Holy Trinity Ankeny

The ancient Celtic Christians named the Holy Spirit the Wild Goose. The Holy Spirit is wild and untamed. Our Acts reading today is about Philip’s encounter with the Holy Spirit and his Wild Goose Chase. Acts 8:26-40 | 1 John 4:7-21 | John 15:1-8

In Jesus’ day, there would be times when multiple shepherds would bring their flocks together. Whether by accident or on purpose, they would gather them in a paddock, an area that was walled off to keep the predators out of the flock. The sheep would mingle together and do all the things sheep do. Now that presents a problem for the shepherd. How do you tell your sheep apart from

The resurrection of Jesus reveals that God’s way is the way of life, light, love, peace, hope, and wholeness. Whenever these things break through the darkness of the world it is a moment of resurrection. Sadly, we don’t see it, nor do we often want to accept this eruption of new life. We are resistant to the resurrection.

We live in the age of the individual. We are a lonely, fragmented people often at each other’s throats. The resurrection of Jesus binds people together in love to stand against the individualism that makes everything about “me.” “Doubting” Thomas struggled in despair and doubt because he was not with the others when Jesus first appeared. The church in Jerusalem in Acts �

The Gospel of Mark ends at chapter 16, verse 8 (other endings were added much later). It is an odd, perplexing end that leaves us with an empty tomb and three women who say nothing to anyone. Yet, maybe Mark was less concerned with what happened then and more concerned with what happens now. The resurrection means that God is loose in the world, unrestrained and persistently confro

I grew up thinking that the word hosanna meant something triumphant. Knowing that it means something else entirely changes how I see Jesus' entry into Jerusalem on Palm Sunday. Mark 11:1-11

The cross is the chief symbol of our faith, a sign of the saving work of Christ. What does it mean “to be saved?” Some would say it is assent to beliefs. Others point to a religious experience. Those are not, however, works of Christ. They are things we do. In John’s gospel, Christ’s work on the cross is bigger than forgiving sins. It is to judge the world, drive out the ev

Pastor Twila Schock, Vice President for Church Relations and International Programming for Mosaic, one of our mission partners, is our guest preacher. Mosaic empowers people with intellectual and developmental disabilities in their unique pursuit of happiness.