Monthly Archives: February 2026

Sermons

The Imperfect Ideal in Community [OR God’s Call into Risk and Possibility]

**sermon art: The Temptations of Christ, 12th century mosaic at St Mark s Basilica, Venice.

Caitlin Trussell with Augustana Lutheran Church on February 22, 2026

[sermon begins after two Bible readings; Romans and Psalm 32 are at the end of the post]

Genesis 2:15-17 & 3:1-7 The Lord God took the man and put him in the garden of Eden to till it and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You may freely eat of every tree of the garden, 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall die.”
3:1 Now the serpent was more crafty than any other wild animal that the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God say, ‘You shall not eat from any tree in the garden’?” 2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, 3 but God said, ‘You shall not eat of the fruit of the tree that is in the middle of the garden, nor shall you touch it, or you shall die.’ ” 4 But the serpent said to the woman, “You will not die, 5 for God knows that when you eat of it your eyes will be opened, and you will be like God, knowing good and evil.” 6 So when the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was a delight to the eyes and that the tree was to be desired to make one wise, she took of its fruit and ate, and she also gave some to her husband, who was with her, and he ate. 7 Then the eyes of both were opened, and they knew that they were naked, and they sewed fig leaves together and made loincloths for themselves.

Matthew 4:1-11 Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tested by the devil. 2 He fasted forty days and forty nights, and afterward he was famished. 3 The tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” 4 But he answered, “It is written,
‘One does not live by bread alone,
but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’ ”
5 Then the devil took him to the holy city and placed him on the pinnacle of the temple, 6 saying to him, “If you are the Son of God, throw yourself down, for it is written,
‘He will command his angels concerning you,’
and ‘On their hands they will bear you up,
so that you will not dash your foot against a stone.’ ”
7 Jesus said to him, “Again it is written, ‘Do not put the Lord your God to the test.’ ”
8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory, 9 and he said to him, “All these I will give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” 10 Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! for it is written,
‘Worship the Lord your God,
and serve only him.’ ”
11 Then the devil left him, and suddenly angels came and waited on him.

[sermon begins]

Hanging out with babies and toddlers is a lot about love while saving them from themselves and what they don’t yet know. We watch them like mama bears when we’re with them and we limit their movement with gates and play yards when our attention is elsewhere. Trouble happens even with these safeguards and boundaries. Those moments stick with you. My mind’s eye still sees their big tumble off of a chair and down the stairs when our kids were very small. Tumbles taken under my watch. As they grew older, I started trying to safeguard them with words like, “Be safe, have fun, and use your power for good!” That encouragement was sometimes met with an eyeroll, but our son had a lifelong friend that started to answer me in a different way when they became teenagers. I’d say, “Be safe, have fun, and use your power for good.” And he’d reply, with his first finger pointing up in the air, “And not for evil,” before dashing out the door into teenaged life. Most of us are right there with him, avoiding evil with enthusiasm, establishing boundaries that we think we’ll keep.

Boundaries are a good way to think about the man and the woman in the garden in the book of Genesis. God gives them the garden for their flourishing. The garden was a boundary. Stay here. Be alive. And the garden contained a boundary. Eat from all the other trees but do not eat from THAT one. When they ate from it, they learned more than the knowledge of good and evil. They learned how to use it for themselves, to manipulate it for their own protection and advantage.[1] First, they breached the tree’s boundary. And then they tried to cover up who they were and what they’d done.

Albeit a cover up, the story of the man and woman in the garden does not use the language of sin. It’s Paul’s letter to the Romans that interprets their garden story through the cross with language of trespass and sin. I’m partial to the language of trespass in the story about the garden. Trespass conveys the man and woman’s breach of boundaries to eat from the tree. They trespassed where they didn’t belong and were specifically told by God not to go. The language of trespass adds dimension to sin by describing the movement of it. It’s our movement, our trespass against the humanity of others and the humanity in ourselves that reveals the distortion of God’s image. From this break with God comes all of our relational sins against God, each other, and our selves. Broken away from God’s image, we think we need to seek perfection. But we are in need of what only God can do – something we cannot do for ourselves.[2]

So God takes action. In skin and solidarity, God moved into the world in Jesus and ended up hung on a cross. Paul, in our reading from Romans this morning, uses all kinds of words to describe God’s movement in Jesus Christ – free gift, grace, justification, made righteous. Each of these words conveys that the burden is on God to mend the break, to atone on our behalf.

