κήρυξον τὸν λόγον

But what do you think? A man had two sons, and he went to the first and said, Child, go today and work in the vineyard. And in answering, he said, I will not, but afterward, he regretted it and went. Then going to the second son, the man said the same thing. But in answering, he said, I, Lord, but he did not go.  Which of the two did the will of the father?  They said, The first one.  Jesus said to them, Amen, I tell you that the tax collectors and the prostitutes will enter before you into the kingdom of God. For John went to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him. But the tax collectors and the prostitutes believe him. But you, seeing it, you did not regret it afterward and believe him.  Brothers and Sisters in Christ, it never fails. There are too many people in our world who say that the Word of God doesn't really do anything, that it’s just ink on a page. When they talk about the Word of God, they say it’s effective only when people become ...

I desire to give to this last one as I give to you. Can you believe that! They all got the same!  Seriously! They all got the same! Equal shares.  I tell you, it’s a scandal.  Is that any way to celebrate human achievement? They all got the same participation trophy??!! It goes against everything we as Americans hold dear. Shouldn’t you be rewarded for a hard day’s work? Shouldn’t you receive the top prize for giving your all? One of the first rules of both economics and justice is that people get what’s coming to them, you get what you deserve. If you work harder, and longer, and more faithfully than others, you deserve a bigger slice of pie. Everything in our society is based on this principle. If you work overtime, you get time and a half. If it’s not cash in hand at the end of the day, then you get influence, power, and prestige.  Americans even apply this principle in the church, where we talk about living by faith alone. We say things like ... I have faith that...

Thus he comforted them and spoke to their hearts. There is no relationship in all of creation more adversarial than the one we have with God. From the very beginning, God chooses good; we chose evil. God chooses light; we chose darkness. God chooses love; we chose hate. God chooses mercy; we chose vengeance. God chooses to come to us; we chose to run from him. God chooses life; we chose death.  With every step we take and every move we make, God longs for us to live free ... free from guilt ... free from shame ... free to love ... free to live ... free to forgive and be forgiven ... free to nourish and be nourished ... free to be one with him and each other.  God gives us everything we need for a fulfilling life, but all too often we assume there’s always something more fulfilling apart from Him. God sets before us life and good , but in a twisted effort to transcend Him, we continue to choose death and evil .  Why do we do this to ourselves? Throughout our lives ... no m...

What do you think? If a certain man has 100 sheep, and one is led astray, would he not leave the 99 upon the mountain and go seek the one being led astray. And if he happens to find it, Truly, I tell you, he rejoices in it more than in the 99 who weren’t being led astray. Thus, it is not the will of your Father in heaven that one of these little ones should be destroyed. Brothers and sisters in Christ ... Rejoice with the joy of joys! Praise the Lord! Say Hallelujah and Amen, again! Sing Glory to God in the Highest, and peace to his people on earth. There is more joy in heaven today because a certain man has found you. Immanuel has left his mountain paradise and has come after you in the Word made flesh. Our Lord Jesus Christ has heard your confession and delivered to you absolution and washed you clean in his baptismal grace. Our Good Shepherd has lifted you upon his shoulders and brought you back up the mountain.  And here, in this place today, our Father who art in heaven has p...