If anyone thought that he could be a god in the place of God, Joseph might have thought that. After all, he was second in command of Egypt, the powerful empire of his day. The only authority higher than Joseph was Pharaoh himself. And Pharaoh thought that he was divine. So it might be that […]
Church is not Optional: Luke 14:15-24, Hebrews 10:22-39
July 3, 2011 by
The parable in today’s Gospel reading is one confrontation in a sea of confrontations by Jesus with the Pharisees. But Jesus told today’s particular parable when He was eating dinner at the house of a “prominent Pharisee” (Luke 14:1). So, the dinner story line in today’s parable was meant to hit home, as the Pharisees […]
Why the Lutheran Church is a Liturgical Church
July 1, 2011 by
In our discussions with the Roman Catholic Church in the 1500s, we made this statement about who we are as Lutherans: “The Mass is held among us and celebrated with the highest reverence” (AC 24, 1). The “Mass” is a Divine Service with the Lord’s Supper. What we were saying is that our worship services […]
God is Love: 1 John 4:19
June 27, 2011 by
Pastor Iromar Schreiber was our guest pastor on June 26th. Here is the sermon he preached on the theme, “God is Love.” Ever since our Fall into sin, we have been trying to find the love we have lost in our first paradise. Every day, we see this yearning in TV, magazines, and the internet […]
Tobit Who?
June 21, 2011 by
Many of you know I’m an enthusiast of hymns. Here’s an old hymn that you’ve probably never heard of, which isn’t in Lutheran Service Book. The hymn is O Starker Gott, Herre Zebaoth, which would be “Almighty God, Father, Lord of Armies.” This hymn is intriguing. It has 35 stanzas! But that’s all right, because […]
John 3:1-15: Born of Water and Spirit
June 19, 2011 by
Our Lutheran father in the faith, Philip Melanchthon, wrote, “The mysteries of God are to be adored, rather than investigated” (Loci Communes, 1521 edition). He is correct. For after confessing the faith in the words of the Athanasian Creed, who can fully explore, let alone, understand what we just confessed? In the Athanasian Creed, we […]
Holy Matrimony of Brandon Ponce and Jessica Marmon
June 18, 2011 by
This is a beautiful wedding story. Both Brandon and Jessica are members of a sister congregation, Holy Cross in Collinsville, Illinois. However, they wanted to be married here in Kimberling City. So this what happened: they received all their marriage counseling and preparation there and I, as a pastor in a sister congregation, married them […]
Walking by Faith and Not by Sight in Christian Caregiving
June 16, 2011 by
As Christians, God calls each of us to “walk by faith, not by sight” (2 Corinthians 5:7). This means our orientation in life comes from God and His revelation to us, Scripture–even if they happen to contradict our experiences. Of course, we naturally want to do whatever works. This is the business model (diagram to […]
God’s Purposes in Marriage
June 15, 2011 by
As I prepare to marry a young couple, I contemplate again God’s reasons for marriage. Marriage is for companionship. It is also for the procreation of children. But largely forgotten is its role in our salvation. Here’s a 50th-wedding anniversary sermon I preached from the archives on that topic. You have an oriental rug, old, […]