Whether we name humanity’s inherent flaw as trespasses or sin, it is on God and God’s promises to atone, to bring together, to reconcile, that which is broken between us and God. Baptized into Christ’s death and resurrection, we are baptized into the body of Christ in the form of this congregation. Over time, we remind each other of God’s intervention on our behalf. The language of sin and trespass are honesty and kindness to ourselves and each other.[3] A kindness that relieves us from the self-perfection project. A kindness that creates space for forgiving other people of their non-perfection and forgiving ourselves for our own.[4] Listen to Psalm 32 for a word of hope as honesty opens us to God.

Sinners need something that God can give – and God gives it…

“Happy are those whose transgression is forgiven, whose sin is covered.” [Psalm 32:1]

Sinners, through the cross, are given a way to tell the truth about falling short…

“Happy are those to whom the Lord imputes no iniquity, and in whose spirit there is no deceit.” [Psalm 32:2]

Sinners know that not telling this truth about themselves is exhausting…

“While I kept silence, my body wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was dried up as by the heat of summer.”  [Psalm 32:3-4]

Sinners talk to God…trusting in God’s forgiveness…

“Then I acknowledged my sin to you, and I did not hide my iniquity; I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord,” and you forgave the guilt of my sin.” [Psalm 32:5]

Sinners encourage each other to talk to God…

“Therefore let all who are faithful offer prayer to you.” [Psalm 32:6]

And through it all, sinners get together to remind each other of God’s promises…

“Be glad in the Lord and rejoice, O righteous, and shout for joy, all you upright in heart.” [Psalm 32:11].

“Rejoice” is an odd biblical command that doesn’t translate well in our everyday lives. We know the feeling of joy as a spontaneous reaction, not one we dreg up from inside ourselves. Like the joy we feel when we watch Olympians unify the world in a shared spirit of human triumph. Or, closer to home, the joy we feel when we come together to tend to our church home with resounding generosity with our Welcome 150 capital campaign that sparkles with welcome, enthusiasm, faith, and renewal. Our joy is the opposite of trespassing against each other when so many different people are working together towards a shared future in the gospel. Rejoicing as much about our connections with God, each other, and our community as we delight in experiencing what’s possible when we’re inspired by God’s mission for us. Rejoicing even as we confess our trespasses against each other because Jesus calls us to forgiveness, not perfection.

Jesus’ 40 day fast in the wilderness emphasizes God’s call into risk and possibility without romanticizing the power of this world and or capitulating to the forces that defy God. In the wilderness, Jesus is tempted with power that can actually be used for good. His ministry will look like some of those very things as he heals and feeds with divine power, but he will do so committed to God’s call into self-giving ministry.[5] The same Jesus who was tended to by angels in the wilderness will process into Jerusalem and will be crucified for his ministry of divine love. Pay attention in the coming weeks to how Jesus embodies divine power and to what end.[6] While he came to fulfill the law and the prophets, he did not come to bring perfection to the masses.[7] He came to save us from ourselves but not necessarily to keep us safe or make us perfect.

We may wish that perfection was possible and try to hold each other to it. But instead, we’re given an utterly imperfect ideal called the church. As church we’re not given a path to an original perfection of what we think humanity may have been back then.[8] We’re given the challenge and comfort of community as we are now to remind each other of God’s promises moving with us into the future. In Lent, we seek to begin anew by the power of the One who is with us whether our moment reflects the sweetness of life, the suffering of betrayal by our bodies, the pain of trespass against us, the darkness and confusion of the tomb, or the joy of transformation. In these 40 days of Lent, “Be glad in the Lord and rejoice!”[9] Amen.

