Pocket Pastor: Sermons on Demand

Throw Off, Put On

Thu, 10 Sep 2026 07:00:00 -0500

September 6, 2026 - Romans 13:8-14...

"By the time we get to his command to “Wake from sleep” and to “throw off the works of darkness” our spiritual muscles are ripped without our knowing. We are poised to get our spiritual affairs in order and get into right relationship with God because the Holy Spirit has been helping us with putting on Christ and his armor of Light. All we need to do to activate ourselves is to remember those 7 words: Throw off darkness and put on light."

Thanks for listening! May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing, so that you may abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit. (Romans 15:13) For more information about Keith visit www.authorkeithlong.com or St. Luke Lutheran Church visit www.stlukecg.org

Burning Coals

Wed, 09 Sep 2026 07:00:00 -0500

August 30, 2026 - Romans 12:9-21...

"Upon closer inspection, this is not about killing others with kindness, praise the Lord. No, the mark of a true Christian is harnessing an attitude of universal embrace of humankind. A true Christian can ditch the hidden agendas and cast aside cleverly disguised vengeance, too. True Christians clothe themselves with kindness through and through for everybody, even those who are against them or their mission. Our kindness is not a secret weapon to shame others but our God-given balm to heal the world and to bless them with life abundant. Kindness is our calling card to help everyone to live."

Therefore, A Pivotal Moment

Tue, 08 Sep 2026 20:00:00 -0500

August 23, 2026 - Romans 12:1-8...

I think there are lots of Christians in this country who think its their job to make Jesus known but the way they go about it does not reflect they actually know him very well... In a country that feels like its lost its way, let’s be leaders of a pivotal moment. For in the words of Marcus Borg from Days of Awe and Wonder: How to Be a Christian in the 21st Century,

“Every age should think of itself as “the axial age,” the pivotal time…Ours is a time of awe and wonder of a magnitude not known before.”

It’s not good enough to worship unless we become worship. Don’t just read the words of God, but become them. Now is the time to live like Jesus, not just talk about him..."

Gospel of Thomas

Mon, 07 Sep 2026 12:00:00 -0500

August 10, 2025 -

"When push came to shove, the early Church hierarchy felt threatened by these writings. So, they ignored, rejected, and labeled them heretical and dangerous and that was supposed to be the end of it. If Christians today want to grapple with these Gnostic thoughts moving forward, then they must confront layers of thought and beliefs that are very different than what we’ve been taught. Layers like Jesus being less as the savior for our sins and more as the developer of our souls; Heretical? I guess. Dangerous? Not really. I think the Gnostics loved Jesus, but just differently."

Gospel of Mary Magdalene

Mon, 07 Sep 2026 11:00:00 -0500

August 3, 2025 -

"The first version of Mary’s Gospel was found on a garbage heap in Egypt in 1896, likely having been discarded by someone who accidentally dug it up from its hiding place. Scholars are unanimous in dating Mary’s Gospel to the second century; with Egypt likely where it was composed since all copies were found there. Authorship, like the other 4 NT Gospels is unknown, but clearly whoever wrote these words down was unapologetically a fan of feminist theology in tabbing Mary the title character. To say that differs from conventional Christianity is an understatement. For the Gnostics one is not delivered from their sins by believing the right things about Jesus, but set free through an ongoing process of inner knowing. In fact, the Gnostics went so far as to claim that to know oneself was the same thing as to know God. It was as if Mary said to the first Pope: “You have heard the Word, but I have seen it (in a vision.)” For a deeper dive, see my book "Growing Spirit Wise: A Heretic's Guide to Resurrection and Eternal Life" at www.authorkeithlong.com

The Gospel According to ... Ozzy?

Mon, 07 Sep 2026 08:00:00 -0500

July 19, 2026 - 2nd Corinthians 5:10, 12-20 ....

"Maybe it feels like I am glorifying Ozzy or condoning his behavior, but that’s not the intent. I’m trying to convey how crazy the love of Christ truly is, and how even people like Ozzy can serve as ministers of reconciliation. I could be wrong, but just as Ozzy emphatically encouraged his audiences to go crazy, I wonder: Would it kill us as a Church to go a little more Crazy, too? Crazy for justice, crazy for kindness, and crazy for God’s Crazy love and forgiveness?"

Amanda Gorman: A Threat and Proud

Mon, 07 Sep 2026 07:00:00 -0500

July 5, 2026 - 2nd Corinthians 4:1-11 ....

"What makes us Christian? Is it the things we say we believe or is it the actual things we say? Are we Jesus-followers because of the things we do or the things we do like Jesus did?"

The Christ Abides

Sun, 06 Sep 2026 14:00:00 -0500

May 5, 2024 - John 15:9-17 ....

