1 Corinthians 10:1-13 “Now let that be a lesson to you.” When you were young, you probably heard that from your parents, as a response to some blunder that you committed, or that someone else committed, resulting in a bad outcome. They wanted you to avoid this blunder in the future. In today’s reading from…
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…
Romans 6:15-23 “For the wages of sin is death.” We all know what a wage is, especially in comparison to a gift. A wage is something you get as a consequence of your own work. A wage is something you earn. It is not given to you as a gift, with no strings attached. Rather,…
Sermon Text Luke 5:1-11 There are many in this world who think they are too smart to be a Christian. They know that it is necessary for Christians to believe in miracles: chiefly the miracle of the incarnation and the miracle of the resurrection; but also the many other miracles that took place during the…
Presentation of the Augsburg Confession – Romans 10:4-11 Today is the anniversary of the presentation of the Augsburg Confession, which occurred on June 25th, 1530. This is a commemoration that does appear on Lutheran church calendars, even though it is seldom observed. Reformation Sunday – the Sunday closest to October 31st – marks the occasion…
Sermon Text: Ephesians 2:11-22 One of the unique features of the worldview of the ancient Hebrews was their belief in the unity of the human race. In contrast to the myths and legends of other ancient peoples, which seldom acknowledged a common humanity with rival nations, the Hebrews believed that all human beings, from all…
Acts 2:1-21 We have now passed through the first half of the church year, punctuated especially by the four chief festivals of Christ: Christmas, Epiphany, Easter, and Ascension. These festivals mark vitally important events in the earthly life of our Savior. Today – the Day of Pentecost – is the chief festival of the church…
John 15 A few minutes ago, we sang a well-known Lutheran hymn about the ascension of our Lord that begins with a prayer of thanksgiving that might – at first thought – seem to be expressing an odd and unexpected sentiment: “We thank Thee, Jesus, dearest Friend, That Thou didst into heaven ascend.” If a…
James 1:16-21 “Do not be deceived, my beloved brethren. Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. Of His own will He brought us forth by the word of truth, that we might be a…