Growing In Christ

During Lent and Easter, the church moves from confession to forgiveness, from the entanglements of this world to freedom in Christ, from darkness to light. Michael Wuchter makes that same move in these twelve sermons. From the narratives of Genesis to a detailed explanation of the resurrection, from parades in France and Guatemala to hiking the Superior Trail, Wuchter takes us on a journey of God's grace. And as he says, this foray into God's love and mercy is "a grand adventure."

- Pastor John Morris Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Dublin, Ohio

Michael's sermons are sheer poetry. They bring such a strong emotional response for me that it is often days later that I realize the theological and intellectual authenticity and integrity of these sermons that had swept me off my feet emotionally. This is preaching at its finest. They are like Michael was in his life: artistic, deeply thoughtful, literate, engaging...stories well told. As Warden of the Cathedral College, home to the College of Preachers, I know excellence of preaching when I encounter it. Michael's sermons sing and dance.

- Reverend Canon Howard R. Anderson, Ph.D.
President and Warden, Cathedral College of Washington National Cathedral

These sermons carry us not only through the spring season but from the encounter of Adam and Eve with the snake to the time of our reflections anticipating death. In all of these arresting homilies, the personal, familial, societal, local/global connections to the Gospel are powerfully exposed.

- Daniel F. Martinsen Washington (D.C.) Theological Consortium Former Director, Department of Ecumenical Affairs, ELCA

Michael Wuchter's twin callings in parish and campus ministries come alive in these sermons. His concern for making the gospel relevant in a rapidly changing society is evident as one reads these messages based on sound biblical scholarship. This is great reading for all the people of God.

- Edwin L. Ehers Retired Bishop, New Jersey Lutheran Synod

Michael D. Wuchter was the senior pastor of First Lutheran Church in Duluth, Minnesota, when he suddenly passed away while traveling to Namibia. In addition to parish ministry, Wuchter also served for 18 years as university pastor at Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio.

In nature, spring is a time of rebirth and renewal as the earth shakes off its wintry slumber. In the church, spring is also a time of renewal. From the reflection and self-examination of Lent comes the new dawn of the risen Son at Easter. In Growing in Christ, Michael Wuchter reflects this season of renewal in such messages as "A Letter From Cousin John," "Explaining Resurrection," and "Parenting and Hiking." No matter the season, be it the scorching heat of summer or the bitter frost of winter, Growing in Christ can help us experience the newness of spring in our spirits.

During Lent and Easter, the church moves from confession to forgiveness, from the entanglements of this world to freedom in Christ, from darkness to light. Michael Wuchter makes that same move in these twelve sermons. From the narratives of Genesis to a detailed explanation of the resurrection, from parades in France and Guatemala to hiking the Superior Trail, Wuchter takes us on a journey of God's grace. And as he says, this foray into God's love and mercy is "a grand adventure."

- Pastor John Morris Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Dublin, Ohio

Michael's sermons are sheer poetry. They bring such a strong emotional response for me that it is often days later that I realize the theological and intellectual authenticity and integrity of these sermons that had swept me off my feet emotionally. This is preaching at its finest. They are like Michael was in his life: artistic, deeply thoughtful, literate, engaging...stories well told. As Warden of the Cathedral College, home to the College of Preachers, I know excellence of preaching when I encounter it. Michael's sermons sing and dance.

- Reverend Canon Howard R. Anderson, Ph.D.
President and Warden, Cathedral College of Washington National Cathedral

These sermons carry us not only through the spring season but from the encounter of Adam and Eve with the snake to the time of our reflections anticipating death. In all of these arresting homilies, the personal, familial, societal, local/global connections to the Gospel are powerfully exposed.

- Daniel F. Martinsen Washington (D.C.) Theological Consortium Former Director, Department of Ecumenical Affairs, ELCA

Michael Wuchter's twin callings in parish and campus ministries come alive in these sermons. His concern for making the gospel relevant in a rapidly changing society is evident as one reads these messages based on sound biblical scholarship. This is great reading for all the people of God.

- Edwin L. Ehers Retired Bishop, New Jersey Lutheran Synod

Michael D. Wuchter was the senior pastor of First Lutheran Church in Duluth, Minnesota, when he suddenly passed away while traveling to Namibia. In addition to parish ministry, Wuchter also served for 18 years as university pastor at Wittenberg University in Springfield, Ohio.

Graham Christian - Library Journal

Although its overall mood is one of light and openness, this volume is a memorial: its author, the pastor of the First Lutheran Church in Duluth, MN, died unexpectedly at the age of 54 in 2000. This is the third posthumous collection of his sermons, following Shining Through the Darkness and Uplifting Christ Through Autumn; its sermons range in date from the 1970s to shortly before Wuchter's death. Wuchter understood very well the curious mixture of the accessible and grandiloquent that characterize the sermon at its best. These sermons for the Lent and Easter season focus not just on the Resurrection but more humble themes like friendship and hiking; most poignantly, in light not just of Jesus' story but Wuchter's own, the final sermon reminds us, "We are all, of course, at any age, dying...the Spirit of truth will never abandon us as we face death." For most collections.