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Central Lutheran Church - Elk River
Weekly sermons from our Central Lutheran Church preaching team plus quick reflections from Pastor Ryan Braley.
Real talk, ancient wisdom, and honest questions — all designed to help you learn, grow, and find encouragement when you need it most.
At Central, our mission is simple: FOLLOW Jesus together, be a community where you BELONG, and LOVE our neighbors across the street and around the world.
Think deeper. Live freer. Share an episode with a friend and visit us in person anytime — you’re always welcome here in Elk River, MN.
Podcasting since 2023 • 280 episodes
Central Lutheran Church - Elk River
Latest Episodes
#129 - Scapegoat Season {Reflections}
A crowd can make good people do ugly things, and sometimes the scariest part is how normal it feels while it’s happening. We start with a haunting detail from Mark’s Gospel: while Jesus is being crucified, random passersby still stop to hurl in...
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12:38
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The Mocking with Sonja Knutson
Mockery feels small until it hits the core of who you are. On a snowy morning, we keep walking the Lenten journey to the cross and sit with one of the hardest scenes to read: Jesus being laughed at, dressed up, spat on, and publicly shamed. Son...
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16:15
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#128 - Your Boos Mean Nothing {Reflections}
The crowd can be loud, confident, and completely wrong. We’re in the Lenten stretch, and I want to talk about a trap that shows up everywhere from pop culture to politics to Holy Week: the madness of crowds and the craving to be approved by the...
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10:24
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The Cyrenian with Pastor Ryan Braley
A stranger is yanked from a crowd and everything changes. We follow Simon of Cyrene, an African pilgrim likely in Jerusalem for Passover, as he’s forced to shoulder Jesus’ cross—a single-verse moment that quietly reshapes church history and dis...
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32:31
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#127 - Head on a Swivel: Staying Awake in a Distracted World {Reflections}
What if the difference between a grounded life and a regretful one is as simple—and as hard—as paying attention? We connect three vivid scenes: a bodyguard’s rule for staying safe, a culture bent over its phones, and a midnight vigil in the Gar...
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11:10
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