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 […]
Good Friday: Into Your Hands…
March 25, 2016 by
It is the end. Jesus now prays, “Father, into Your hands I entrust my spirit.” You may find it surprising: Jesus did not originate that prayer. In our Lord’s day, thousands prayed the same prayer every day. For it was the common bedtime prayer for the Jews of the first century. Today, our bedtime prayer […]
How Religious Are We as a People?
March 25, 2016 by
This is our pastor’s article for the April 2016 edition of our congregational newsletter. A year or so ago, my eyes took in a graph showing the “measure of aggregate religiosity” in the United States over the last 60 years. The chart displayed a whiz-bang of statistics, which used computer algorithms to track a […]
Maundy Thursday Sermon: Remembering… for you
March 24, 2016 by
Our God is a God of ritual. He commanded His Old-Covenant people to take part in a yearly ritual: The Passover meal. In the first Passover, God freed His people from their slavery in Egypt. Every year after their liberation, God told the Israelites to remember the first Passover by eating a meal, which God […]
