What Easter Takes Away: Freedom from Fear, Shame, and Regret

Equipped by the Spirit — Stewards of the King, Week 2

The fire that terrified people at Sinai now rests on them at Pentecost. Same God. Completely different access. In this Pentecost Sunday message from Redeemer Lutheran Church in Salem, Oregon, we explore how the Holy Spirit equips every believer with gifts for God's kingdom — and why the tape measure matters as much as the drill driver. Week 2 of the series "Stewards of the King: Living Your Faith Out of Belonging, Not Guilt." Texts: Acts 2:1–21 | 1 Corinthians 12:12–27 | Philippians 2:12–13 STAY CONNECTED:   Receive weekly sermon summaries by email: https://mailchi.mp/92230176913c/redeemer-email-signup-landing-page [https://mailchi.mp/92230176913c/redeemer-email-signup-landing-page]   • Read more reflections on Substack: https://johnrallison.substack.com/ [https://johnrallison.substack.com/]   • Watch more sermons on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8ozqxlON8mRFDt6Y0-nfb4qm5sjnQynm [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8ozqxlON8mRFDt6Y0-nfb4qm5sjnQynm]   • Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/40R6TAOIWGgjqOz8fVibMd?si=b9fba79c1eac491b [https://open.spotify.com/show/40R6TAOIWGgjqOz8fVibMd?si=b9fba79c1eac491b]   Pastor John Rallison Redeemer Lutheran Church | Salem, Oregon https://www.RedeemerSalem.org [https://www.RedeemerSalem.org]

Held by the Father: Stewardship Begins with Belonging

Most people brace when they hear the word stewardship. This message is not what you are expecting. In the first of three conversations about what it means to live as stewards of God's kingdom, we start with a simple image: a throne and a plain chair beside it. The steward's chair. And the question of which chair you are actually sitting in. From John 17, Jesus's prayer the night before the crucifixion, we hear three words that change everything: "Yours they were." The disciples belonged to the Father before Jesus ever called them. They did not earn their place. They were given one. And in verse 20, Jesus extends that same prayer to everyone who would ever believe. Including you. You were in this prayer before you were born. You are held by a grip that is not your own. That is where stewardship begins. 📖 John 17:1-11, 20 (ESV)📍 Redeemer Lutheran Church | Salem, Oregon | redeemer-lcms.org Part 2: Empowered by the Spirit | Acts 2:1-21Part 3: Sent by the Son | Matthew 28:16-20 STAYCONNECTED:   • Receiveweekly sermon summaries by email: https://mailchi.mp/92230176913c/redeemer-email-signup-landing-page [https://mailchi.mp/92230176913c/redeemer-email-signup-landing-page]   • Read morereflections on Substack: https://johnrallison.substack.com/ [https://johnrallison.substack.com/]   • Watch moresermons on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8ozqxlON8mRFDt6Y0-nfb4qm5sjnQynm [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8ozqxlON8mRFDt6Y0-nfb4qm5sjnQynm]   • Listen onSpotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/40R6TAOIWGgjqOz8fVibMd?si=b9fba79c1eac491b [https://open.spotify.com/show/40R6TAOIWGgjqOz8fVibMd?si=b9fba79c1eac491b]   Pastor JohnRallison Redeemer Lutheran Church | Salem, Oregon https://www.RedeemerSalem.org [https://www.RedeemerSalem.org]

Better Than Clarity: Not a Map. A Shepherd. | 3/3 "Jesus. Right Where You Are"

Most of us say we want clarity. What we really want is certainty about the future. And Jesus never promised that. What he promised was his own presence, every step of the way. In this final message of the series Jesus. Right Where You Are, Pastor John Rallison explores Psalm 23 and John 10, and what it means that the Good Shepherd does not hand us a map. He walks with us. His rod and staff are with us even when we cannot see the way forward. If you are facing a hard decision, a season of waiting, or a life that will not resolve the way you hoped, this message is for you. STAY CONNECTED: • Receive weekly sermon summaries by email: https://mailchi.mp/92230176913c/redeemer-email-signup-landing-page [https://mailchi.mp/92230176913c/redeemer-email-signup-landing-page] • Read more reflections on Substack: https://johnrallison.substack.com/ [https://johnrallison.substack.com/] • Watch more sermons on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8ozqxlON8mRFDt6Y0-nfb4qm5sjnQynm [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8ozqxlON8mRFDt6Y0-nfb4qm5sjnQynm] • Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/40R6TAOIWGgjqOz8fVibMd?si=b9fba79c1eac491b [https://open.spotify.com/show/40R6TAOIWGgjqOz8fVibMd?si=b9fba79c1eac491b]   Pastor John Rallison Redeemer Lutheran Church | Salem, Oregon https://www.RedeemerSalem.org [https://www.RedeemerSalem.org]

Hope That Actually Holds | Jesus. Right Where You Are. Week 2

What do you do when hope collapses? The disciples on the road to Emmaus know the feeling. On the evening of the first Easter, they're walking away from Jerusalem saying "we had hoped" — past tense. Their hope was real. It was just aimed at the wrong thing. This message draws a sharp distinction between optimism and Christian hope. Positive thinking is a tool for navigating the manageable. It cannot carry you through suffering and death. Christian hope has to hold in Nigeria — where Christians are being killed for their faith — or it doesn't hold at all. The risen Jesus walks with disappointed people. He opens the Scriptures. He breaks bread. And hope returns — not because the situation changed, but because Christ is known. Hope is the way the soul sets itself toward the future in light of the risen Christ. Not a feeling to generate. Not a timeline to protect. A person to trust. Part 2 of "Jesus. Right Where You Are." — a post-Easter series from Redeemer Lutheran Church in Salem, Oregon.

Peace in the Midst of Fear (John 20:19–31)

Even after the resurrection, the disciples are still afraid. In John 20, we find them behind locked doors, uncertain and trying to stay safe. The resurrection is real, but they are not yet living in it. And that’s where Jesus meets them. He doesn’t wait for their fear to go away. He stands among them and says, “Peace be with you.” In this message, we explore what that peace really means. Not just a calm feeling, but shalom—a deep, lasting peace grounded in what Jesus has done through his death and resurrection. We also look at Thomas’ struggle to believe and how Jesus meets doubt with presence, not condemnation. If you’ve ever felt afraid, uncertain, or stuck in your own “locked room,” this message invites you to hear those same words spoken to you: “Peace be with you.” STAY CONNECTED:   • Receive weekly sermon summaries by email: https://mailchi.mp/92230176913c/redeemer-email-signup-landing-page [https://mailchi.mp/92230176913c/redeemer-email-signup-landing-page]   • Read more reflections on Substack: https://johnrallison.substack.com/ [https://johnrallison.substack.com/]   • Watch more sermons on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8ozqxlON8mRFDt6Y0-nfb4qm5sjnQynm [https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL8ozqxlON8mRFDt6Y0-nfb4qm5sjnQynm]   • Listen on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/40R6TAOIWGgjqOz8fVibMd?si=b9fba79c1eac491b [https://open.spotify.com/show/40R6TAOIWGgjqOz8fVibMd?si=b9fba79c1eac491b]   Pastor John Rallison Redeemer Lutheran Church | Salem, Oregon https://www.RedeemerSalem.org [https://www.RedeemerSalem.org]