Date: 15 August 2021
Sermon title: Saving Tradition
Preacher: Rev. Tapani Simojoki
Text: 1 Corinthians 15:1–10
Duration: 32min 28s
Trinity 11
Trinity 11
Date: 23 August 2020
Sermon title: Are You Pharisee or Publican?
Preacher: Rev. Tapani Simojoki
Text: Luke 18:9–14
Duration: 18min 23s
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Trinity 11
Date: 1 September 2019
Sermon title: Humility in the Face of My Sin
Preacher: Pastor Tapani Simojoki
Text: Luke 18:9-14
Duration: 32m 4s
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Trinity 11
Date: 12 August 2018
Sermon title: Humble Thanksgiving for God’s Grace
Preacher: Pastor Tapani Simojoki
Text: Luke 18:9–14
Duration: 24min 9s
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Trinity 11
Date: 7 August 2016
Text: Luke 18:9–14
In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Those of us who are familiar with the teachings of Jesus, and have been steeped in the Christian doctrine, know exactly what to think of this very familiar parable of Jesus. Our sympathy is with the tax collector, and we shake our heads in disbelief at the blind arrogance of the Pharisee. How can he be so blind to his own faults, and so oblivious to the mercy of God towards all sinners? How can he boast so blatantly of his spiritual achievements, and have so little concern for the salvation of his humble and penitent fellow-creature in the corner?
But before we settle down too comfortably, it might be worth asking how Jesus would tell the parable were he the one preaching this morning. Who is the Pharisee today, and who the tax collector? Is this a story told to comfort us, or to shake us out of our comfort zone?
So let’s remind ourselves who the Pharisees were. Far from the pantomime villains that we tend to think of, the Pharisees were the good people of their time. They were devout Jews who had dedicated their lives to the study of God’s word, and of applying God’s word to their lives. In the words of the New Testament letter of James, they strove to be more than just hearers of the word, and to be doers of the word as well.
Trinity 11
Date: 31 August 2014
Sermon title: Justified
Preacher: Pastor Tapani Simojoki
Text: Luke 18:10-14
Duration: 27min 21s
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Trinity 11
Date: 19 August 2012
Sermon title: Lord, Have Mercy
Preacher: Pastor Stephen van der Hoek (Gippsland Lutheran Parish, Australia)
Text: Luke 18:9–14
Duration: 13 min 58s
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Trinity 15
Date: 12 September 2021 Sermon title: Faith Dispels Fear Preacher: Rev. Tapani Simojoki Text: Matthew 6:24-34 Duration: 25min 25s
Trinity 14
Date: 5 September 2021 Sermon title: Works of the Flesh, Fruits of the Spirit Preacher: Rev. Tapani Simojoki Text: Galatians 5:16-22 Duration: 25min 5s
Martyrdom of St. John the Baptist
Date: 29 August 2021 Sermon title: Loving Straight Talk Preacher: Rev. Tapani Simojoki Text: Mark 6:14-29 Duration: 27min 29s
Trinity 11
Date: 15 August 2021 Sermon title: Saving Tradition Preacher: Rev. Tapani Simojoki Text: 1 Corinthians 15:1–10 Duration: 32min 28s
Trinity 10
Date: 8 August 2021 Sermon title: Spiritual Gifts Preacher: Rev. Tapani Simojoki Text: 1 Corinthians 12:1–11 Duration: 37min 1s
Trinity 9
Date: 1 August 2021 Sermon title: Finish the Race Preacher: Rev. Tapani Simojoki Text: 1 Corinthians 10:6–13 Duration: 25min 50s
Trinity 8
Date: 25 July 2021 Sermon title: Not Debtors to the Flesh Preacher: Rev. Tapani Simojoki Text: Romans 8:12–17 Duration: 29min 43s
Trinity 7
Date: 18 July 2021 Sermon title: Wages of Sin – Free Gift of God Preacher: Rev. Tapani Simojoki Text: Romans 6:19–23 Duration: 26min 54s
Trinity 6
Date: 11 July 2021 Sermon title: Balance of Law and Gospel? Preacher: Rev. Tapani Simojoki Text: Romans 6:1–11 Duration: 27min 8s
Trinity 5
Date: 4 July 2021 Sermon title: Never Alone, Never Defeated Preacher: Rev. Tapani Simojoki Text: 1 Kings 19:11–21 Duration: 25min 27s