______________________________________________________

[1] Matthew Skinner, Professor of New Testament, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, MN. Discussion about the lectionary readings for 2/22/26. #1070: First Sunday in Lent – February 22, 2026 – Working Preacher from Luther Seminary

[2] Craig R. Koester, The Word of Life: A Theology of John’s Gospel (Grand Rapids: Eerdmans, 2008), 114.

[3] Giles Fraser, “Secular Lent is a Pale Imitation of the Real Thing…I Want Nothing to Do With It.”  The Guardian on March 7, 2014.  http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/belief/2014/mar/07/secular-lent-pale-imitation-real-thing?CMP=twt_gu

[4] Ibid. Giles Fraser quoting: Marilynne Robison in The Death of Adam: Essays on Modern Thought (New York: Mariner Books, 1998), 156.

[5] Skinner, Ibid.

[6] Ibid.

[7] Matthew 5:17-18

[8] Valerie Bridgeman, Dean and Vice President of Academic Affairs; Associate Professor of Homiletics and Hebrew Bible, Methodist Theological School in Ohio Delaware, Ohio. Lectionary readings for 2/22/26: Commentary on Genesis 2:15-17; 3:1-7 – Working Preacher from Luther Seminary.

[9] Psalm 32:11

________________________________________________

Romans 5:12-19 Just as sin came into the world through one man, and death came through sin, and so death spread to all because all have sinned 13 for sin was indeed in the world before the law, but sin is not reckoned when there is no law. 14 Yet death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over those who did not sin in the likeness of Adam, who is a pattern of the one who was to come.
15 But the free gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died through the one man’s trespass, much more surely have the grace of God and the gift in the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, abounded for the many. 16 And the gift is not like the effect of the one man’s sin. For the judgment following one trespass brought condemnation, but the gift following many trespasses brings justification. 17 If, because of the one man’s trespass, death reigned through that one, much more surely will those who receive the abundance of grace and the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ.
18 Therefore just as one man’s trespass led to condemnation for all, so one man’s act of righteousness leads to justification and life for all. 19 For just as through the one man’s disobedience the many were made sinners, so through the one man’s obedience the many will be made righteous.

Psalm 32

Happy are they whose transgressions | are forgiven,
and whose sin is | put away!
2 Happy are they to whom the Lord im- | putes no guilt,
and in whose spirit there | is no guile!
3 While I held my tongue, my bones with- | ered away,
because of my groaning | all day long.
4 For your hand was heavy upon me | day and night;
my moisture was dried up as in the | heat of summer. 
5 Then I acknowledged my sin to you, and did not con- | ceal my guilt.
I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the Lord.” Then you forgave me the guilt | of my sin.
6 Therefore all the faithful will make their prayers to you in | time of trouble;
when the great waters overflow, they | shall not reach them.
7 You are my hiding-place; you preserve | me from trouble;
you surround me with shouts | of deliverance.
8 “I will instruct you and teach you in the way that | you should go;
I will guide you | with my eye. 
9 Do not be like horse or mule, which have no | understanding;
who must be fitted with bit and bridle, or else they will | not stay near you.”
10 Great are the tribulations | of the wicked;
but mercy embraces those who trust | in the Lord.
11 Be glad, you righteous, and rejoice | in the Lord;
shout for joy, all who are | true of heart. 

Preaching, Sermons

What if We Want to Give an Inch? [OR Be Salty & Shiny (Not That Kind of Salty[1])]

**sermon art: Felicia Bond, Illustrator for the book, “If You Give a Mouse a Cookie” by Laura Joffe Numeroff, 2011.

Caitlin Trussell with Augustana Lutheran Church, Denver, February 8, 2026

[sermon begins after the Bible reading; there are two more Bible readings from Isaiah and 1 Corinthains at the end of the sermon.]

