Romans 8:23b-25 Please listen with me to these words from the 8th chapter of St. Paul’s Epistle to the Romans, beginning in the 23rd verse: “We also who have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, eagerly waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body. For we were saved in…
Psalm 34:1-2, 11, 22 Because we are using the Chorale Service today, we are not singing the Introit that is appointed for the Festival of the Reformation. But if we were, this is what it would be, from Psalm 34: “I will bless the Lord at all times; His praise shall continually be in my…
Sermon Text: Ephesians 5:15-21 The image of someone drinking alcohol alone – often drinking to excess – is not a happy picture. But the moderate use of wine or alcohol in a group, on social occasions, can often contribute in a positive way to the cheerful atmosphere of such a gathering. Psalm 104 declares that…
Genesis 28:10-17 One of the common beliefs that was held by the pagan idolaters of the ancient world, was the idea that certain deities were attached to certain geographical places, and served as special guardians and patrons for the people who lived in those specific geographical places. So, based on where they were at any…
1 Corinthians 1:4-18 Today’s sermon text is taken from the second section of today’s Epistle lesson, and from several verses that follow this section, beyond what we read a few minutes ago. In his First Epistle to the Corinthians, chapter one, verses 4 through 18, St, Paul writes: “I thank my God always concerning you…
Ephesians 4:1-16 Christians are supposed to be confident. But as they are confident, they are also supposed to be humble. Is that a contradiction? Well, it might seem to be, if you equate confidence with arrogance, and if you equate being humble with being demeaned. From that perspective, people, in their pride, would want to…
Galatians 5:16-24 The primary thrust of St. Paul’s Epistle to the Galatians is summarized in this passage from chapter 2 of that letter, where the apostle writes: “We know that a person is not justified by works of the law but through faith in Jesus Christ, so we also have believed in Christ Jesus, in…
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…
Genesis 4:1-15 Cain, the fratricidal son of Adam and Eve, is treated in Scripture as being among the most heinous of villains. St. John writes in his First Epistle: “Whoever does not practice righteousness is not of God, nor is he who does not love his brother. For this is the message that you heard…
Romans 9:30-10:4 What does it mean to “pursue righteousness”? That’s not a phrase that we hear very often. Does this mean that people today don’t pursue righteousness? Or does this mean that they describe and define this pursuit in different ways, with different terms? Well, to be righteous, or to have righteousness, means that things…