Matthew 15:21-28 “I was not sent except to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.” These words of our Lord, as recorded in today’s Gospel from St. Matthew, might seem harsh and cruel, especially in the context in which he spoke them. But he was simply stating the truth, as far as his vocation…
Psalm 51:1-4 1 Have mercy upon me, O God, According to Your lovingkindness; According to the multitude of Your tender mercies, Blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash me thoroughly from my iniquity, And cleanse me from my sin. 3 For I acknowledge my transgressions, And my sin is always before me. 4 Against You, You…
Matthew 4:1-4 St. Matthew tells us in today’s Gospel that, after his baptism, “Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil.” If the Son of God was tempted by the devil, then it should not surprise us that the devil is more than willing to tempt everyone…
Not long ago, on a public social media platform on the internet, a recent convert to Confessional Lutheranism expressed some misgivings about the themes and emphases of Lenten services in this person’s new church. This person had come from a church where Lent was never discussed, and where no such special season was observed. Instead,…
Due to a technical issue, a video recording of this sermon is unavailable. Quinquagesima – Luke 6:27-31 In today’s lesson from his First Epistle to the Corinthians, St. Paul tells us that “Love suffers long and is kind; love does not envy; love does not parade itself, is not puffed up; does not behave rudely,…
Sexagesima – Isaiah 55:10-13 “The pen is mightier than the sword.” This familiar axiom reminds us that the power of words – both written and spoken – can be and is greater, and more enduring, than the power of force and violence. External threats and coercive pressure can change people’s bodily actions, and make them…
Hebrews 3:12-19 “Beware, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God; but exhort one another daily, while it is called ‘Today,’ lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partakers of Christ, if we hold the beginning…
Luke 9:28-36 Please listen with me to a portion of St. Luke’s account of the transfiguration of Jesus, from chapter 9 of his Gospel, beginning in the 28th verse: “[Jesus] took Peter, John, and James, and went up on the mountain to pray. As He prayed, the appearance of His face was altered, and His…
Mark 4:35-41 Please listen with me to St. Mark’s version of the story that we heard in today’s Gospel from St. Matthew, in St. Mark chapter 4, beginning at the 35th verse. “On the same day, when evening had come, [Jesus] said to them, “Let us cross over to the other side.” Now when they…
St. Titus Titus 1:1-9 St. Titus was a companion of St. Paul and a coworker with him in the ministry of the gospel. The New Testament does not give us a lot of detail about his life, but it would seem that he was originally from Antioch, where he became a Christian within the congregation…