Matthew 5:13-20  [Jesus said:] 13 “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how can its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything but is thrown out and trampled under foot.
14 “You are the light of the world. A city built on a hill cannot be hid. 15 People do not light a lamp and put it under the bushel basket; rather, they put it on the lampstand, and it gives light to all in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father in heaven.

17 “Do not think that I have come to abolish the Law or the Prophets; I have come not to abolish but to fulfill. 18 For truly I tell you, until heaven and earth pass away, not one letter, not one stroke of a letter, will pass from the law until all is accomplished. 19 Therefore, whoever breaks one of the least of these commandments and teaches others to do the same will be called least in the kingdom of heaven, but whoever does them and teaches them will be called great in the kingdom of heaven. 20 For I tell you, unless your righteousness exceeds that of the scribes and Pharisees, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

[sermon begins]

If you give a mouse a cookie, what’s he going to do?[2] … … … Riiight, he’s going to ask for a glass of milk. And if you give him a glass of milk? … … …yup, he’ll ask for a napkin and a straw to avoid a milk moustache. This cheeky children’s book imagines a generous child being led by a mouse’s expanding list of needs illustrating the adage, “If you give them an inch, they’ll take a mile.” It’s a caution about not giving that inch. But what if we want to give an inch?[3] Or, what if we don’t want to give that inch but that’s what’s in front of us to do? And if it’s in front of us to do, are we inclined to talk ourselves out of who Jesus says we are so that we don’t have to do it?

Jesus says that his followers are salt and light. We are salt and light. We are simply salt and light that reveals Emmanuel, God with us. Not to prove anything but to be something. Salt makes the world a better place. Salt becomes obvious when it’s missing. Salt, when applied properly, works with food to make it better.[4] Light is similar. Light brightens what already exists to help us perceive the world around us.[5]

When Jesus calls his followers “salt” and “light,” he is calling them “salt” and “light” as a group. We’ve talked before about how our Southern friends do better translating the Greek plural “you,” as in “y’all,” or “all y’all” for emphasis. As the stepdaughter of a southerner, it was used regularly in our home. Here’s a quick example. Continuous with the Bible reading from last Sunday on the Beatitudes to today’s reading, we hear Jesus say to his disciples:

All y’all are the salt of the earth…all y’all are the light of the world…let all y’all’s light so shine before others that they may see your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.” [Matthew 5:13-14, 16]

Notice that Jesus isn’t telling them what to do. He’s describing something, not prescribing it.[6] Jesus is telling them what they already are – salt and light. There were no refrigerators in the first century. Salt preserved meat to be eaten later. AND salt made life better. Jesus calls you salty. The good kind of salty that brightens experiences and preserves life. Jesus is taking liberties as a preacher. It’s completely unscientific for salt to lose its saltiness just like no one would hide a flame under a bushel basket because the basket would burst into flames.[7] While the metaphors are comedic, Jesus means don’t hide your light. Let your light shine and, in doing so, the good works that come from the light will point to God. It’s a subtle point but it’s an important one.

We talk in Lutheran Christian circles about God’s movement to us. God showing up in Jesus. We don’t build a ladder to God. God brings God’s self to us. When we hear this, more than a few of us might be thinking, “Huh, I don’t think I’m salt and light, God must have missed me with the saltshaker because I can be a real jerk.” This may be good news for you because of course we can be jerks. But God calls us back by our baptisms, over and over, to remind us that we are salt and light and that we are free to be salt and light. We, the church, all y’all, are salt and light together. Being salt and light is a group experience that leads to group projects. The church word for group projects is ministry. We work together to figure out what ministry looks like, who we advocate with, and how we spend our time. Ministry can get bogged down in fear or worry about being taken advantage of, about giving an inch and someone taking a mile.

