Alix Pridgen

The Rev. Alix D. Pridgen
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Weekly sermons delivered at Lutheran Church of the Resurrection in Prairie Village, KS

  1. 4D AGO

    The Morning Star Rises

    “Be attentive… as to a light shining in a dark place” — a word for a loud and unsettled age. The world feels loud right now — constant news, constant reaction, constant pressure to respond. In this Transfiguration sermon on 2 Peter 1:16–21, we listen to Peter’s calm witness: Christian faith is not built on speculation or spin, but on encounter — “we were eyewitnesses of his majesty.” Rather than offering quick answers or taking sides, this message explores how a culture of urgency reshapes our inner life, fragmenting attention and narrowing compassion. Peter points us to a different posture: attentiveness, like “a light shining in a dark place.” The promise of the gospel is not escape from the world, but transformation within it. As the Spirit presses the light of Christ inward, the “morning star rises in our hearts,” bringing steadiness where there was agitation and presence where there was distraction.

    9 min

  2. FEB 3

    Blessed are You

    Blessed Are You—Even NowEpiphany 4A | Matthew 5:1–12 | Numbers 6:24–26 We often think of blessing as evidence that life is going well—health, stability, success, peace. But in the Beatitudes, Jesus speaks blessing in places we would least expect: poverty of spirit, grief, mercy-weariness, persecution, longing, and quiet endurance. In this sermon for Epiphany, Rev. Dr. Alix Pridgen invites us to hear Jesus’ words not as imperatives to strive toward, but as pronouncements that reshape reality itself. These are not “be-attitudes” or conditions for future favor. They are declarations spoken in the present tense:Blessed are you… for yours is the kingdom of God. Through rich biblical reflection and a deeply human story of an overlooked grocery store worker who is seen, helped, and named as worthy, this sermon explores how blessing works—not as denial of suffering, but as God’s promise spoken within it. Listeners are reminded that: The kingdom of God meets us where our strength runs out Mercy is costly, and Jesus knows that cost Longing for justice is itself holy Every word of blessing bends the world closer to God’s future The sermon closes by calling us into the sacred work Jesus entrusts to us: to bless what is with the promise of what will be, trusting that every word of mercy allows heaven to lean closer. Blessed are you. Not someday. Not when things improve. But now.

    12 min

  3. JAN 27

    Living As One

    In a world that insists on dividing us—by politics, class, geography, and identity—this sermon asks a piercing question straight from Paul’s letter to the Corinthians: “Has Christ been divided?” Rev. Dr. Alix Pridgen invites us to step out of the noise of competing allegiances and into the deeper truth of the Gospel: unity is not something we manufacture, defend, or negotiate. Unity is God’s gift. Drawing from Scripture, real‑life stories, and the rich imagery of quilt‑making, this message explores how the Holy Spirit stitches our mismatched lives into a single, grace‑made tapestry. Unity is not consensus. It’s not perfection. It’s a courageous way of being that chooses relationship over rivalry, presence over avoidance, and hope over fear. In this episode, you’ll hear: Why division feels so natural—and why it steals more than we realize What Paul’s challenge to Corinth has to say to our fractured world How God weaves the loud and the quiet, the broken and the brave, into one Body Practical, everyday practices for living as a people shaped by reconciliation Whether you’re wrestling with relational fractures, longing for healing, or simply trying to stay rooted in a polarized world, this sermon offers a compassionate reminder: Christ is not divided. And by grace, neither are we. “We are many—but made one.”“We are pieces—but God is the One who stitches.”“We are held—before we know how to hold one another.”

    11 min

  4. JAN 6

    When God Moves In

    We’re used to a God who visits. A God who shows up for a season, a service, a holy day—and then politely stays out of the way. But the Gospel of John tells a different story. The Word became flesh and dwelt among us. God didn’t stop by. God moved in. In this episode, we sit with the unsettling and hopeful truth that God has taken up residence in the middle of ordinary life. Not just in sanctuaries and sacred moments, but in kitchens and waiting rooms, in unfinished conversations and unresolved grief. A God who moves in notices things. Jesus walks past the rooms we’ve carefully curated and opens doors we hoped would stay shut. He touches pain we’ve learned to live with and sits with people we’ve learned to avoid. And yet—this nearness is not a threat. It is grace. Because a God who dwells among us is close enough to hear the sigh that never becomes a prayer, close enough to shine light without shame, close enough to hold what cannot be fixed. Christmas, John reminds us, is not something we pack away with the decorations. When Monday comes—when the calendar turns and life resumes its weight—Jesus is still here.

    18 min

  5. 12/27/2025

    Jesus Comes Here!

    “A decree goes out. Not a conversation. Not a question. Not a community forum. A decree. A registry. A journey demanded. A law passed in an office far away from those it would affect.No one asked if Mary was tired.No one asked if Joseph was worried.No one asked where they’d sleep… or what they’d eat… or who would be there when the baby came.Empire never asks those questions.”

    11 min

  6. 12/15/2025

    Jesus, Are You the One?

    John the Baptist is usually pictured waist-deep in the Jordan—wind in his hair, fire in his voice—calling the world to repent and get ready. But in Matthew 11, John isn’t outdoors. He’s chained in an underground dungeon, and the waiting has begun to press on everything he thought he knew. Advent 3A 2025 Advent 3A 2025 From the dark, John sends his question to Jesus: “Are you… the one who is to come, or should we wait… for another?” It’s not the question of someone trying to walk away—it’s the question of someone trying to hold on. Advent 3A 2025 Jesus doesn’t give John a timetable. He gives him a testimony—an invitation to look for God’s kingdom breaking in through mercy you can touch, in ordinary places where God keeps choosing life. And then comes a word of blessing for all who are waiting, questioning, and still showing up. Advent 3A 2025 Advent 3A 2025 Advent 3A 2025 Scripture: Matthew 11 Advent 3A 2025Sermon: “Are You the One?” — The Rev. Dr. Alix D. Pridgen Advent 3A 2025 In this episode:• When the future you imagined may not arrive• A brave, honest faith that asks real questions• Where to look for God’s “evidence” when nothing feels fixed• “Blessed are you…”—a word for the weary and the waiting

    9 min

  7. 12/07/2025

    Peace on Earth

    This Advent 2A message explores Isaiah’s stunning vision of a world remade in peace—a world where wolves nap beside lambs, children play safely near vipers, and creation remembers the harmony it was made for. Pastor Alix begins with a chilling story from Howard Thurman: a baby girl gently stroking a rattlesnake while the adults look on in breathless silence. From childhood encounters with Louisiana cottonmouths to the modern fear of “two-legged predators,” the sermon names the anxiety we carry in a world that feels perpetually on alert. Yet woven throughout are shimmering, real-world moments when a different story breaks through—unlikely friendships between animals, a neighbor offering help on a stairwell, glimpses of tenderness where we least expect them. Advent invites us to lean toward the world God is bringing to birth: a restored creation, a peace that isn’t fragile, and a God who is already shaping something new.

    14 min

  8. 11/24/2025

    Christ the King in a Secular World

    “Christ the King Sunday isn’t about power—it's about presence. On a hill with three crosses, a dying man whispers, ‘Jesus, remember me,’ and the dying King replies, ‘Today you will be with me.’ Maybe that’s where the kingdom really begins: in remembering, in mercy, in hope stronger than despair.”

    11 min
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About

Weekly sermons delivered at Lutheran Church of the Resurrection in Prairie Village, KS

Information

  • Creator
    The Rev. Alix D. Pridgen
  • Years Active
    2017 - 2026
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © All rights reserved
  • Show Website
    Alix Pridgen