Posts

The Honor Is Now All Yours :: Matthew 22:34-46

By
Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus questioned them, saying, ‘What do you think of the Christ? Whose son is he?’ They said to him, ‘The [son] of David.’ He said to them, ‘How is it then that David, in the Spirit, calls him Lord, saying, ‘The Lord said to my Lord, ‘Sit at my right hand until I put your enemies beneath your feet’? If then David calls him Lord, how is [he] his son?’ And no one was able to answer him a word, nor was anyone bold enough from that day to question him any longer (vv 41-46). [Introduction] What do you think of the Christ? Whose son is he? These were the questions Jesus asked the Pharisees after they tried to interrogate him. And they are fundamental questions we need to be able to answer reverently and correctly. The Pharisees did not answer the first question. But we will. The answer they gave to the second question ... Whose son is he? ... was faithless. Theirs was incomplete. Christ is not just David’s Son. He is not just an heir to the thr...
Read more

Remember How He Gives Us Real Rest :: Luke 14:1-11

By
And it came to pass, [Jesus] entered into the house of one of the rulers of the Pharisees during the Sabbath to eat bread, and they were scrutinizing him. And behold, one man with edema was before him. In response to this, Jesus said to the law experts and Pharisees, ‘Is it permissible during the Sabbath to give therapy or not?’ But they were silent. And having received [the man], [Jesus] healed and dismissed him. And to [the Pharisees and law experts he said, ‘Which of you, [when your] son or ox falls into a well, will not immediately pull him up during the Sabbath day?’ And they did not have the strength to answer against these things (vv 1-6). [Prayer] We thank you, Heavenly Father, that you have given us time to hear your Holy Word. Grant that in fear and love of you, we may set aside our work to receive your gifts and be refreshed and renewed with your peace and quietness, through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen. [Catechism] The last two weeks we turned our devotional focus toward th...
Read more

Call on the Name of The LORD :: 1 Kings 17:17-24

By
Then the woman said to Elijah, ‘Now I know that you are a man of God, and that the Word of YHWH in your mouth is truth’ (v 24). [Prayer] Lord God, Heavenly Father, bless Your Word wherever it is proclaimed. Make it a word of power and peace to convert those not yet your own and to confirm those who have come to saving faith. May Your Word pass from ear to heart, and heart to lip, and lip to life that, it may achieve the purpose for which you give it, through Jesus Christ, your son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever. Amen. [Catechism] Last week we focused on the first commandment, the one of the heart: You shall have no other gods before [above or in addition to YHWH] . This week we turn to the second commandment, which our Large Catechism says leads us forward and directs us to the mouth and tongue of God: You shall not misuse the name of the LORD your God . Please turn now to page 321 in your service book, and let’s remember what th...
Read more

Homily on Christian Education :: Luke 18:15-17

By
Can you see it now? In our Gospel reading, there was a stream of parents knocking on the door of the house where Jesus was staying. Matthew and Mark seem to indicate this home was just across the Jordan east of Jericho. Our Lord stopped here on his final journey to Jerusalem, where he will draw all people to himself.  And here they come. They’re coming because they most certainly have seen Jesus healing many people. They’re coming because they’ve heard him teaching about the value of God-given marriage. They’re coming ... bringing their children, notably their babies, to Jesus, so that he would lay hands upon them ... so that he might bless them and pray for them and make them whole. They’re coming, living out their vocations as fathers and mothers. When the disciples saw them bringing noisy children to church, they rebuked them. Why? ... Why would the disciples do such a thing?  I’m sure the disciples must have been exhausted at this point of Jesus’ ministry. Can you imagine ...
Read more

Don’t Worry, Our Father Has Us Covered :: Matthew 6:24-34

By
Jesus said, don’t worry (v 25). Then he followed that up by twice saying, stop worrying (vv 31, 34).  [Introduction] Worry is a first commandment sin. What is the First Commandment? You all know this one well. In Exodus 20[:3]: and Deuteronomy 5[:7], the Lord your God declared that you will have no other gods before [him] . In other words, God says you’ll have no need to worry. And what does this mean? It means, as Luther teaches us in the catechism ... we should fear, love, and trust in God above all things . Why? Because we trust he has us covered.  When we worry that we are NOT like everyone else and believe like everyone else, we become idolaters just like Aaron and the Israelites, who worshiped and danced around the golden calf at the foot of Mount Sinai. ... When men worry about their political and familial stability, they become idolaters like King Solomon, who used that as an excuse to marry 700 women from the kingdoms of the world. That ultimately led him into the w...
Read more