Luther’s translation of the German Bible rushes in where other translations fear to tread. We see that in the first verse of our Old Testament reading for today. There are two basic ways to understand that verse. The most common is what I read to you a few minutes ago: “I have gotten a man […]
Sermon: Luke 19:41-44
August 28, 2011 by
“Familiarity breeds contempt,” so the saying goes. It means that we can be so familiar with something that we begin to consider it of little value. This can even happen in our faith-life, where God becomes routine for us, and we begin to consider Him of little value. Of course, the problem is not with […]
Parable of the Dishonest Manager: Luke 16:1-13
August 21, 2011 by
Jesus tells us a parable about a useless, money manager. We call this parable, “The Parable of the Dishonest Manager.” We’re not exactly sure how this manager handled the owner’s money. But this we know: everything he did as a manager was a failure. So the owner fired him and told him to turn over […]
St. Mary, Mother of God: Luke 1:39-55
August 13, 2011 by
Whenever possible, artwork has always adorned the chancels of Christian churches. Since the beginning, the Church has never sought after stark and stern places of worship. Even in the Old Testament, beautiful artwork and engravings adorned God’s holy Temple, according to His own specifications. This longing to have beautiful art within God’s house continued even into […]
Jesus Feeds Us: Mark 8:1-9
August 7, 2011 by
When we think about Jesus feeding the multitude, in this case, a crowd of 4,000, we normally pay little attention to the setting. We stand amazed by what Jesus did. He multiplied a minute amount of bread and fish to feed an enormous crowd. But that’s just the obvious part. If you look at the […]
The Ten Words: Exodus 20:1-17
July 31, 2011 by
If you remember your confirmation instruction, you may remember the three purposes of God’s Law. God’s Law serves as a curb, a mirror, and a guide. The curbing part of the Law helps restrain our sinful behavior. The mirror of the Law shows us that we can’t fully do what God expects of us. The […]
Fishers of Men
July 24, 2011 by
What a strange miracle: a miracle of catching many fish. That was a miracle tailor-made for fishermen. And that’s who Jesus’ first disciples were; they were fishermen. Peter, Andrew, James, and John were all partners in a fishing business. One day, Jesus was teaching a crowd that converged at the Sea of Galilee. Running out […]
Genesis 50:15-21: Evil Turned to Good
July 17, 2011 by
If anyone thought that he could be a god in the place of God, Joseph might have thought that. After all, he was second in command of Egypt, the powerful empire of his day. The only authority higher than Joseph was Pharaoh himself. And Pharaoh thought that he was divine. So it might be that […]
Church is not Optional: Luke 14:15-24, Hebrews 10:22-39
July 3, 2011 by
The parable in today’s Gospel reading is one confrontation in a sea of confrontations by Jesus with the Pharisees. But Jesus told today’s particular parable when He was eating dinner at the house of a “prominent Pharisee” (Luke 14:1). So, the dinner story line in today’s parable was meant to hit home, as the Pharisees […]