That’s why Jesus’ speech about the law and commandments follow the salt and light comments. Not as a way to lord righteousness over our neighbors or as a performance to get their attention. [8] Rather, commandments are given to us as a way to live well with our neighbors, to be who God says we are in relationship with our neighbors. To give that inch. Inches become miles as we live into the law as salt and light, preserving life and brightening experience.

The Gospel of Matthew can be tricky because it appears that there was stress within the 1st century Matthean community between Jews and Jewish Christians. As we continue this year’s journey through the Gospel of Matthew, it matters how we talk and think about our Jewish cousins in the faith. Some readings like ours today are an example of that 1st century stress and can be misconstrued to be anti-Jew or anti-law, as if somehow Jesus found the Jewish tradition lacking and in need of an overhaul.[9] The verses about following the law connect Jesus’ teaching with Moses as an expansion of the covenant.[10] The expression, “cousins in the faith” acknowledges that both Christianity and Rabbinic Judaism grew like branches from the trunk of the Hebrew Bible that Christians call the Old Testament. Rabbinic Judaism grew like one branch while Christianity grew like another branch at about the same time during the 1st century.[11]

Long before rabbinic Judaism, the prophet Isaiah said that feeding the hungry, covering the naked, and loosening the bonds of injustice by freeing the oppressed shall break forth your light like the dawn. At the time Isaiah wrote this, Jerusalem was a mess as returning exiles tried to rebuild society with those who were already there.[12] There was cynicism and power grabs. Isaiah’s admonition was to be open-hearted and generous, to rebuild the ruins and make the city a safe place to live for everyone.[13] The prophets had long challenged our Jewish cousins in the faith to live into their God-given light-filled dawn. It’s what the biblical prophets were all about. This is the justice to which God calls us. Feeding, clothing, and freeing. Giving an inch like we’re doing on Undie Sunday with personal care kits for refugees and collecting underwear and socks for children. Small inches that become miles.

“All ya’ll are salt and light,” Jesus said. Together as the church, we dip back into this baptismal promise on a daily, sometimes minute-to-minute, basis–resting not on human wisdom but on the power of God made vulnerable in Christ Jesus and him crucified.[14] Salt does not exist for itself, it enhances other things.[15] The gospel is personal, but not private. It is individual, but not individualistic. There are dark nights of the soul and body when individual faith is sustaining. But faith unified in the church is for the sake of the world.

In a minute we’ll sing, “This little light of mine, I’m gonna let it shine.” We sing it together even though we say, “mine.” It’s a together thing because it gets at what Jesus announces to his disciples. We are public followers who shine, we don’t tuck faith away.[16] We are a people infused with the characteristics of God—gracious and merciful.[17] We don’t claim perfection. We point to the One who is with us.

The light of Christ shining through the cross is not permission to do whatever we want when we want. Being salty and shiny moves us by inches that add up to miles. Christ’s light shines the transforming power of faith through our congregation, through all y’all, as we let our lights shine.

Thanks be to God and amen.

________________________________________________

[1] “Salty” is a word used as urban slang to mean bitter or upset. https://knowyourmeme.com/memes/salty#:~:text=According%20to%20the%20Online%20Etymology%20Dictionary%2C%20the%20U.S.,as%20%22looking%20stupid%E2%80%A6%20because%20of%20something%20you%20did%22.

[2] Laura Numeroff, If You Give a Mouse a Cookie (New York City: Scholastic, 2011).

[3] Taryn Trussell, personal conversation and art montage of the question made of wood, cloth, and metal, 2026. What if I want to give an inch?

[4] Melanie A. Howard, Associate Professor and Program Director of Biblical and Theological Studies, Fresno Pacific University, CA. Commentary on Matthew 5:13-20 for Workingpreacher.org. https://www.workingpreacher.org/commentaries/revised-common-lectionary/fifth-sunday-after-epiphany/commentary-on-matthew-513-20-5

[5] Ibid.

[6] Howard, Ibid.

[7] Rolf Jacobson, Professor of Old Testament, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, MN. Podcast on the lectionary readings for February 8, 2026. #1067: Fifth Sunday after Epiphany – February 8, 2026 – Working Preacher from Luther Seminary

[8] Ibid.

