Lent began with Jesus fasting. Immediately after He was baptized, the Holy Spirit led Him into the wilderness to face down the devil. During those 40 days, Jesus chose not […]
1 Corinthians, Lesson 14: Learning from Old-Covenant Israel
Paul continues to deal with the issue of whether it’s okay to eat the meat that was earlier sacrificed to idols. Paul used himself as an example to show how […]
How We Got the New Testament
This is our pastor’s newsletter article for April, 2015. It follows last month’s article, “How We Got the Old Testament,” which you can read by clicking here. ——— The Early Church […]
Isaiah 53:7-9: Where’s the Justice?
“Where’s the justice?” People have felt so slighted so often that we even have an experssion that has become part of our language: “Where’s the justice?” Part of it is […]
1 Corinthians, Lesson 13: Christian Freedom
Paul continues to deal with the issue of whether it’s okay to eat the meat that was earlier sacrificed to idols. Last week, we saw Paul deal directly with that […]
John 8:42-49: For you and because of you
For you—two words of supreme significance! Without them, a Christian veers away from Word and Sacrament, trying to find some assurance that he really is saved. He could look to […]
Isaiah 53:4-5, Wisdom 2:17-24, Matthew 27:41-43: Jesus eternally heals us
During these Lenten midweek services, we have pondered passages from the Prophet Isaiah. We considered the startling contrast between what Christ physically looked like in His suffering and how beautiful […]
1 Corinthians, Lesson 12: It’s Not About “Rights”
Paul is viewing life based on the reality that Christ could return at any time. Jesus’ birth, death, and ascension into heaven means that God has accomplished everything needed for […]
John 6:1-15: Jesus calls into being what was earlier not there
Like the crowd in today’s Gospel reading, you have many worries. They were hurting. They started to follow Jesus because they had seen Him heal the sick. Like you, they […]
Isaiah 52:14, 53:2-3: No one is too ugly for Jesus
Let’s face it: we’ve all seen people who aren’t considered the height of beauty. Some of you may even look at yourselves in the morning and remember days gone by […]