cup of the eucharist, God grants us peace and sends us forth to be a sign of God’s presence to others.

Pastor Hector Garfias-Toledo Trinity Lutheran Church & Schools ++++++++++++++++++++++++ Lectionary 18, Year A 10th Sunday after Pentecost ++++++++++++++++++++++++ In today’s first reading God invites all who are hungry or thirsty to receive food and drink without cost. Jesus feeds the hungry multitude and reveals the abundance of God. At the eucharistic table we remember all who are hungry or poor in our world today. As we share the bread of life, we are sent forth to give ourselves away as bread for the hungry.