What is this nonsense? How can the Jews who were listening to Jesus say, “We are Abraham’s descendants; we’ve never been slaves of anyone”? Have they never read the Old Testament? Have they never eaten the Passover, which celebrated and remembered God rescuing them from their slavery in Egypt? Even more, look at the time […]
Lorraine Curtis’ Funeral Sermon: Matthew 5:24
October 27, 2011 by
I sometimes wonder if there’s something about Chicago and Northern Illinois that shapes and forms certain personalities. Let me explain. Lorraine had a strong, distinctive personality, similar to some others I’ve met from Chicago. Lorraine wasn’t uncaring by any sort, but she didn’t mince words. She told you what she thought in a way you’d […]
St. James of Jerusalem
October 23, 2011 by
It’s a sad fluke of history when we forget the prominent people who shaped their times. It’s even sadder when the Church has succumbed to this failing. But that such a fate should fall on such a first-rank figure of the Apostolic Church is even more worthy of lamentation. James, the stepbrother of Jesus, was […]
Luke 14:1-14, “Friend, Move Up Higher”
October 16, 2011 by
It’s a dangerous decision to make when planning a wedding reception, to decide who sits where. Some folks will value where you place them to sit, near the bride and groom, near the place of honor. Others will feel insulted, having to sit too far way from where they think they belong. But if you […]
The Mystical Union: Ephesians 3:16-19
October 9, 2011 by
We, as a nation, are adrift, confused and unsure. We fill our lives with noise and motion, through which we mask the haunting silence of not being able to answer this question: “What is the meaning of my life?” What about you? What is your purpose? Why you are here, at this place and time? […]
How to Seek God’s Kingdom and His Righteousness: Matthew 6:24-34
October 2, 2011 by
If a father loves fishing, he teaches his son how to fish. If a mother loves quilting, she teaches her daughter how to quilt. What you love, you talk about and do. That’s just obvious. What you love, you pass on to your children, because you love them. You want them to love what you […]
Walking in the Spirit: Galatians 5:16-24
September 25, 2011 by
Oh, how wretched we Christians can often seem! Through the waters of baptism, the Holy Spirit creates spiritual life in us, through which we are born from above (John 3:3-6). Yet, this spiritual birth is but the beginning of a constant conflict between our sinful nature and the Spirit of God. The Apostle Paul calls […]
Eleanor King’s Funeral Sermon, John 10:27-28
September 19, 2011 by
Dear family and friends of Eleanor King: 1918 was a treacherous year. World War I was still far from over. Many men were dying from machine-gun fire and poison gas. Yet, despite the carnage in distant lands, love still thrived in this fallen world. Harry Moline and his wife, Florence, loved each other. And so […]
The Good Samaritan: Luke 10:23-37
September 18, 2011 by
In Jesus, God stepped into our fallen world wearing the robe of our humanity. When the set time had fully come, common men would see and hear the Messiah prophesied from of old. They became His disciples, and later, even His apostles. And in seeing and hearing Jesus, they didn’t just see a man, they […]
God’s Law and Gospel: 2 Corinthians 3:4-11
September 11, 2011 by
The Christian faith is a matter of God’s revealed, life-creating and life-changing truth. In matters eternal, research and scholarship can only offer added insight or information. For research and scholarship cannot give eternal life. It is God’s Spirit working through Word and Sacrament that give us such life. The Apostle Paul and Pastor Timothy tell […]
