The newly reorganized CUW Chapel YouTube Channel makes it easy to access and listen to a treasure trove of past Chapel sermons.
We all know the best way to experience a sermon from one of CUW’s gifted preachers is to physically attend our daily campus Chapel service. “The gathering in person that we do every day is really the heart of our worship here at Concordia,” reminds Campus Pastor Rev. Steve Smith.
So let’s call that “Plan A.” But certainly there are going to be times when you just can’t make it, or want to share a sermon with someone else, or just listen again to refresh your mind on a recent sermon. That’s where the newly revamped CUW Chapel YouTube channel comes in handy.
Archived sermons on YouTube are not new, but now our digital gatekeepers have made it easier to find and play videos based on topics such as “Family,” “Grace,” “Prayer,” “Service,” and so on. By clicking on the “Search” icon, you can also look for sermons by name of the preacher or other keywords.
“It’s an ongoing project,” said Justin Frisque, assistant director, AV/educational technology. “Not all the sermons are sorted by category yet, and we’ll be adding new categories as needed. So check back frequently to see the progress.”
“It’s a great way to tap into some of our rich history here,” Smith added. “We really are blessed to have just a wonderful mix of preachers, who fill us up with God’s Word, what we need to hear, with law and gospel, every single day.
“You’ll even find sermons from some people who are recently retired, like President Emeritus Ferry, who has sermons archived there, and some of our beloved theology faculty from recent years, their sermons are still there, too. So it’s hard to get anything less than a great message when you tune in to the YouTube channel!”
The Chapel YouTube channel can be accessed at youtube.com/user/CUWChapel/. For the “live” version, please join us weekdays at 9:30 a.m. in the Chapel of Christ Triumphant. A livestream option is also available at cuw.edu/chapelstream.
Postscript
So here’s real-life, real-time example of why the YouTube channel is awesome, but one that also illuminates why in-person worship is even better. When I was looking for a screen grab of Pastor Smith in Chapel to illustrate this piece, after I had written it, these are the words I “just happened” to catch him saying, from a sermon in October 2020:
“Let me bring up a point about worship. So ‘you,’ singular, can worship God. But it’s so much better when ‘you,’ plural, can worship together. I love livestreaming because it’s gotten us through some difficult times, and it’s continuing to help build who we are as a community. But when we are together here, even with masks and restrictions, it’s just different. ‘When Thou [gestures upward] art with me,’ it is a blessing to me. But ‘when ye [gestures outward] art with me,’ it is even more of a blessing.”
Amen.
For more information about worship services at CUW, please visit the Campus Worship page at cuw.edu.
— This story is written by Mike Zimmerman, corporate communications manager for Concordia University Wisconsin. He may be reached at michael.zimmerman@cuw.edu or 262-243-4380.
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