Matthew 25:31-46 “And He shall come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead.” With these words, or words like them, we regularly confess in the Creed our expectation that the momentous and sobering events described in today’s Gospel from St. Matthew will indeed happen. Christ will visibly descend to the earth…
Trinity 23 – Matthew 22:15-22 “Render therefore to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.” These words of our Lord, in today’s text from the Gospel according to St. Matthew, have always been seen as one of the chief proof passages in Scripture for the distinction we make…
Matthew 5:14-16 The parable of the Good Samaritan, which we heard in today’s Gospel from St. Luke, applies primarily to Jesus, and to the mercy he shows to us, who have been deeply wounded and left in the gutter by the world, the flesh, and the devil. Jesus is the Samaritan who picks us up…
Matthew 7:15-23 Jesus says, “Beware of false prophets.” Those of us who are familiar with the Bible know about this statement. For this reason, it doesn’t sound all that strange to us. But we need to realize that for most people today, the very concept of a false prophet, or of a true prophet, is…
Sermon Text: Matthew 13:24-30, 36-43 Please hear with me a reading from the 13th chapter of the Gospel according to St. Matthew, beginning at the 24th verse. Another parable [Jesus] put forth to them, saying: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field; but while men slept, his…
Easter Day – Matthew 27:62 – 28:15 Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! Today is the high festival of the Resurrection of Our Lord. To be sure, Easter is but one day in the church year. But it is the day that gives meaning to every other day. If the resurrection of Jesus had…
Sermon Text: Matthew 21:9-11 Before his arrival at Jerusalem on the first Palm Sunday, Jesus – who was known to be a descendant of the royal family of Israel – had also developed a reputation as an awe-inspiring wonder-worker. He had been very compassionate and generous in performing miracles for needy people. The hungry had…
Matthew 15:21-28 We think of Jesus as a Savior who loves us and accepts us, and who takes a very personal interest in each one of us. And we think of him as a Savior who treats everyone in this way – without the bigotries that so often taint us, and the way we feel…
Matthew 17:1-9 “It is good for us to be here.” These were the words of Peter, recorded in today’s Gospel from St. Matthew, as he spoke on behalf of himself, James, and John, on the mount of transfiguration. Of course, it could only be a good thing for them to be there, because the Lord…
Matthew 8:1-13 The ministry of Jesus was marked by many physical healings, which he performed for those who were sick, lame, blind, deaf, or even dead. Usually, when he healed someone, he spoke to and over that person, and also touched the person. St. Luke informs us of an earlier time when Jesus was in…