κήρυξον τὸν λόγον

There’s a reason that today’s text is the primary Gospel reading every time we celebrate Reformation Day. It’s timeless. It speaks to the problems in Jesus’ time. It speaks to the problems in Luther’s time. It speaks to the problems in our time. It speaks to the problems of all time. It speaks so that you will know the truth and the truth will Lutheranize you ... that is, it will set you free.   So often we approach these words of Jesus from a purely philosophical standpoint, that the truth wil set you free. We like to think like Pilate asking, “ What is truth ?” And too often we understand truth only in the sense of its opposition to lies. We want others to tell us the truth and nothing but the truth. We demand truth in advertising. And when our politicians speak, the so-called fact-checkers scramble to dissect one-liners to discern the so-called truth, or at least their truth.  These are noble tasks, but there is only one truth. Our text for this Reformation service deals wi...

You can’t have it both ways. How many times have you heard this? You have to pick one or the other. Either Option A or Option B. That you can’t have your cake and eat it too. When someone says you can’t have it both ways, they are telling you how black and white your decision must be. We face these choices all the time.  But what if I were to tell you today, you can live your life both ways.  This idea can be difficult for us to believe. Before the Reformation, it tormented Luther. We tend to see things as “either ... or.” If I don’t obey the law, I will feel the wrath of God. But in our text today, Paul reminds us that sometimes you can have your cake and eat it too. Because our text today declares that GOD IS BOTH JUST AND JUSTIFIER OF THE UNJUST I. To be clear, God and his Law are both just. That is to say, God is holy and righteous. God is without sin and he hates sin and will punish sin. God is not the author of sin or death. He is the author and renewer of life. Paul’s...

I am the Lord, and there is no other, besides me there is no God. With everything going on in the world around us and in our personal lives,  sometimes we need a reminder of ... THE MOST IMPORTANT THING.  Sometimes, we need God to remind us that he is God above all else ... that he deserves and desires our fear, love, and trust above all things.  Sometimes, we just need God to remind us that he is not a distant God, that he is not an uninvolved God, that he cares for us, and that he is always with us, knows us, has named us, and continues to call us.  Sometimes, we just need God to remind us that he came to us in the flesh, and that he paid the debt we couldn’t repay, and gave to God what is God’s.  Sometimes, we just need God to remind us that he is Yahweh, he is the God who saves. God’s people of every time and place have always needed this reminder. As God’s people we have needed these reminders almost constantly since our fall into sin in the Garden of Eden....

I’m not a cook. I don’t really enjoy grilling. I’ve also been accused of eating too fast. But at meal time, my wife and I do one thing right: We insist that our family eats at the table together.  It’s a sad sign of the time that many families today don’t eat together. Sixty years ago, the average dinner time was 90 minutes. Today one survey said it’s less than 12 minutes. In the last twenty years the frequency of family dinners has declined 33 percent. Another poll actually found that 40 percent of American families eat dinner together only three or fewer times a week and that ten percent never eat dinner together. But it was a beautiful sign of the times last week when this congregation did just that. Families who eat together have stronger bonds. When people gather around food, conversation opens and relationships grow.  This idea of renewing relationships during a feast is prominent in scripture. Promises, covenants, and friendships are sealed around a table. God renews hi...