The life of a Christian is often a hard life. Temptations abound, always trying to lure us away from God. The devil preys on our weaknesses, which are often way too willing to follow him instead of God. And so the book of Hebrews tells us to “fix our eyes on Jesus, the source and […]
1 Peter 2:21-25: Living the Life of Christ
April 14, 2013 by
Jesus practiced what he preached. He said: You have heard it was said, “Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.” But I say to you, love your enemies, and pray for those who persecute you [Matthew 5:43-44]. Jesus lived as He preached. Others cursed Him, but He blessed them in return. Others hated Him, but […]
John 20:19-23: The Forgiving and Retaining of Sins
April 7, 2013 by
What brings to someone God’s forgiveness? For example, why does baptism forgive sins but not watching a beautiful sunset? Why does the Lord’s Supper forgive sins but not playing a round of golf? And how can absolution give God’s forgiveness when it’s words spoken from a man? How can God forgive in such ways? It’s […]
1 Corinthians 15:19-26: Christ, the First Crop of the Harvest
March 31, 2013 by
“I know that my Redeemer lives” is a confession of faith. Yet, the Apostle Paul asserted a couple of verses before our Epistle reading: “If Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is useless and so is your faith” (1 Corinthians 15:14). But then in verse 20 of our Epistle reading, Paul cries out: […]
First Quarter’s Voters’ Meeting
March 31, 2013 by
Our first quarterly Voter’s Meeting for the year is now on April 4th at 7:00 PM. We’ll also have a potluck supper before the meeting at 6:00 PM.
Isaiah 52:13-53:12: Meditating on the Crucifix
March 29, 2013 by
As Lutherans, we have a long and noble tradition of meditating on the crucifixion of Christ. For example, Luther invited people to use the crucifix as a way to help them meditate on Christ’s crucifixion. Part of that tradition is our services on Good Friday. In the 12th century, a monk, Bernard of Clairvaux, wrote […]
Exodus 12:1-14: Christ, Our Passover Lamb
March 28, 2013 by
The first Passover was a horrific and gruesome night, a night unlike any that Egypt had ever seen. At twilight, the Israelites slaughtered thousands of lambs, ate their flesh, and brushed their blood on the doorposts of their houses. Because the lambs died, the Israelites lived. But for the Egyptians, that night of death was […]
Palm Sunday Sermon
March 24, 2013 by
Today, we’re saddled with an Old Testament that Jesus and His disciples didn’t use. They used the Septuagint, which was the Old Testament translated into Greek. But what distinguishes their Old Testament from ours even more is that it had books that our Old Testament is lacking. Those were also books that we Lutherans had […]
Hebrews 13:9-16: We Have an Altar
March 20, 2013 by
Although Lutherans don’t follow religious dietary laws about what we may or may not eat, many do. Muslims do, Jews do, and so do Seventh-Day Adventists. Roman Catholics also have days where they may not eat certain foods. Yet, we also know that if someone fasts or limits what he eats, that is a good, […]
Holy Week
March 20, 2013 by
Holy Week begins on Palm Sunday, March 24th. On Thursday, we will have a Maundy Thursday service, using a Lord’s Supper liturgy from the oldest liturgies in the New Testament Church. On Friday, we will remember our Lord’s death and the salvation He worked through that. Services times are: Palm Sunday: 9:30 AM Maundy Thursday: […]
