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…
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…
John 10:11-18 Jesus said: “I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd gives His life for the sheep. But a hireling, he who is not the shepherd, one who does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and flees; and the wolf catches the sheep and scatters them. The hireling…
Easter 2 – John 20:19-31 St. John tells us in his Gospel that on the evening of the first day of the week, the doors were locked where the disciples were, “for fear of the Jews.” The disciples of Christ, as they huddled together on the evening of that first Easter, were afraid. They were…
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…
Easter Dawn – 1 Corinthians 5:6b-8 Christ is risen! He is risen indeed! For the nation of Israel, their ancestors’ miraculous deliverance from slavery in Egypt – crystalized especially in the events surrounding the first Passover – was a fundamental component of their identity as a people. If anyone would ever wonder if the ten…
The Old Testament priesthood – comprised of the descendants of Aaron the Levite, the brother of Moses – offered regular and special annual sacrifices, to atone for the sins of the people of Israel, according to the ritual requirements of the Mosaic Law. But, as the Apology of the Augsburg Confession explains, “The law called…
Are you a member? There are lots of times and places when we might be asked such a question, such as when we try to enter a private golf course, or when we try to purchase something from an organization at a members-only discounted price. If you are a member of certain clubs and organizations,…
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…
Genesis 22:1-18 Think about someone right now whom you would consider a friend. You are more than likely thinking about someone with whom you have some significant shared experiences, or whose life experiences are similar to yours. The closest friends we have tend to be people like this. Those common experiences serves as a bonding…