[9] Howard, Ibid.

[10] Ibid.

[11] Rabbi Brian Field, Denver, CO. Founding and Former Rabbi of Judaism Your Way.

[12] Matt Skinner, Professor of New Testament, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, MN. Podcast on the lectionary readings for February 8, 2026. #1067: Fifth Sunday after Epiphany – February 8, 2026 – Working Preacher from Luther Seminary

[13] Ibid.

[14] 1 Corinthians 2:1-2

[15] Karoline Lewish, Professor of Preaching, Luther Seminary, St. Paul, MN. Podcast on the lectionary readings for February 8, 2026. #1067: Fifth Sunday after Epiphany – February 8, 2026 – Working Preacher from Luther Seminary

[16] Jacobson, Ibid.

[17] Lewis, Ibid.

_________________________________

Isaiah 58:1-12

Shout out; do not hold back!
Lift up your voice like a trumpet!
Announce to my people their rebellion,
to the house of Jacob their sins.
2 Yet day after day they seek me
and delight to know my ways,
as if they were a nation that practiced righteousness
and did not forsake the ordinance of their God;
they ask of me righteous judgments;
they want God on their side.
3 “Why do we fast, but you do not see?
Why humble ourselves, but you do not notice?”
Look, you serve your own interest on your fast day
and oppress all your workers.
4 You fast only to quarrel and to fight
and to strike with a wicked fist.
Such fasting as you do today
will not make your voice heard on high.
5 Is such the fast that I choose,
a day to humble oneself?
Is it to bow down the head like a bulrush
and to lie in sackcloth and ashes?
Will you call this a fast,
a day acceptable to the Lord?

6 Is not this the fast that I choose:
to loose the bonds of injustice,
to undo the straps of the yoke,
to let the oppressed go free,
and to break every yoke?
7 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry
and bring the homeless poor into your house;
when you see the naked, to cover them
and not to hide yourself from your own kin?
8 Then your light shall break forth like the dawn,
and your healing shall spring up quickly;
your vindicator shall go before you;
the glory of the Lord shall be your rear guard.
9a Then you shall call, and the Lord will answer;
you shall cry for help, and he will say, “Here I am.”
[

9b If you remove the yoke from among you,
the pointing of the finger, the speaking of evil,
10 if you offer your food to the hungry
and satisfy the needs of the afflicted,
then your light shall rise in the darkness
and your gloom be like the noonday.
11 The Lord will guide you continually
and satisfy your needs in parched places
and make your bones strong,
and you shall be like a watered garden,
like a spring of water
whose waters never fail.
12 Your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt;
you shall raise up the foundations of many generations;
you shall be called the repairer of the breach,
the restorer of streets to live in.

1 Corinthians 2:1-12 When I came to you, brothers and sisters, I did not come proclaiming the testimony of God to you with superior speech or wisdom. 2 For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and him crucified. 3 And I came to you in weakness and in fear and in much trembling. 4 My speech and my proclamation were made not with persuasive words of wisdom but with a demonstration of the Spirit and of power, 5 so that your faith might rest not on human wisdom but on the power of God.

6 Yet among the mature we do speak wisdom, though it is not a wisdom of this age or of the rulers of this age, who are being destroyed. 7 But we speak God’s wisdom, a hidden mystery, which God decreed before the ages for our glory 8 and which none of the rulers of this age understood, for if they had, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory. 9 But, as it is written,
“What no eye has seen, nor ear heard,
nor the human heart conceived,
what God has prepared for those who love him”—
10 God has revealed to us through the Spirit, for the Spirit searches everything, even the depths of God. 11 For what human knows what is truly human except the human spirit that is within? So also no one comprehends what is truly God’s except the Spirit of God. 12 Now we have received not the spirit of the world but the Spirit that is from God, so that we may understand the gifts bestowed on us by God.