If you look at the Church with the eyes of your body, the Church can often be a despicable mess. Think of how one hymn describes her: “Though with a scornful wonder the world sees her oppressed, by schisms rent asunder, by heresies distressed” (LSB 644, stanza 3). And that hymn doesn’t even mention the […]
Reformation: Remaining in Jesus
October 26, 2014 by
“We hold that someone is justified by faith, apart from the works of the law” (Romans 3:28). Can it get any clearer than that? All have sinned and continue to fall short of God’s glory, but they are justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus (Romans 3:23-24). “Freely” means […]
Isaiah, chapter 45: God Hides Himself
October 19, 2014 by
150 years before his birth, the prophet Isaiah foretold of him, told us his name, and the tasks that God had chosen for him to do. His name was Cyrus. Cyrus was the only Gentile whom God spoke of as “His anointed.” Using a Hebraic expression, “the right hand,” God said that He had grasped […]
Sermon for the Wedding of Richard Bell and Diane Sancken
September 27, 2014 by
Our pastor had the joy of joining Rick Bell and Diane Sancken in holy matrimony at Big Cedar Lodge, Ridgedale, Missouri. They are members of an LC-MS congregation in northern Illinois and received all their marriage counseling there. Then, wanting to be married amid the beauty of the local area, the actual marriage rite took […]
St. Matthew, Apostle and Evangelist– Matthew 20:1-16
September 22, 2014 by
While walking one day, a pastor noticed a place where many people of Middle-Eastern descent would meet. Later, this pastor found out that the FBI was secretly watching that meeting place because ISIS was using it to recruit people to become terrorists. One day, while walking past that place, that same pastor met a man […]
Sermon for Holy Cross Day
September 14, 2014 by
The great event took place in 326 AD. Helen, the mother of Constantine, the emperor of the eastern half of the Roman Empire, found the “true” cross of Christ. After her son had made Christianity the official religion of the Roman Empire, Helen went searching the religious sites in the Holy Land. During an excavation, […]
Romans 13:1-10: The Gift of Government
September 7, 2014 by
The Europeans have an expression: “All roads lead to Rome.” That expression came about because, for many centuries, Rome was the world’s main center of power. And back then, many of the major roads did lead to Rome. That’s what connected Rome to its Empire–its massive set of roadways, many of which still exist to […]
Matthew 16:21-28: Jesus Must Go Forth to Die
August 31, 2014 by
Whenever Jesus says that He must or has to do something, we should stop and take notice. In our Gospel reading for today, Jesus said, “He must go to Jerusalem and suffer a great deal from the elders, chief priests, and scribes, and that he must be killed and raised on the third day.” When […]
