Two sisters, whom Jesus loves, send word and beg Him to hurry their way. Lazarus grows ill and soon may breathe his last. Despite the urgency, time still runs in its continual coursings. Swift, the sickness rushes in, so slow is the Lord of mercy. So things appear to this family, awash in their anxiety. […]
John 11:17-27, 38-53: The God Who Cries at Funerals
March 29, 2020 by
Though uncommon to our ears, in times past, the Church delighted in describing Jesus as a “lover.” Today, we might find this as odd, perhaps perverted, as word meanings shift and change, and “lover” now refers to one’s sexual partner. Ah, but the word “lover” can contain so much more! The root for “lover” is […]
Romans, Lesson 26: What Those in Christ Have
March 25, 2017 by
The stronger brother is chided not to abuse his Christian freedom toward the weaker brother (Romans 14:13-21), for what does not proceed from faith is sin (Romans 14:23). Apart from faith, everything a person does is tainted with sin and, thus, not perfect enough to merit anything before God. So, we turn to Christ to […]
Isaiah 26:19: All Saints
November 6, 2016 by
Unless Christ returns first, we will all face death. Experience teaches us this truth. Death is even more certain than taxes. Our experience on earth, however, cannot tell us what follows death. Here’s where faith comes in, for faith believes to be true what your experience cannot tell you. Beyond death, God reveals little. God […]
2 Corinthians, Lesson 7: The Resurrection Encourages Us, even in Our Suffering
October 19, 2015 by
Paul and Timothy said that what was happening to them, their suffering and being brought closer to death, made them outwardly seem fragile, like jars of clay. People considered such earthen containers of little value because they held garbage or excrement. Although Paul and Timothy looked like they were of little value, what they brought […]
1 Corinthians 15:51-57: Funeral Sermon for Ruby Kintzinger
September 10, 2015 by
Ruby Kintzinger was a long-time member of Shepherd of the Hills. She passed away on August 20, 2015 and her funeral was on August 24. This was her funeral sermon. Listen, I tell you a secret. We will not all die as Ruby has died. But all of us, those who have died and those who live, […]
1 Corinthians, Lesson 27: The Resurrection of the Body, Part 2
July 27, 2015 by
Some in the Corinthian congregation had denied, or downplayed, the resurrection of the body. To counter this error, and to show just how important that doctrine was, Paul contrasted the “natural” body with the “spiritual” body. The natural body is the “ensouled” body, the physical body that encases the soul. The spiritual body is the […]
1 Corinthians, Lesson 26: The Resurrection of the Body, Part 1
July 18, 2015 by
Paul has delivered what it means that God the Father has raised Jesus from the dead by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 15:20, Romans 8:11). Because Christ was raised alive, those who are in Christ will also be made alive (1 Corinthians 15:22). But this will happen at His “coming,” when He returns on the […]
1 Corinthians, Lesson 25: The Gospel, the Church, the Scriptures, and the Body’s Resurrection
June 28, 2015 by
Paul had shut down speaking in tongues, at least as the Corinthians had practiced it, when they spoke unintelligible sounds from their mouths. Paul viewed real speaking in tongues as something good, which was speaking in a way that increased understanding, not decreased it (think of Acts chapter 2). After all, Paul said this about […]
John 8:42-49: For you and because of you
March 25, 2015 by
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 his good works, thinking he must be saved because of what he has done. He could look to his emotions, trying to find in his […]