"The take-away is that to be Jesus' friend and to love Jesus are the same thing, they’re synonymous, because both are defined as keeping Jesus' commandments. Abide, on the other hand, means to "remain, stay; live, dwell; last, endure, continue." It's a word that denotes the connection between a branch and vine, between believers and Jesus, Jesus' word, or Jesus' love. You dig me? If not, relax. The Dude Abides... I think what the Gospel writer is trying to communicate is that the love of Jesus is always “abide worthy”—not because his love is intended to necessarily make us into better followers of him, but because Jesus intends his love to make us into better friends for him."

EASTER: Truth Dawns Slowly

Sun, 06 Sep 2026 07:00:00 -0500

Easter Sunday April 5, 2026 - John 20:1-10 ....

"Like Peter and the other disciple grappling with the unexpected, how we see differs, too. So let’s let go of trying to get everyone to agree on what’s real, and let’s embrace the slow dawn of Truth with a capital T. Let’s be curious about our own “something else” stirring our faith within—and within others. Let’s give our eyes time to adjust to the Light and to free ourselves of whatever is still binding. Death in all of its forms is no doubt devastating, but it need not be the final word. That, in a nutshell, is the Truth of the Good News of Easter. For this Good News to stay relevant, I believe Resurrection must be ongoing and not the work of one person from an insanely long time ago."

Is the Neighbor Being Served?

Sat, 05 Sep 2026 13:00:00 -0500

February 2nd, 2025 - Luke 6:1-6 ....

"And here Jesus doesn’t hesitate to offer healing. He says “Stretch out your hand.” Note that Jesus doesn’t ask the man with the withered hand what he believed, or what his ethnicity was, or about his sexual orientation, or his country of origin. Who Jesus loves and chooses to heal wasn’t up to anyone but Jesus. And Time and again, for Jesus the Christ, it was never ok to dismiss or downplay a person’s suffering---whether it was the Sabbath or a difference in occupation, religious tradition or belief, or one’s cultural, political, or family values—Jesus heals because Jesus loves. His whole message can be summed up in that one word: Love."

The Ideal Jesus Follower

Fri, 04 Sep 2026 15:00:00 -0500

From April 2, 2026 - Maundy Thursday - John 19:23-30....

"The most compelling idea I’ve heard is that “the disciple Jesus loved” is a reference not to any historical Bible character or one of the disciples, but that the “beloved disciple” was a love symbol that stood for “the ideal Jesus follower.” Someone who stays close to Jesus, someone who trusts and believes, and who seeks Jesus out—and especially, someone who receives and obeys his instructions."

Lazarus' Bait and Switch

Fri, 04 Sep 2026 14:00:00 -0500

From February 22, 2026 - John 11:1-44....

"I wonder, after all that over the top set up, if the story of Lazarus’ miraculous resurrection was actually intended to fail. Haven’t you ever been the victim of a scam or magic trick or elaborate prank before? With someone whose gone to all these great lengths to get you right where they wanted you and then BAM, turning the tables, leaving you stunned or ashamed for taking the bait? At stake for the religious leaders of Jesus’ day and John’s late first century audience was simply too much power to lose..."

Peter's Shadow Work

Fri, 04 Sep 2026 13:00:00 -0500

From March 8, 2026 - John 18:12-27....

"Whether you’re Peter Pan or Peter the Rock, seeing one’s shadow has a way of creating a reaction. Pan makes Wendy sow his back on, a mere annoyance and a goofy game—but Peter the Rock crumbles. The Swiss psychologist Carl Jung has a process for that revelation called “shadow work.”

Don't Just Look but See

Fri, 04 Sep 2026 12:00:00 -0500

From February 15, 2026 - John 9:1-41

The gist:

"Be it a movie or a Bible story, stories one and all have the potential to connect with us on a deep and meaningful level through symbols and codes that invite you to experience something you might otherwise gloss over as boring old facts... It’s time to awaken to who you really are. To open your heart and expand your vision. Don’t just look, but see. Step out of The Matrix your mind has created to hold you back and step closer to Jesus in your heart; for your heart tells you that Jesus’ radiance knows no equal, just as The Man Born Blind knew and was never the same, regardless of who believed his testimony or not."

For more information, www.authorkeithlong.com or www.stlukecg.org

The Realm of God

Fri, 04 Sep 2026 11:00:00 -0500

From January 25, 2026 based on John 3:1-21

The gist:

"...earthly wannabe kings envision something or someone to rule over, something or someone bound by time and space. But Jesus’ invitation to the kingdom of God is more expansive than a place or a power… It’s a realm to be experienced, here and now... It’s what the ancient philosopher Anaximander described as an essence beyond the elements, a field of being he called the “boundless” or the “infinite.”