This is our pastor’s newsletter article for May 2016 on the resurrection of the body. We speak of this reality: For every action, there is an equal and opposite reaction. In Church history, however, this may be an understatement. For what happens if you define yourself by what you are not, instead of who you are? […]
1 Maccabees 4:36-51, John 10:22-33
April 17, 2016 by
Today, we are following Jesus. We walk behind Him, and He makes His way to the Temple to celebrate a festival. For us, it is spring; for Jesus, the season is now winter. So, Jesus chooses to make His way to the Temple to celebrate a religious festival God never commanded for His people. Why […]
Our Life with God, Lesson 3
April 17, 2016 by
Being More than Beggars, We also Join with the Saints and Angels in Eternity In our Christian lives, as we journey from the font to the grave, we walk before God the Father as beggars. But that isn’t the full story. We may be beggars, but we also associate with the holy angels! In Christ […]
Sola Fide: Faith Alone
April 17, 2016 by
What “Faith Alone” means “Faith alone” is a common phrase we Lutherans use. “Faith alone” means that we cannot save ourselves, which also means that our works don’t save us either. God is our Savior. So, how then does faith fit in? Faith is a gift, which God gives to someone in the ways He […]
Acts 9:1-22: The God of Surprises
April 10, 2016 by
God is full of surprises. He looks down from heaven at the sin and rebellion mounting against Him by those whom He created. But instead of destroying them all in righteous anger, deep, passionate love moves Him to send His Son to die for their sins. You may be so used to the Gospel that […]
John 3:5, 16: Donna Defferding’s Funeral Sermon
April 10, 2016 by
We face death as we face life—with our eyes fixed on Jesus. We cling to the promises of His Word, which, when facing death, seem even more incredible and powerful. We find one of our Lord’s most beautiful promises in John chapter 14: “In My Father’s house are many rooms; if that were not so, […]
Our Life with God, Lesson 2: Remaining Receivers… Beggars?
April 10, 2016 by
“We are beggars. That is true.” These were the last thoughts of Dr. Martin Luther on the day before he died. (Martin Luther, LW 54, 476) Unlike Kimberling City, beggars filled the streets of towns and cities in the ancient world and approached the people walking past them. Most of these beggars couldn’t work because […]
John 20:19-31: Forgive and Retain Sins
April 10, 2016 by
Locked doors—the disciples hide behind them in fear. They fear arrest and execution, for that happened to Jesus. Why should events be different for them? His body was missing, and His tomb was empty. Who took the body? Where was He buried now? Peter and John went to the tomb and entered it. The bodiless […]
Our Life with God, Lesson 1: It Begins with Receiving
April 10, 2016 by
In 1 Corinthians 4:7, St. Paul confronted the Christian congregation at Corinth. Since they had the Holy Spirit, they thought they were in charge of their spiritual life—they were the owners, not the receivers. Paul wrote, “What do you have that you didn’t receive? And if you received it, why do you boast as if […]
He is risen!
March 27, 2016 by
“Why do you look for the living among the dead?” (Luke 24:5). A reasonable question to ask. What did the women seek, early on that Sunday morning? They woke up early to finish Jesus’ burial. He died the Friday before, and the Sabbath arrived too early to prepare His body for the tomb. So, the […]
